Job Search Talk – Episode #9 by Doug Levin
Job Search Talk – Episode #9 – LinkedIn Profile Optimization Tips I’m happy to provide the following LinkedIn profile optimization tips for job seekers of all industries and experience levels. This means creating unique content and substantively populating profiles with quality information.
I don’t believe there is a single “right way” for how to build a LinkedIn profile. But, I have personally developed a style that work for building visually appealing and keyword-laden profiles that use all components of your LinkedIn profile.
With that in mind, please enjoy the following LinkedIn profile optimization tips for your consideration.
About Section About is the opening portion of your LinkedIn profile – just below the introduction card. This is a 2,000-character limit opportunity to communicate your skills, experience, and personality.
I believe in writing the about section in first-person tense (I, my, etc). You should aim to establish your seniority level as well as your industry and occupational specialties. This means writing a professional description that uses action-oriented language and relevant keywords.
Aside from the words on paper, the layout and presentation of your content also matters. I recommend writing in two to four-line paragraphs. You may use bullet points and special characters or add/link to external documents, pictures, websites, videos, and presentations. Below is a blurred sample to give a taste of the style and visual layout.
About Sample
Experience Section Experience is where you add the work history details to your profile. This section is comprised of several fields including job title, employment type, company, location, dates, description, and media.
Similar to the About section, this should be written using first-person tense. I recommend aiming for a 3-line summary that offers a high-level description. This needs to communicate the scope of responsibility. I recommend that you avoid copy/pasting information directly from your Resume. You should also resist the temptation to write long-winded job descriptions here. Specific achievements or initiatives from your work history may be listed in long-form in the Projects section. I discuss this in more detail on the podcast.
Here are some helpful instructions related to your experience section including adding, editing, or removing jobs, multiple jobs at one company, and reordering profile information.
Job Opportunities Section Open to Job Opportunities is a feature on LinkedIn allowing you to discreetly let recruiters know you’re open to new opportunities. The great thing here is you’re able to indicate job titles and geographic locations that interest you without letting your network know that you’re looking.
Job Titles – you may select five maximum job titles from LinkedIn’s pre-populated titles. It’s important to select ones that accurately represent your experience level, occupation, and/or industry concentration.
Geographic Locations – you may select five maximum geographic locations which are offered at the local, county, state, and regional level. For instance, if you’re looking for a job in Chicago, you may input any of the following geographies: Chicago, IL, Greater Chicago Area, Cook County, IL, or State of Illinois.
Job Types – you may select as many of the job types that you’re willing to pursue. The list includes full-time, contact, part-time, intern, volunteer, temporary, and remote.
Job Opportunities Sample Form
Projects Section Projects is one of the most underutilized and overlooked sections on LinkedIn. This area allows you to add individual or team projects to your profile to highlight your work experience in greater detail. I recommend writing projects in an active first-person format. Projects can be specific and more long-winded than your work experience.
You may list as many projects as you’d like. Projects are conveniently displayed in a collapsed format which means they can be as long and detailed as you’d like, without being an eye sore. Adding multiple projects means populating your profile with substantive, achievement-driven content. That just seems like a good idea, right? These projects below aren’t my favorite examples – but, you get the point!
In Recap To recap, I discussed the following aspects of your LinkedIn profile and how to handle them: About, Experience, Job Opportunities, and Projects. Please enjoy the audio recording to hear my thoughts. For professional assistance with your profile, checkout our popular LinkedIn Optimization service.
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