9 LinkedIn Profile Tips to Level Up Your Job Search in 2022

Whether you love or hate LinkedIn, the platform has become synonymous with recruitment, job hunting and career-building. I’ve talked about how a solid online presence is becoming increasingly advantageous to job seekers; however, I recognize that the idea of marketing yourself online may sound exhausting and intimidating. The good news is, personal branding doesn’t have to be complicated!

5 LinkedIn Profile Tips to Cover the Basics

Distinguishing yourself from thousands of other job seekers on LinkedIn doesn’t necessarily require having unique work experience; it’s the little things that make an excellent first impression.

Use a Professional Headshot

The best LinkedIn profiles all have one thing in common: a high-quality photo.

Your profile picture is the first thing people see when they come across your page, so make it a good one! You don’t have to hire a professional photographer for this; just find a neutral background in a brightly lit spot and have a friend use a decent-quality phone to snap a picture.

Done.

Leverage Your Profile Summary

Okay, you’ve made a super first impression with an attractive headshot and an appetizing headline. Now it’s time to make sure the rest of the content on your profile doesn’t disappoint! That’s where your profile summary comes in. Use this section to showcase your skills and experience and contextualize your career journey. This gives recruiters greater insight into who you are personally and professionally.

Don’t be afraid to be creative and show a bit of heart. According to Jobvite’s 2021 Recruiter Nation Report, recruiters really appreciate authenticity:

“Recruiters want candidates that are authentic and trustworthy. When it comes to your resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile, being honest and transparent will take you the furthest in the job search.”

Here is one of the best LinkedIn profile summary examples I’ve seen. The individual tells a story and paints an enticing picture about their background, expertise and inspiration:

Customize Your Profile URL

A custom URL makes it easier to find you, especially if you have a common name. It also offers a cleaner, more professional look on your page and resume. Here is how to quickly make your LinkedIn URL unique to you.

Location, Location, Location!

This may seem super basic, but make sure your current location is accurate and not an old address! This tiny tweak can help you become more visible in the market you’re trying to position yourself in.

Complete ALL of Your Profile Sections

Lastly, while it may feel easier to pick and choose just a few parts of your profile, do your best to complete all of the sections. This will help you achieve maximum algorithm visibility, meaning recruiters are more likely to find you when hunting for talent on LinkedIn.

We’ll cover optimization a little more in the next section.

5 Ways to Take Your Job Search Up a Notch

If you’re wondering how to make your LinkedIn profile stand out even more, check out these other features and best practices.

Optimize Your Profile for Maximum Visibility

Let’s start with the first and most important way to make your profile more visible: optimizing each and every section for keywords and buzzwords that recruiters are likely to search for.

These are common examples of headlines I’ve seen as a resume and LinkedIn profile writer:

“Accountant with 8 years of experience.”
“Unemployed at this time.”
“Job seeker looking for remote work.”

Remember that the goal is to get noticed by recruiters on LinkedIn and widen your pool of opportunities! A powerful headline catches a recruiter’s attention, entices them to learn more about you, and immediately indicates if you’re possibly a good fit for the available position.

LinkedIn headlines for job seekers should include two things:

1. Carefully chosen keywords that recruiters are likely to search for; and
2. Unique value add with measurable (or memorable) results

For example: “B2B SaaS Content Marketer generating 10K+ site views each month” or “Recruitment manager building diverse, inclusive company cultures.”

Follow the same idea for the rest of your LinkedIn profile and put optimizing keywords and phrases in your profile summary, experience, skills, and other sections. Doing so will provide the greatest boost you can possibly achieve!

Tell Recruiters You’re Available

To get on a recruiter’s radar quickly, turn on alerts that show you’re looking for work and the types of jobs you’re interested in. You can create a banner alert like the one below for your whole LinkedIn community to see or choose settings visible only to those using LinkedIn Recruiter (handy if you don’t want your current workplace to know you’re looking for other opportunities)!

Create Social Proof Using Your Skills, Endorsements and Recommendations Sections

Your skills section should reflect two things:

• Skills you are leveraging at your current career level
• Skills that may be relevant to positions you’re applying to (easily determined by looking at job advertisements)

Once you’ve added your skills, ask peers, teachers, and colleagues to endorse them and write you supporting recommendations.

Having third parties validate your skills and experience builds credibility instantly. There’s even a term for this phenomenon in marketing: social proof. Companies use raving customer reviews to generate trust and increase sales – you can do the same thing with your career.

Share How to Pronounce Your Name

Do you have an uncommon name? Then you can probably relate to the constant frustration of constantly correcting people on how to pronounce it. Thankfully, LinkedIn has a new feature allowing you to record and display your name pronunciation on your profile. This little touch can ease communication barriers.

Here’s how to use the feature. Once turned on, you’ll see a tiny speaker next to your name like this:

Show a Little Personality With a Quick Profile Video

Lastly, give recruiters a glimpse into your personality by adding a quick little introductory cover story to add to your profile photo!

Notice the reddish ring around the profile picture in the screenshot below? Click it, and you’ll see her intro video, where she quickly shares who she is, what she does, and what got her started on that path. She also encourages you to get to know her more, which instantly makes her profile more enticing.

You can create the same effect for recruiters and anyone else who may want to approach you for opportunities.

To record a video of your own, watch this tutorial.

Want an Expert’s Eye?

You might be thinking: “I’ve done all that but I’m STILL not getting noticed on LinkedIn!” If so, go ahead and ask for help. Contact me and I’ll review your profile to see what we can do to give you a boost. Hint: you might be missing some critical keywords!