Marketing Director
LinkedIn is the perfect platform to showcase your skills and experience to industry professionals. But with over 433 million users and over 93% of decision-makers scouting for talent, how do you stand out from the crowd?
The first top tip: make your profile public if you want to be found.
For more candidate advice, visit our blog on a range of topics including CV advice, how to give a good phone interview, interview preparation advice and more.
How to make a great LinkedIn profile
Recommendations
There is a difference between ‘endorsements’ and ‘recommendations’.
Endorsements for skills are easier to get, and don’t usually carry much weight with recruiters. Recommendations, on the other hand, are more difficult to obtain but are valuable because they act as legitimate references from employers and colleagues testifying to your skills.
This adds credibility, so ask your boss, supervisor or colleagues to give you recommendations. Also, be prepared to return the favour, or submit them unprompted for former colleagues.
Volunteer work
One in five hiring managers have hired candidates because of their volunteer work. Volunteering shows your commitment and compassion to doing things outside of your career that can be rewarding to members of your community.
Mention any volunteering work you have done such as the company, the cause you worked for and the role.
Status updates
Like Facebook and Twitter, status updates are great for sharing things you love that are entertaining or informative. Here, you’ll show recruiters and colleagues you’re staying up-to-date on your industry and nurturing your craft as well as progressing your career.
Aim to write a status update on your LinkedIn every week.
Languages
We live in a multilingual and multicultural world, so having a second language is only ever going to be valuable.
French, Spanish and Chinese are among the most in-demand languages, so try learning one of these languages to add to your list of skills on your LinkedIn profile. And if you’re learning a less in-demand or obscure language, add that too.
Certificates
Gaining qualifications shows recruiters that you take your career and personal development seriously. Accredited courses add credibility, and even if they’re not just related to your day job, show off your breadth of skills. LinkedIn is hardly the place to be shy about that sort of thing!
Achievements
Can you add value to an organisation? A job description of your previous and current roles on LinkedIn won’t add weight without your achievements to match.
Talking about your achievements showcases your initiative, work ethic and expertise, and it’s a great place to talk about the projects you’ve found challenging and fulfilling in equal measure.
List all your significant achievements – and if you can go one step further, create short case studies and upload them as projects.
If you’re looking for a new role, search our latest jobs or contact us at Intelligent People today. We’d love to hear from you and help you find your next position.
