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Your LinkedIn profile might be one of the first ways that a potential employer learns about you and your background, so making sure it's polished is as important as updating your résumé.
Here are some tips to make sure your LinkedIn profile is first-rate:
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1. Create a bold headline
Your professional headline is below your name on your profile. By default, your current job title will fill that 120-character space. "If you're job hunting, I would recommend saying, 'Looking for opportunities X, Y and Z,' " says LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher, who is responsible for educating consumers on how to best use LinkedIn "It signals to people that you're on the market." If you are openly and actively seeking work, you can also put something in your summary section saying that you are looking for a particular position.
You should also have a current, professional photo as well as a custom LinkedIn URL. To create one, click on "edit profile" and change the URL to: www.linkedin.com/in/yourname. Include that address on your résumé, cover letter and the bottom signature line of your outgoing email.
2. Create your career story
"Employers are looking for a snapshot of your accomplishments, your skills and your employment history," Fisher says. Use the summary category to show what your career trajectory is and write it in a conversational voice. This is your chance to give your elevator speech in written form.
See also: Create your own personal business brand
In the experience section, list your job title, followed by the name of the company, with a one-line description of that business; then list the specific responsibilities of a position in a bulleted format with active verbs. You can also add a results section that describes specific accomplishments. Fleshing out this section with awards, images or presentations is also an option.
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