Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out and Get Noticed With These 18 Expert Tips
LinkedIn is a great way to showcase your work experience, skills and abilities, and to network with other professionals in your field. There are over 875 million people using LinkedIn right now, and this gives you the ability to get noticed. The thing about LinkedIn is that many people stumble onto your page, and for that short amount of time, you can showcase your brand and who you are. This can mean all the difference when your profile shows up in searches, as you can differentiate yourself from other professionals in your field. in this article, we will look at: 18 tips to make your LinkedIn profile stand out and get noticed If you are interested in building your own personal brand and making yourself stand out from the crowd, speak to a career counselor from Enhancv. They can help you build confidence as you grow your network. 8 Tips on How to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Standout 1. Pick the perfect profile picture for LinkedIn By picking the perfect picture for LinkedIn, you could help to connect with people who visit your site. It is your first impression that you make with people who visit your profile page, so do your best to find an appropriate picture which makes you look professional. There is that adage where you should dress for the job that you want and not the job that you have. Therefore, when you’re taking a profile picture, wear what you would normally wear to work in the picture. Choose a picture where your face takes up at least 60% of the overall picture. If you use a photo where your face is far away, it might be hard for people to actually see you. 2. Add a background photo Adding a background photo is a great way to customize your profile. Background photos are often neglected, but they are a hidden gem which helps your profile stand out. You can include a picture that fits with your motto, or throw in an aesthetically pleasing landscape of a meadow, both of which give visitors to your site a little more information about who you are and what you value. 3. Create a great headline Tucked away at the top of your profile is the description portion of your profile. Most people tend to just put a job title in there, but you could use it for so much more. You have 120 characters to work with, which you can use to share about why you do what you do and what motivates you. Think of it as more like an elevator pitch than a simple job title. Here’s a simple formula you can use to write the best LinkedIn headline: Write to your target audience: Are you a freelancer looking to get more work? Then make your headline geared towards some products or services you sell. If you primarily have LinkedIn to network, briefly describe your role at the company that you’re working at. Avoid buzzwords: buzzwords are everywhere in business, and they actually lose their meaning when used so many times. ‘Leveraged’, ‘paradigm shift,’ ‘synergy’. These are words that seem to say a lot but fall short of giving a detail description of who you are. Mention what you offer: Your headline is an opportunity for you to share what you offer, without seeming to ‘salesy’. Share what you’re good at, and people will be interested in learning from you. 4. Craft an interesting summary that showcases your skills and experience The best piece of advice for writing your LinkedIn summary is to turn it into your own story. It’s a place where you can bring out all the skills and experience you have, while also showing the workplace journey that you’ve made yourself who you are today. You are not just a collection of skills and abilities, but a fully fleshed out human being. Use your summary is a place to shine. 5. Match your profile to your industry or field Create your profile to match those from other professionals within your field. Search other profiles, and identify what main things that they include in their profile. Ask yourself: Do the profiles tend to be more formal or informal? What are industry specific terms or achievements which most professionals highlight in their profile? Do other profiles use visual media to highlight their achievements? There are many other things to look for, but by glimpsing the profiles of others in your field, you can get a great understanding of the typical profile page. 6. Use the right keywords Keywords are important on your LinkedIn page as they can allow you to be found by recruiters and hiring managers. Keywords are specific words or phrases that can allow you to be included in search results. They’re also different from buzzwords, as buzzwords are professional jargon, whereas keywords provide context to skills and achievements that you’ve made. For example, if you mention you are a senior content marketing manager, some common keywords that you may include throughout your profile include digital marketing, social media marketing, project management, and marketing strategy. You can use these terms to build up your professional brand by sharing moments where you’ve excelled in those roles. 7. Get rid of buzzwords Buzzwords are like the junk food of the professional writing world: they seem to say a lot, but are ultimately filled with empty calories and little meaning. “Innovative”, “hardworking”, and “specialized” are all terms which you could use to describe yourself, but you could ‘show’ and not ‘tell’. Share moments where you’ve learned new skills and become more specialized rather than leaving your readers with just the phrase “specialized” in your profile. You should do your best to comb through your profile, eliminating useless buzzwords. 