YOUR GUIDE TO CREATING AN ATTRACTIVE LINKEDIN PROFILE

Whether you’re job hunting, gathering leads, or building a network of professionals within your industry, having a professional and attractive LinkedIn profile is an excellent idea to make sure that you can be found by the right people and at the right time. This platform serves as your digital CV/Resume as well as a form of Personal Branding so it’s important to take it seriously.

TIP 1. TAKE A PROFESSIONAL HEAD-SHOT
They say a picture is worth more than a thousand words and as such, your profile picture may be your first impression with a potential employer, an investor (if you are an entrepreneur) or even to other professional buddies. Instead of using your favourite selfie, portrait with snapchat/Instagram filter, a group photo or a full length picture, use a professional head shot. Look like a million bucks, put a smile on your face and if possible contact a professional photographer to do it for you.

Linkedin profile photo sample

TIP 2. CREATE A PROFILE SUMMARY USING STRONG KEYWORDS
Make use of terms and concepts surrounding your line of expertise and profession. e.g. a Business Development Personnel should have terms like, Sales & marketing, Strategy, lead generation, Client acquisition, partnership, revenue generation and so on listed strategically on their profile. You can check out mine (the image below)

With the use of the right keywords, your profile is likely to show up when a potential recruiter or client is searching for anything related to your industry.

LinkedIn profile summary sample

Tip 3. ADD YOUR RELEVANT WORK HISTORY
You DO NOT need to list each and every single job or internships you ever had. Instead, only list the jobs that are relevant to your current career goals and it is wise to top it off by listing your achievements and accomplishments while on the role😀 Also ensure to fill out the appropriate job role, the employment date, the job description etc.

Tip 4. INCLUDE SUPPORTING MEDIA FILES AND LINKS
To boost your profile summary and your job experiences, it is advised to add links to projects you’ve managed, your awards, your certifications, videos, pictures, online presentations or any other presentable work that you have produced. The goal is to showcase your expertise and skills. You didn’t come to play…

Tip 5: CUSTOMIZE YOUR LINKEDIN URL
Your LinkedIn URL is located at the right hand corner of your photo on your profile page which leads to your profile settings. This is the web address for your profile so instead of using the default name and gibberish numbers assigned to you upon sign up, you can make your URL much more memorable👌🏾

Customise your LinkedIn profile URL

Tip 6: FILL OUT MORE INFORMATION ON YOUR PROFILE
There’s the Accomplishment column that allows you to include links to your publication, certification, project, Honour & awards etc. So go right ahead to put all the interesting stuff that doesn’t fit on your resume, but paints you as a well rounded individual😉

LinkedIn Accomplishments Column

Tip 7: BOOST YOUR PROFILE WITH SKILLS & RECOMMENDATIONS
This is MAJOR. Think of people that you’ve developed a good working relationship with in the past; people like your colleagues and ex-colleagues, your clients, your school mates, Ahhh! don’t forget your bosses 😜 Reach out to them so they can endorse your skills and give you a thoughtful recommendation.

When you edit your profile, there is a link to click that says “Ask for Recommendations.” Click on it. You then choose what you’d like to be recommended for and can choose a list of people from your connections. You just might get some good feedback.

Skills and Recommendations are a key to making your page stand out. Employers are more confident to know that others have approved your work.

PS: Don’t be stingy or forget to give out recommendations and endorse skills of other people too🤗

Tip 8: GET ACTIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Ehn! Yes i used multiple “E” for a reason. By this, i do not mean for you to be a nuisance. LinkedIn is a “social” media networking site so make the most out of it by staying active. Join professional network groups, Contribute to conversations within the group, Send birthday wishes, Congratulate people on their job, Be generous with your comments, likes and shares, Share industry relevant content by updating your status or creating an article. Don’t go and be typing “Amen” like they do on Facebook🙄

Your activities can help show recruiters as well as your peers that you are focused and in-the-know in your industry. More so, you can use this platform to create your brand persona and thought-leadership…. all at no cost. #BeWise👍🏾

Be smart on LinkedIn

Tip 9: DON’T NEGLECT YOUR DASHBOARD
Ensure to let recruiters know you are open to opportunities by “turning on” your Career interests on your dashboard. You can also go further by participating in the career advice platform by turning it on too.

Also on the dashboard, you can always check to see who has “viewed your profile”, number of views on your articles as well as how you appear on LinkedIn search engine🤞🏾

LinkedIn Profile dashboard

In conclusion, the rule of the game is to attract attention to your profile. If you follow these tips, you can create a killer LinkedIn profile that stands out to recruiters, hiring managers, potential clients and even mentors.

Let me stop here for now, please share your thoughts…😁