Overview
This post summarizes techniques for maximizing the strength and engagement of your LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn profile is your product brief to know who you are, what you have achieved, and what you have to offer. It’s more important than your resume.
There is a comprehensive LinkedIn Learning course, “Rock Your LinkedIn Profile” that discusses the profile sections below.
1. General
Incorporate technical skills, tools, and soft-skills keywords into your profile content that aligns with your target path and jobs.
Use the ChatGPT prompt to summarize the top 20 keywords of your resume.
Incorporate strong action verbs that reinforce your working style and complement your technical education, such as “collaborated,” “organized,” “developed,” “analyzed,” etc. Look for opportunities to showcase your leadership skills to lead efforts, teams, projects, etc.
Add a link to your personal website, Github profile, etc., to showcase additional information about who you are. This will be displayed under your location.
2. Photo
Post a quality photo that communicates the brand image you want to project when someone lands on your profile. Profiles without a photo are a non-starter.
Consider getting feedback from others on the impression they get when seeing your photo.
3. Background Image
Images have a way of communicating and influencing someone in a split second.
How do you want to influence someone when they land on your profile?
Leverage a visual with a value proposition and CTA to quickly deliver your message and influence visitors.
Create a custom image at no cost using canva.com.
Click create design.
Enter a custom size 1584 x 396 px
Add text to describe your message
Select a background color
Add an image or other design elements
Click Share and then download
Upload to your profile background
4. Headline
Describe your value proposition beyond where you work or education. Ideally, it’s a brand that endures beyond your current company.
Incorporate keywords, skills, value proposition outcomes, and your desired role (e.g., Data Scientist).
How do you want to be known?
What identity do you want to position?
How would a hiring manager know what you have to offer?
Refer to this guide of 28 headline templates for inspiration.
Explore alternative LinkedIn headlines using this free headline analyzer.
5. About
LinkedIn's best practices for the About section and boosting your profile are here.
6. Education
This section should include your university programs and any continuing education learning.
Add checkmarks in the Skills section to show competencies and tools.
7. Experience
Add statements in the form of WHAT, HOW, IMPACT, and WHY to communicate easily what you delivered, the skills and tools you used, the business impact, and the optional context of why this was important. See the resume bullet structure for clear, concise, and powerful bullets.
8. Courses
Add this section for formal and online education courses so that people see your progression and commitment to continuous learning.
9. Honors and Awards
Add awards earned at jobs or education. Provide context and include keywords relevant to your career direction and job search.
10. Licenses and Certifications
Add certifications with a link to the authority that provided the credential.
Add courses here when they have provided a completion credential.
11. Projects
Use the Projects section to showcase projects you executed in your formal education and work experience. Leverage keywords that reinforce your expertise and the tools used.
For example, I have a Capstone project from my data science degree on my profile that links to the Berkeley website. See the screenshot below.
12. Publications
Reference articles and publications that demonstrate your thought leadership and communication style. Use the description section to reinforce keywords relevant to your direction and job search.
13. Volunteering
Showcase your interests and soft skills through volunteer efforts.
14. Recommendations
Are there past managers or co-workers willing to write a recommendation for jobs you held? These reinforce your credibility and themes in your profile. You need to build up the “proof.”
Share what skills and experiences you ideally would like your recommender to reinforce when you send the LinkedIn recommendation request.
15. Skills
LinkedIn uses Skills to stack rank job candidates in search results.
Request endorsements from colleagues, managers, mentors, professors, and others who have seen your skills in action.
Add a checkmark for skills and tools used during your jobs. See my example below.