8. Spotlight the services you offer If you do any freelance work, try to use your LinkedIn profile as an opportunity to highlight the products or services you offer. Also, include all your contact info so that potential employers or clients can properly get a hold of you. Engage With Your Connections 9. Grow your network One of the best things that you can do is to sync your profile with your email address book. This can allow LinkedIn to provide you with suggestions of people you should connect with. This can allow you to grow your network quickly. Also, all connection requests are sent with your permission, allowing you to vet all those people you’d like to add. In addition, when you meet colleagues or coworkers, be sure to search for them on LinkedIn. If you attend any trade shows or conferences and make any connections there, search those people up. 10. Engage with posts and content You can really make headway in building your network by simpling engaging with content of other professionals. A simple comment can cement a great bond with potential connections and may even lead to a job offer down the road. Make sure that you’re commenting for the right reasons, though. People can usually tell if you’ve got ulterior motives behind your comment, like trying to prospect for new clients or to sell your services. Be honest when writing comments and try to find a common ground between you and the original poster. Create Content and Customize Your Profile 11. Add videos and images to your profile Let’s be honest, it’s easier for the average person to consume content when it’s as videos and images. Multimedia presentations, like infographics, lectures, and professional presentations, help you highlight your communication skills and shed light on things that you’re passionate about. It might also be an opportunity for you to add ideas to the conversation within your field. You might have an interesting take on how AI can help to shape content marketing for the next decade. Share your views, but back them up with real statistics and information, and you can expect others to engage with your ideas. 12. Share multimedia content in your posts Share relevant content from other creators to your LinkedIn feed, Twitter, or other social media sites. This can also show that you’re engaging in the overall conversation. Also, add those who are considered thought leaders in your field, and set up notifications to get updated on new posts. 13. Customize your LinkedIn URL Customizing your LinkedIn URL actually makes your profile page easier to find and share. It can also boost your credibility, show that you’ve put effort into your page, and lead to more profile views. It can also help you if you’re creating a unique LinkedIn page for your business. Here’s how you do it: Sign into your LinkedIn profile and click on the "View Profile" button Once you land on your profile, check the menu right beneath your profile picture, and you should find a “Edit profile and public URL” button. Click it. You should find a prompt to edit your custom URL in the right-hand corner. Make your URL your first name and last name. Seek Endorsements and Recommendations 14. Manage your endorsements You’ll see endorsements flood in once you’ve set up your page. But you may notice that they’re skewed towards different work experiences that you’ve listed on your page. For example, you may receive endorsements from people who attended university with you, but you may be interested in getting more endorsements from recruiters and other relevant people. You can edit your endorsements list by clicking on your Skills section of your profile. You can choose which types of endorsements you’d like to show and others you’d like to hide. 15. Request recommendations Use your existing network to build a larger network by asking for recommendations. Connection requests can only get you so far when building your network, but by having someone you know recommend you to another professional, you have more credibility when you reach out to a potential connection. Those in your network can put their stamp of approval on you, and that can give job seekers a significant advantage when reaching out to hiring managers. Keep on Top of Your LinkedIn Profil 16. Take skills assessments Taking a skills assessment can open up job opportunities to job candidates because they can boost their credibility. In addition, you can even earn certificates and Verified Skills badges, which you can showcase on your LinkedIn profile. 17. Check your LinkedIn profile strength On your LinkedIn profile, you can find tips and tricks to help you create a great profile. You can find a “Suggested for you,” section inside the “View profile” feature of your page. From there, you can find prompts to help you complete your profile by adding more content. This can help to improve your profile’s discoverability in search results. 18. Keep your page active The most difficult thing to do is to keep your page active. It takes time to stay updated, but maintaining a good LinkedIn profile can help you grow your network. You can join groups within LinkedIn or follow more people to stay current. Follow any of the steps above to help you stay active on your page. Conclusion Whether it’s adding a sharp profile photo or including links to your personal website, having an up to date LinkedIn profile is vital. LinkedIn is at its core a networking website, and you can grow an extensive network by simply having a real online presence. Job seekers may wish to use their profile like an online resume, while others may choose to reach out to make connections by sending a unique personalized message. Whatever you do on your LinkedIn profile, you’re going to put your career on a more solid footing. If you’re interested in creating a stellar LinkedIn profile, speak with a career counselor from Enhancv. They can help you understand current professional trends, helping you to harness your online presence to gain more opportunities for work.
