7 Powerful Tips to Uplift Your Linkedin Profile to an “All-Star” Status

Your online presence is a double edged sword; it can either be your greatest asset or your biggest liability, depending on how you handle it. Just like building a brand, it is equally, if not more, important to building your personal brand. Here are some of the statistics that will force you to take personal branding more seriously. With companies relying more on information they find online about you instead of resumes and cover letters, you need to be extra cautious about what you post online.
LinkedIn, the professional social networking platform, is a great tool in this regard for both employees and employers. With more and more companies stalking your Linkedin profiles before deciding to interact with you, it has become downright indispensable to keep your Linkedin profile updated with the latest information. To help you in putting out your best foot forward with your Linkedin profile, here are seven LinkedIn profile tips that will lift your profile to an “All Star” status:

1. Update Your Profile and Background Photo

Put yourself in the shoes of a candidate who is entering the interview room for a job session. The person conducting your interview would try to make up his mind about you by scrutinizing you at a glance. Your LinkedIn profile picture acts in your stead, when it comes to making a first great impression. It is the first thing that anyone will see on your profile and helps prospective employers form an opinion about you.
Choose a professional profile picture and use LinkedIn background photo tips to reflect your professionalism through your profile. A non-professional profile will create a poor first impression and reduce your chances of being hired. Make sure both these images are a reflection of your professional life. Use high quality images according to the standard sizes on your profile.

2. Include An Attention Grabbing Headline

The importance of including your name and a professional career title closely follows behind the heels of your profile picture. Make sure that your headline truly represents what you do and which company you currently work for. Instead of taking the generic route with your headline, you should focus on making your professional title as intriguing and explicit as possible. For example, if you are a sales person at a shoe company, you can write “helping people choose the right pair of shoes”, instead of simply stating “sales person at Puma”. Best LinkedIn headlines look like the former. Although, there is nothing wrong with the latter, but the more interesting option makes your profile looks much more exciting for anyone who sees it.

3. Tell a Story Through Summary

Another area where you need to capitalize on is Summary. Instead of writing a bland introduction about yourself and your work, it is better to harness the power of storytelling. Tell a story that helps your profile viewers connect the dots more easily and develop a clearer picture in their minds. Additionally, stories increase retention and pique the interest of the viewer in your profile. Highlight your achievements and make it more personal and focused. You can start off by sharing where you have been, what you have accomplished so far, and where you see yourself in the near future.

4. Personalize Your URL

By default, LinkedIn provides users with slink to their profile, but that is not always the best option, especially if you want to personalize your profile and make yourself stand out from the crowd. Do not make your profile URL seem like a bunch of random numbers, and instead get a personalized URL for your LinkedIn profile. The main reason behind it is that you might be promoting your LinkedIn profile on multiple platforms and want it to be imprinted on people’s minds.
Imagine the kind of perception your future employer might create after looking at your messed up LinkedIn profile link. It will make you look unprofessional and leave a bad taste in their mouth. Additionally, it makes it harder for your profile to appear in the search results and is not a good practice to follow from the SEO standpoint.

5. Add Education, Certifications and Projects

Probably the most important tip on the list that will take you one-step closer to achieving the “All-Star” status on LinkedIn. Make sure that you fill up every section on your LinkedIn profile, whether it’s your academic background, experience, certifications attained, publications to your name, or projects you have worked on. The more you have to add to every section, the bigger your chances are of creating a stellar profile that speaks volumes about your credentials and proficiencies in your industry. A profile that can boast several projects, numerous degrees, and multiple certifications will outrank profiles that do not have any of these sections filled. Try to establish yourself as an authority in the industry.

6. Build a Network

LinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. Therefore, you should try to build connections with people inside and outside of your industry. The more connections you have, the better you will fare in spreading the net far and wide. This will help you nurture a strong network of like-minded individuals that you can leverage for many purposes in future. You never know where your next job offer might be coming from. Try to grow your network and engage with them on a regular basis.

7. Collect Recommendations and Endorsements

Last but certainly not the least, is asking people who know you for recommendations and endorsements. Thesis where accumulating a huge network of professionals that you have worked with in the past, can come in handy. These endorsements and recommendations from your employers and colleagues can add up to the credibility and trust factor of your LinkedIn profile. If recruiters find these endorsements and recommendations from your previous employers when scanning your LinkedIn profile, they will be more inclined to hire you.

Conclusion

Fill out all the details and take full advantage of real estate on LinkedIn to show your skills and talent to the world. Add a professional looking profile picture and background photo and glean a custom URL for starters. By making a few necessary tweaks to your LinkedIn profile, you can easily boost it and increase your chances of being hired by recruiters. Which LinkedIn profile tips do you use to make your profile stand out from the crowd? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.

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