Anatomy of a Perfect Job Hunter’s LinkedIn Profile [Infographic]

Shane Dobbing http://www.bellvuestudents.co.uk 4m 1,029 #linkedin

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Making Your Perfect LinkedIn Profile

There is no questioning the fact that social media has, in one way or another, entirely changed our daily lives.

Before social media, keeping in touch with friends and family who were scattered around the world was much more difficult. Now we can keep them as up to date with our lives as those who we bump into every day.

Social media has now gone further than its initial purpose to simply connect friends. Now multiple platforms are legitimate places to promote yourself professionally and even get jobs as a result.

Maintaining the correct use of different platforms has never been more important. While places such as Facebook may more generally be used for personal use, they can still greatly influence our professional lives.

This post from the Muse states that 92% of companies now use social media for recruiting, which can mean anything from LinkedIn to scanning your Facebook at Twitter to judge more about your character.

Take a look at this post from Oxygen which shows how lots of people posting certain images, letting off steam or posting inappropriate pictures got them fired.

However, the most important social platform for job hunters and recruiters by far is LinkedIn. It is reported that 94% of recruiters now use the site to vet potential job candidates, so it is vital that your LinkedIn profile is looking its best at all times.

So, how do you get your profile looking as appealing as possible? Well, bellvuestudents.co.uk has created this handy infographic titled ‘The Anatomy of a Perfect Job Hunter’s LinkedIn Profile’ to help you do just that.

Take a look below and make sure you stand out from the crowd during your next job hunt.

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Text-Friendly Version

THE ANATOMY OF A PERFECT JOB HUNTER’S LINKEDIN PROFILE

94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to vet potential candidates for a position.

Does your porfile stand out and make a recruiter remember you or is it basic, boring, and outdated?

Here’s what the perfect job hunter’s LinkedIn profile looks like, complete with top tips for standing out against other applicants:

1. Show Up In Search Results: Ensure your profile shows up in search results by searching for relevant keywords relating to your experience, noting how these are used by the top results and applying the same principles to your own profile.
2. An Awesome Background Photo: Choosing a background photo which not only stands out but is memorable can help to ensure recruiters remember you and your profile against those without one in place. Get it right and your profile will look great. Image Guide: 1000px x 425px / Max 4mb / JPEG, GIF, or PNG only
3. A Professional Headshot: First impressions count so invest in a professional headshot to use as your profile photo. Ensure you look personable and always go for a neutral background. Image Guide: 400px x 400px / Max 10mb / JPG, GIF, or PNG only
4. Your Full Name: 20 Characters [First Name] / 40 Characters [Surname] Always use your full name, avoiding nicknames which you may use on platforms such as Facebook. Ensure your name matches that on your CV and that which you use professionally.
5. Your Professional Headline: 120 Characters. Make it easy for recruiters to understand who you are and what you do. Keep it clear and to the point and always avoid humorous references.
6. Your Industry: Ensure you’re being found by the right people by ensuring you are specific enough about the industry which you work in.
7. Your Full Location: Make sure you show up to those searching in a given location by being specific about where you are based.
8. A Personalised URL: Set your personalised URL to make it easier for others to find you. Edit your URL in teh box below your name. This will allow you to display as linkedin.com/in/john-smith rather than linkedin.com/pub/john-smith7263/7324.
9. Recently Published Posts: By regularly publishing via LinkedIn Pulse, it showcases that you know your industry inside out and gives recruiters an opportunity to read your posts and set yourself apart from other potential candidates.
10. A Compelling Summary: 2,000 characters. Your background summary is your chance to impress and to sell yourself to recruiters. Highlight your career ambitions and be sure to include links to media such as blog posts, videos, and more.
11. Detailed Experience Summary: 100 Characters [Title] / 2,000 Characters [Description] This is your opportunity to highlight both present and former employment to showcase your experience in an industry. Aim to complement job descriptions and responsibilities with rich media such as photos, presentations, links, videos, or documents to showcase what you have achieved in a particular role.
12. Certifications: This is your opportunity to showcase any certifications and qualifications which you hold as part of your professional career.
13. Detailed Projects & Publications: Add in projects or publications to showcase your skills and experience as well as demonstrating any professional accomplishments and published works.
14. Detailed Education Summary: 100 Characters [Education / Degree] / 1,000 Characters [Education Description] Recruiters are interested to know where you were educated and what you studied so ensure this section of your profile is as complete as possible. This also allows you to connect with other alumni.
15. Skills & Endorsements: Be sure to add skills to your profile which highlight your professional skills. Connections can then endorse you for these skills and make recommendations based on your skillset.
16. Advice For Contacting: Be sure to include comprehensive contact details including your email address, phone number, and links to other social profiles to make it easy for recruiters to contact you.
17. Recommendations: Recommendations are testimonials from those who you have worked for or with and can be a great way for recruiters to gain a little insight into your skills, experience, and connections.
18. Connections: Aspire to make at least 300 connections to ensure you look ‘connected’ to recruiters but don’t go overboard. Aim to make connections only with those who you know. This isn’t the place to build up an ego-boosting connection count.
19. Groups: By joining relevant LinkedIn Groups, you’re not only able to connect with other members but can utilise the platform’s networking potential.

Brought to you by bellvuestudents.co.uk

Source: http://www.bellvuestudents.co.uk/perfect-linkedin-profile/

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