How to Organize Your Resume in 2023? [+ Resume Examples]
Although you have freedom and flexibility when crafting your resume, there are some key sections which you should include. Putting the right sections into your resume can help to present the information in an easy-to-understand format. In addition, you can highlight the most important things, drawing the attention of a hiring manager to those things of which you are most proud. In this article, we will cover: What sections should you include on your resume? A detailed description of each section Plus examples If you’re looking to create an aesthetically pleasing, professional resume, use Enhancv’s resume builder. With built-in grammar checker and distinct customization options, you can create a resume to be proud of. What Sections Should You Include On Your Resume? In any great recipe, you need to follow the steps, include the right ingredients, and combine all the ingredients in order to create a culinary masterpiece. You can’t make an omelette without cracking a few eggs, right? Well, for your resume, you will need to include five key sections, with a couple of additional ones thrown into the pot to create an eye-catching resume. Below you can find the main sections to include on your resume: Contact information Resume summary Work experience Education Skills and qualifications Additional sections If you’re interested in learning more about how to craft a stellar resume, jump over to the How to Write a Great Resume for a Job in 2023 article on our site How to organize a resume Before we dive into each individual section of a resume, support and understand the different resume formats and decide which one you will use for your resume. There are many types of formats which you can use to create your resume, but the important thing is to find the one that suits your needs. Below, you can find the most common resume formats: Reverse chronological order The most common format available, the reverse chronological resume format places an emphasis on your most recent experience by placing your most recent roles at the top of the resume. Working from your most recent experience to your oldest experience allows you to show a full career trajectory to a potential hiring manager. They can see where you started, how you’ve progressed, and even see where you are going in your career. This type of resume is easy to skim and can provide you with an overall career summary. But one of the major drawbacks is that you can easily identify gaps in your resume. It’s also not a great format to use if you are in a creative field or if you are switching between different careers. Functional resume format A functional resume format highlights your skills and abilities over and above your experience. This type of resume may be ideal for those entering the workforce or recent graduates, as you don’t need to have as much experience under your belt to show that you are capable and competent to fill the role. In fact, your technical skills can help to give you an edge when applying for certain positions. One of the major issues with a functional resume format is that it provides your skills in a static manner. If you just list all of your skills at the top of your resume, you are not able to portray your skills using real examples from your career. It’s especially important to quantify all of your skills, using real-world examples from your career to qualify your claims. Hybrid resume format Hybrid resume format allows you to place your skills and experience on equal footing. Using a hybrid format, you could lay out your resume with two equal columns, one with your skills and abilities and the other column with your experience. This format is especially helpful when you are in a creative field or are looking to make a career change. If, for example, you’re moving out of a sales position into a management position, you can place your knowledge of software and leadership skills right next to your most recent sales experience. A hybrid resume format may not be ideal if you are in a senior management position. In a management role, you will probably be assessed mainly by your experience. Contact Information What’s the purpose of the personal information section on a resume? A personal information section can help to provide a hiring manager with all the information they need to contact you. It’s the first section that you would include on your resume. But it’s also an opportunity for you to share important details about yourself. For example, by sharing where you live, you can show how close you lived to the job that you’re applying for. What should you include in your personal information section? Your full name Your email: Include a professional email, not the silly one that you might’ve picked up in your college days. If you don’t already have one, try to apply for an email address that looks something like this: firstname_lastname@gmail.com. You can’t go wrong with a simple email address of just your first and last name. Phone number: Include a personal phone number, either a landline or a cell phone. This would be the best number for a hiring manager to call you back. Location: You might’ve noticed that it doesn’t say “address”. The reason for that is you don’t need to necessarily include your address anymore on your resume. Instead, just include the city that you live and the state or region that you live in. Professional social media accounts: You may choose to include your LinkedIn or Twitter profiles in your resume. Make sure that you include only important social media handles, and those that are appropriate for a potential boss to see. Titles, prefixes, or suffixes: if you’ve earned a title, include that in your name. For example, if you are