Creating an impactful LinkedIn profile: Getting noticed online
LinkedIn is a great way to show the world how qualified you are professionally, connect with other professionals, and look for employment opportunities. Remember, one of the best ways to pay for college or repay student loans is to find a job that you’re excited about and that can support you and your costs.
If you’re a student or professional, hopefully you already have a LinkedIn profile, if not, sign up here.
If you do have a LinkedIn profile, read on for our tips and tricks to making yourself standout.
It’s hard to get noticed while you’re on the job hunt!
At the top
At the top of your LinkedIn profile, your name, headline, and picture are all items you can control.
- Your photo should be professional and focus primarily on your face. The background should be muted and any visible clothing should be appropriate.
- Make sure that your headline is under 10 words. Even though it is auto populated to your current title and company, you can change it to include keywords to make yourself more visible on searches
MPOWER Pro-tip 1
Include your contact information (at least your email address) so potential employers can reach out to you. If you’re worried about receiving spam mail, write out your email in a format like name [at] address [dot] com.
MPOWER Pro-tip 2
Create a customized link for your public profile to make it more memorable and easier to find.
In the middle
In the middle of your LinkedIn profile, you can control your summary, work history and current position, education, and extracurricular and volunteer activities. Make sure all fields are filled out.
- In your summary, outline a handful of your major achievements and be sure to include what your skill set is (keywords can also go here!).
- Make sure all relevant work history is on your profile (internships and volunteer experience included). Include a few brief bullet points or sentences outlining your achievements.
MPOWER Pro-tip 3
If they’re relevant, add images or documents like media files, documents, etc. to your experience section.
MPOWER Pro-tip 4
If you enter in your dates of employment for each of your positions, your entire work history will be automatically formatted in reverse chronological order – there’s no heavy lifting on your end!
At the bottom
At the bottom of your profile, you can control your skills and endorsements, recommendations, organizations to follow, and groups to join.
- Join a handful of helpful groups that can help with your networking capabilities.
- Make sure all relevant work history is on your profile (internships and volunteer experience included). Include a few brief bullet points or sentences outlining your achievements.
MPOWER Pro-tip 5
Endorse your connections for their skills. Most likely, they will endorse you back.
MPOWER Pro-tip 6
Ask a handful of former colleagues or supervisors to write you recommendations on your profile.
MPOWER Pro-tip 7
There are plenty of articles out there on how to put together a great LinkedIn profile, but you can look at the profiles of professionals you admire for guidance as well.
Your LinkedIn profile is a great place to showcase your accomplishments and potential. Don’t waste this opportunity to get noticed. Remember, the best way to make those pesky student loan payments is to find a job you love. If you use it effectively, LinkedIn is a great tool to use for your search.
Remember, the team at MPOWER is always willing to provide feedback on your profile. Reach out to us if you want a second pair of eyes.
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