Are You Representing Yourself Appropriately? : A Guide to a Professional LinkedIn Profile

8th May, 2014 · Our News, Tips & Advice

Axis work with individuals to help them connect with the right industry professionals and secure their ideal job within in their sectors.
We know employers will search for your LinkedIn profile when they receive your CV from one of our specialist consultants. The other factor to address is that 13 million people on LinkedIn within the UK, you need to optimise your profile to get you noticed, and impress potential employers.
 

Here are some tips on making the most of your profile:

Information Sections

Summary
This is displayed at the top of your page, making it an ideal place to make your first impression a positive one. You can added a small paragraph explaining your field experience and job roles, but don’t make this overly detailed. You can leave detailed explanation of the responsibilities further down under the experience sections. The person reviewing your profile will use this to quickly judge if you are suitable for the role.
Experience
This section will map out your work experience, you must correctly fill out sections noting the companies you have worked for, including dates, roles and websites. Here you can explain fully what your job responsibilities are, make sure the most important and often used skills are first. Perhaps leave out unnecessary additions, like photocopying, answering phones, unless they are needed for a future role.
Volunteer Experience and Causes
41% of businesses surveyed said they valued volunteer experience as much as job related experience. Have you worked for any charities, sponsored a good cause or donated your time? This section is where you can impress.
Recommendations
Positive recommendations can be that push that secures you a role. Employers want to see you can work well with others. The easiest way to receive recommendations is write them for others, they will appreciate this and hopefully reciprocate. You never they could get in touch again for further business in your new role if you both leave positive feedback.

 

 

Extra Tips
No Nicknames – it’s not professional!
Add a Serious Photo – wear appropriate attire.
Optimise Your Location – people will be interested to see how close you are to their business.
Customise Your URL – this helps in Google searches, only use you name, not nicknames etc.
Manage Your Endorsements – these can help you appear in searches, so make sure your best skills are listed at the top and people have endorsed them.
Make Yourself Contactable – we need your number and so might the employer, make it easy to find.
Join Relevant LinkedIn Groups – this makes it look like you follow industry news, employers like up to date candidates.
Turn Off Activity Broadcast – if you don’t want your current employer to see you are updating your profile, address this by turning off the activity broadcast in the settings.
Don’t Use Over Used Words – ‘responsible, creative and driven’, are the most commonly used descriptions of a candidate. Try something different to stand out.
Employ Visuals – only do this if you are confident, make all the images, videos and any other relevant media in similar sizes to make it aesthetically pleasing.
BE ACTIVE – This is the most important step to a successful profile. Right appropriate updates, link articles and write endorsements and recommendations.

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