a doctor, you can include the “Dr.” title before your name. Your portfolio or website: If you work in a creative field, one in which showcasing past projects is key, you can include a link to your portfolio or website on your resume. Resume summary section What’s the purpose of the resume summary or objective section on a resume? Your resume summary is an elevator pitch, a short, succinct description of your career aspirations and the skills that you possess. Your resume summary is the best place to put your career trajectory, where you are now and where you see yourself going. It’s also a good place to include skills and abilities which fit your background. If you are experienced, you can lean on your achievements and skills to better position yourself in your resume objective. But if you’re a recent graduate, you can also list your career aspirations and your college academic performance. Keep in mind that your resume summary should be between 3 to 4 sentences. Always tailor your resume summary to the job that you’re applying for. Example 1: For an experienced applicantExample 2: For recent college graduatesExample 3: For career changersWork experience section The work experience section that you provide in your resume is the key section that recruiters look for. As a result, your work experience section should be arranged in such a way that it’s easy to scan and read. The best way to do this is using a reverse chronological format, which lists your most recent experience first. What’s the purpose of the work experience section on a resume? Your work experience will help to show that you can handle the job that you’re applying for. By listing your most recent experience and the skills and abilities that you’ve cultivated through that job, you can prove that you deserve an interview for the role. What should you include in the work experience section? In your work experience section, you should list the places that you’ve worked, the titles that you’ve occupied at those roles, the years that you’ve worked there, and your main duties. Here are some of the things you should include in your work experience section: Use a reverse chronological order: Start with your most recent experience first. Job title Company name, location, and description Date of employment: It’s important to include both the month and year on your resume because ATS software tracks for it. Achievements and responsibilities: Here's where you can showcase your abilities to a potential hiring manager. Tailor your responsibilities in your previous roles to the expectations for the role in the job description. These can be major keywords used by ATS software. Action words: Use action words to showcase your experience. For example, ‘managed’ falls flat when compared to words like ‘spearheaded’ and ‘initiated’. Tailor your experience at the job description: Use key phrases gathered from the job description in your resume. Quantify your experience: Don’t just say that you helped the sales department, but share that you “raise the quarterly earnings by 33%”. Example of a work experience sectionEducation section Potential hiring managers can be just as interested in your education section as your work experience section. The purpose of an education section is to show your academic background. In addition, if you possess a degree from a prestigious university, this can actually help you land your dream job. Example education section:Resume skills section Your resume skills section can help to highlight unique skills which would otherwise be hidden on your resume. These skills that you list should be quantifiable, with tangible examples from your experience to showcase your abilities. When listing your skills, be sure to list both soft skills, also referred to as people skills, and hard skills, which are technical skills specific to a certain career. In addition, if you’re making a career change, there may be several transferable skills you can list which will apply to the role that you’re applying for. The goal is to list relevant skills which can apply to the role, and exclude anything which may not apply. Examples of quantifiable achievements: Spearheaded a cost-saving initiative: This initiative reduced departmental expense by 25%. Discovered inefficient practices in the budgeting process, and implemented processes to create tighter controls. Improved cash flow: Through a capital management strategy, I helped increase cash flow by 50%. Led a financial restructuring process: This was for one of our largest clients and helped to strengthen our relationship with them. Optional resume sections There are several optional resume sections you can include on your resume. For example, you may wish to include a “day in my life” section, in which you list what a typical day looks like in your role. Some other typical optional resume sections include: Certifications and licenses Hobbies Volunteer experience Awards Peer-reviewed journal articles Freelance work Speaking engagements and conferences Key Takeaways Crafting an eye-catching resume isn’t as difficult as it may seem. Job seekers benefit by crafting a well-organized resume which is geared towards a specific role. In order to do that, you may wish to format your resume using a reverse chronological format, listing your most recent experience first. In addition, whether you’re listing your employment history or relevant coursework, always try to quantify your achievements by including facts, figures, and real-world money. If you’re interested in taking your resume to the next level, check out Enhancv’s resume builder. Our resume builder is perfect for creating an aesthetically pleasing, ATS oriented resume which can catch the attention of any recruiter or hiring manager.
