LinkedIn is a minefield, let’s navigate it together.
In our modern age of remote workers and Skype interviews, it makes sense to care about your LinkedIn profile. After all, LinkedIn is basically a living resume, and it’s super public and super easy to screw up.
And because we know you want to stand out to prospective employers and connections as much as we do, we found some awesome LinkedIn profiles to inspire you.
Here’s five things you can learn from these solid LinkedIn profiles.
Your headline doesn’t have to be your job
As Cindy Gallop hilariously demonstrates in her LinkedIn profile, your headline doesn’t have to be your job title. In fact, if you’re on a hardcore job hunt, then your headline definitely shouldn’t be your current position.
Instead, use that space to spotlight your specialties, personality, and anything else that might make you stand out from the rest of us.
Numbers and media make your job descriptions more impressive
When it comes to the job description portion of your LinkedIn profile, you should follow Caitlyn Flynn’s lead. Even though she’s a professional writer, Caitlyn gets that wordiness isn’t necessarily a good thing in this context.
Rather than writing paragraphs upon paragraphs detailing her many job responsibilities, Caitlyn uses numbers, media, and bullet points to paint a clear picture of her work history. Sometimes, less is more.
Good lighting is everything
We all know that LinkedIn isn’t Instagram, but this doesn’t mean your LinkedIn profile picture and cover photo shouldn’t be good. In fact, according to LinkedIn, your profile is 21 times more likely to be viewed if you’ve uploaded a quality photo to the site.
And while cover photos aren’t strictly necessary, they can add a nice touch to your profile. Case in point: CEO and founder of Black Girls Code (BCG) Kimberly Bryant. Not only is her profile picture well-lit, professional, and warm, her cover photo does an excellent job of representing Bryant’s passion for BCG. Plus, it’s just a good picture.
The right endorsements speak volumes
We can’t all have as many endorsements as Rick Peterson, and that’s OK. Still, endorsements can be a great way to show prospective employers that your skills are legit.
What’s equally important to remember about endorsements, though, is that they need to be relevant to your current career path. So if you have 15 endorsements for marketing but you’ve been working in nurse management for two years, then you should probably just clear out those old endorsements.
Take note from Rick’s profile and don’t hang on to endorsements you don’t need.
Status Updates Should Be Strategic
Just like LinkedIn isn’t Instagram, it also isn’t Facebook. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t update your status, though. Actually, The Muse recommends updating your LinkedIn status at least once a week.
You can share articles you’ve written, links to networking events you’re interested in attending, or even opinion pieces that might be relevant to your career goals.
Whatever you decide to share, just be like TeLisa Daughtry, and make your posts strategic. Your whole network will see your updates, so make ‘em count.
