10 Ways to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out.

As job seekers, LinkedIn has become integrated into our daily lives. As a platform where employers sometimes check to see potential employees, it is important to have your profile updated, for visibility.

With over 930 million linkedin users , in order to put yourself out there and display all of your successes to the maximum number of people, you need to have a good LinkedIn profile. Here are 10 ways to make your LinkedIn profile stand out.

Add your headshot: Your headshot is the first thing anyone visiting your profile would see. You want to make sure your picture is clear enough, recent and looks like you. Your profile picture should show your facial features clearly, that is why headshots rather than long-distance shots are important. Your outfit should also fit into a corporate work place.

Create an eye-catching headline: It’s important to have an headline that has more than just your job title. Making a headline that is more than just your job title might help you appear in top searches, sell your unique selling features and make your profile more appealing to potential connections. Use industry-related keywords, showcase your accomplishments/talents, and demonstrate your personality. A good headline can make anyone interested in staying and learning more about your profile.

Write a compelling summary: Your summary is your chance to tell your own story. Talk about your experience and accomplishments, and demonstrate your expertise in your field. State your values clearly, and do this in a way that would interest whoever visits your profile.

Attention spans are short these days, so don’t use up all of those 2,000 characters for a summary. Instead, keep it to less than half of that, and be creative about it. Try to bring to life why those skills matter and the difference they can make to the people you work with. Storytelling is a very good way to market yourself, and it’s always worth the effort.

Use the right keywords: Using relevant keywords across all sections of your linkedin profile is one of the most  important practices for a LinkedIn profile. Check for positions in your field that are of interest to you, and the keywords used in the job descriptions. Select some of the most commonly cited skills and duties and make sure to include those specific words and phrases throughout your profile text.

List your skills and experience: As you learn, try to make a good LinkedIn profile, don’t forget important basic information like your skills. Recruiters checking through your profile would want to see the skills you have for the open positions they’re trying to fill. Update your skill section regularly as you add new certifications.

Be sure to include any jobs that are relevant to where you want your career to go, and use two to four bullet points for each job you include. Also use engaging action words to show your job functions and what you accomplished in each position. You can also add projects you’ve executed.

Customize your URL: Your LinkedIn URL which is the web address for your profile would be long and have some gibberish numbers on it. To make it look better, it’s important to Customize the link. Somewhere around the right-hand side of your profile, you will see the option to edit the URL. Use that option to make your URL more concise. This makes your URL much more memorable and easy to share during job applications.

Keep your account active: Just like every other platform, you need to be active on linkedIn to be seen. Asides from being an online portfolio, it’s also a networking site. That means to get the most out of it, you need to remain active. Check other people’s posts, engage them with your comments, and like and share posts that you find helpful.

To be seen as an expert in your field, post relevant and informative content. Research new developments in your industry and share that information on your profile page, with related hashtags. Recruiters and others who may be interested in finding you will often use timely hashtags to do this.

Connect with People: It is very important to connect with as many people as possible on your profile. Having a lot of connections helps you stay visible to others. As you connect with people you don’t know, it is also important to connect with persons you’ve worked with or met in the professional space.

Ask for recommendations: Recommendations are personal testimonials written to show employer’s or colleague’s experience working with you. In the menu section, it is possible to reach out to specific contacts and ask for recommendations. Take the time to think about who you would most value a recommendation from – and personalise your request. This helps you gain the trust of potential employers.

Take online assessments: After taking the online test, you get a badge as proof. The LinkedIn online assessment enables you to show the level of skills. You can retake the tests as often as you like before showing that you’ve passed. Displaying your abilities will definitely strengthen your brand, and improve its image.

Updating your linkedin profile would increase your chances of getting your dream job. Even as you take all of these steps, you should check regularly for changes and improvement. This could be in the form of the number of profile visits, how many times you appeared in searches and the requests you get to connect.