3 Tips to Craft the Perfect LinkedIn Summary (With Examples)
Your LinkedIn profile summary is the first opportunity that a recruiter or potential hiring manager gets to learn a little more about you. The biggest problem is that most people simply ignore their summary, or put off updating it. In order to make sure that potential employers see your best qualities, you’ll need to refine your summary, highlighting the most important things about your career and experience. In this article, you will learn: Why your LinkedIn summary is important 3 key elements to include in your own LinkedIn summary How to write an interesting LinkedIn summary to improve visibility Examples of effective summaries If you are looking to wow potential employers with a great LinkedIn summary, speak with a career counselor from Enhancv. They can help you define your greatest strengths and unique selling points, which you could use to create a stellar summary. Why is a LinkedIn summary important? Most people just skip the brief paragraph underneath the name on someone’s LinkedIn profile. But if you’ve ever stumbled upon a really interesting LinkedIn summary, you can get sucked into reading it. In this short section, you can include your professional background and experience while also mentioning your career goals and aspirations. It is the place you can tell people what you do, why you do it, and what makes you unique in your role. Also referred to as the “About” section, your summary is effectively an elevator pitch where you can share all the reasons you should be hired. It is like a resume summary section. Some people even create a personalized ‘hook’, a distinct sentence that stands out and compels people to read further. What’s the purpose of a LinkedIn summary? LinkedIn has over 900 million users, many of which are recruiters and employers looking for new employees. With your LinkedIn summary, you can attract the attention of recruiters by listing your experience and expertise in your field. You can also promote yourself as a thought leader by sharing insights you’ve gained through years of experience. An interesting LinkedIn summary can stoke the attention of a recruiter, and can actually help you land your dream job. Often underutilized, your summary can be a great tool to allow you to take that next step in your career. 3 Key elements to include in your own LinkedIn summary After analyzing several successful summaries, it’s easy to see that there are certain key characteristics that make a good LinkedIn summary. These three key elements include: Professional background and expertise: Whether it’s your resume or cover letter, you should share with a potential hiring manager your major strengths and abilities. Relevant skills are important to include in your summary because these might be unique keywords that people are searching for. Unique selling points: While browsing your profile, some recruiters might ask themselves, “Why should we take a chance on this person?” Unique selling points offer a recruiter distinct reasons to pursue you. These unique selling points should be quantifiable, pointing to real-world examples. Career goals and aspirations: Your career development can be just as important to a potential hiring manager as your experience. Many employers want to know that you have aspirations for where you’d like to go, and would enjoy getting a glimpse of some goals you’ve set for yourself. How To Write An interesting LinkedIn Summary To Improve Visibility Research your target audience and industry One of the first things you can do when crafting your own LinkedIn summary is to sift through profiles from other people in the same industry as you are. You’ll come across a few creative summaries, which you can use as a guide to writing your own. Start with a hook You should make your opening sentence as interesting as possible so employers click to “see more”. A strong hook could be your greatest skill or unique job experience. It can also mention what motivated you to enter your field. Showcase your skills, accomplishments, and experiences One of the best tips that you can take from building out your own summary is to start by highlighting the hard skills that you have in your field. These can include technical skills, like computer, software, and other job-specific training. From there, build out your accomplishments and experiences which fit with your unique skill sets. In addition, don’t forget to include your soft skills, also referred to as people skills. You may choose to highlight your leadership skills in your LinkedIn summary, or your ability to captivate and motivate clients. Include keywords for the type of job you want Keywords can help you appear in more searches and give you more opportunities for jobs. Scatter keywords throughout your summary, especially from your previous work history. When you’re coming up with keywords, think about these four instances