How to improve your LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn is a valuable social media platform for people looking to build professional connections and advance their careers. With so many profiles on the platform, here's how to make yours stand out

Make a powerful first impression

Your profile picture is crucial as it's often the first thing that recruiters or potential connections notice. Make sure your picture is professional - well-lit, with a clean background, and shows you in professionally appropriate clothing.

A headline is positioned under your name and should be more than just your job title. It should highlight your unique strengths and include relevant keywords that recruiters and employers use to search for candidates. Focus on what you bring to the table, like 'building' or 'leading' for a leadership role, or 'optimising' or 'driving' for a performance-oriented position.

Examples include:

• data analyst - Data-driven decision maker | Optimising business performance with analytics
• marketing manager - Growth-focused marketing leader | Building brand awareness and driving sales
• software engineer - Full-stack developer | Building scalable and user-friendly applications

The 'about' section is an opportunity to expand on your headline and tell your professional story. Use this space to showcase your skills, experiences, and career goals. Don't hesitate to share your achievements and let your personality shine through to connect with others.

Consider customising your LinkedIn URL to make it easier for people to find you. You can use your full name or a combination of your name and profession for consistency across all your online profiles.

1. On your profile page, click the pencil icon next to 'Edit public profile and URL' on the right side.
2. Click the pencil icon next to your current URL to edit it.
3. Enter your custom URL in the text box. It can include letters, numbers, and hyphens, but not special characters.
4. Click 'Save' to confirm your new custom URL.

Keep in mind that URLs are on a first-come, first-served basis. If your preferred URL is unavailable, try variations with your middle initial, industry, or a relevant keyword.

Showcase your accomplishments

The experience section is where you capture attention, entice potential employers, and showcase your professional worth. You can do more with this section than simply listing past job titles:

• Quantify your impact - Don't just say you 'increased sales' - state by how much. Did you streamline a process? Highlight the time or cost savings you achieved.
• Tailor your achievements - While highlighting impressive metrics is crucial, ensure they resonate with your target audience. For example, if you're applying for a marketing role, emphasise results related to brand awareness or lead generation.
• Beyond numbers - Quantifiable achievements are great, but don't neglect the qualitative. Did you win an award for your work? Did you lead a successful project that boosted team morale? These achievements showcase your value.

When listing your education, make sure to include the name of the institution, degree earned, and graduation year in chronological order. Additionally, consider mentioning relevant modules that align with your target jobs, using keywords from job descriptions.

In the skills section, highlight your most relevant hard skills, such as software proficiency and programming languages, along with soft skills like communication and teamwork. It's important to include a mix of general and specific skills based on your target jobs. For more information, see what skills do employers want?

Furthermore, you can showcase any professional certifications you have gained to demonstrate your expertise. To keep your profile up to date, make sure to add new skills, completed projects, or certifications regularly.

Boost your credibility

The recommendation section on a LinkedIn profile serves as a space for testimonials from other professionals. It's similar to an online reference section that allows those who have worked with you to endorse your skills, experience, and work ethic.

When seeking recommendations, consider approaching professors, former employers, or colleagues who are familiar with your work and can offer insight into your skills and work ethic. 

Email is a convenient way to approach potential recommenders. It allows them to respond in their own time. Briefly introduce yourself and your networking goals and express your appreciation if they'd be willing to provide a recommendation.

To guide their recommendation, mention the skills and experiences most relevant to your job role. You can also showcase a specific project or achievement that exemplifies those skills, and you could consider attaching your CV for further context. Always thank the person for their time and consideration, regardless of their decision.

Tailor your profile

When creating your profile, ensure that the skills and experiences you highlight are relevant to the industry you are targeting. This will attract the attention of recruiters and hiring managers who are seeking specific qualifications.

For industries that value visual communication, like art, design or marketing, consider incorporating additional elements beyond just your headshot. This could include examples such as presentations you have delivered, infographics that demonstrate your skills, or even a brief video introduction that showcases your personality and expertise.

Start engaging

To build a strong LinkedIn presence, it's important to do more than just share your own content. Engage with others by liking and commenting on relevant articles and discussions. This demonstrates that you are involved in industry trends and helps create a sense of community.

Here are some ways to find people to engage with on LinkedIn:

• Follow industry hashtags and keywords - LinkedIn will show you posts that use these hashtags and following them allows you to see discussions and content from a wider range of people.
• Search for people in your network - You can search by name, company, title, school, or even keywords in someone's profile. For example, if you're in marketing, you could search for 'marketing managers' at your target companies.
• Look at 'people you may know' suggestions - LinkedIn will suggest people you might want to connect with based on your network and profile information. These suggestions can be a good starting point for finding people in your industry.
• Follow influencers in your industry - Many industry leaders and experts have active profiles on LinkedIn. Following them allows you to see their content and engage with their posts. You can also learn from their insights and perspectives.

Take it a step further by joining LinkedIn groups that focus on your field. Here, you can share your knowledge, ask questions, and network with other professionals. Don't hesitate to contribute original content to the platform - insightful articles on industry trends, thought-provoking discussions, or even short videos showcasing your skills can all establish you as an expert.

Finally, following companies you're interested in working for is a great way to stay updated on job openings and company culture. It also shows your genuine interest to potential employers, making you a more well-rounded candidate. By following these steps, you can shift from being a passive observer to an active participant in the LinkedIn professional community.

Find out more

• Discover our tips on using social media to job hunt.
• Explore how to network in a digital world.
• Check out the Prospects LinkedIn page.