where you could collect keywords to put into your summary: Find relevant keywords for your industry or profession Locate keywords that are specific to your experience and skills Find keywords that are commonly used in job descriptions Consider keywords that recruiters would likely use Once you made a list of keywords, scatter them organically throughout your summary. There is nothing worse than a LinkedIn summary with too many keywords stuffed in, as it feels bloated and not like a genuine conversation. Include a “Call to Action” at the end The best LinkedIn summaries for job seekers feature a call to action at the end. A call to action prompts your reader to connect with you, even listing the best ways to reach out to you. A good call to action may provide a unique value proposition for a potential manager, offering them the reason you’d be the best in your field. You might choose to include something like, “If you’re interested in reaching out to me further, contact me at yourname@gmail.com. I would love to chat with you about any opportunities that you have.” Include numbers and data When a hiring manager scans through your LinkedIn summary, they want to know that you are competent and able to complete the tasks that they have for you. Nothing does this better than practical, real-world examples like using data and numbers. Whether in dollars, percentage points, or even a head count of the people that you’ve managed, these numbers draw the eye and grab the attention of those who are reading your summary. Personalize your summary with your own story and tone of voice When people read your summary, they want to know a bit more about you. That’s why it’s important to include some of your personality in your writing. Include interesting anecdotes, your passions, and what drives you and your career path. Alternatively, a job seeker should avoid using Chat GPT or other AI writing websites to write their summary. AI-written copy leaches all feeling out of the writing, leaving it lifeless and stale. But when you use your own words, you’re able to showcase more of what makes you unique to a potential employer. Use white space and small paragraphs to make your LinkedIn summary easier to read Before you set out to write your summary, schedule a quick outline to see the most important things you want to cover. You may wish to include bullet points or you can also use brief paragraphs. By utilizing the white space, you can actually make it easier for people to read. Include subheadings, so that is much easier to scan. Remember, people may quickly scan here summary for the first time, and then read it over in more detail later on. Keep in mind that your LinkedIn summary should be between 200 and 300 words. In our research, we found that is the “sweet spot”. How do I write a LinkedIn summary if I have no experience? If you have no experience or you’re unemployed, you can still write an effective LinkedIn summary. Your summary is more than just what you currently do but combines aspects of your goals, aspirations, and the skills that give you a unique edge in the job field. Try to avoid using words like “unemployed” or “inexperienced” in your summary. Instead, lean into any hard skills that you have, as well as any education and training you’ve received. Try your best to arrange them on a bulleted list, highlighting the most relevant skills at the top of your list. Although you may not have a lot of practical experience, even skills you picked up through training or schooling can make you sought after by hiring managers. Effective LinkedIn Summary Examples Summary Example 1: Recruiter This LinkedIn summary is effective because it is short and concise, while also highlighting the major skills and abilities that make this person a unique hire. The author of the summary even explains the thought process that goes into her work at Vanderheusen Recruiter firm by listing her strategies to find talent and then assess that talent. Summary example 2: Content Marketer One of the unique things about this example is that the author shows a lot of themselves in it. They build a great ‘hook’ by sharing that what made them write was their trip to Europe, and this allows hiring managers to peek behind the curtain to learn more about their motivations and passions. Key Takeaways A great LinkedIn summary has heart and character, as it showcases not just your experience and skills, but also a little more about you. Try to pepper your summary with personal details, while also using real numbers and figures to lend credibility to your work experience. When you take a step out to try something creative, it’s always best to have another set of eyes to look it over when you’re done. Speak with a career counsellor from Enhancv, as they can give you tips to refine your LinkedIn profile, allowing you to make the most out of the short amount of space.
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