Spiffing up the LinkedIn Profile

My LinkedIn Profile was meh. It was a bare bones version of my resume with almost nothing about any of my accomplishments, aspirations, or interests. I admit, I was guilty of the “why bother with LinkedIn” mentality. Thankfully, that viewpoint has changed. I’m taking a Social Media and Content Marketing class this semester (my last semester!) at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and I’ve been learning very valuable information about personal branding and preparation for job searches. If you’re in the same boat as I am, or you’re just looking to spiff up your LinkedIn Profile a bit, here are a few tips:

  1. Add a professional profile picture. See our other PSP blog post titled “Personal Branding on LinkedIn: Why your profile photo is so important”.
  2. Fully complete your past and present work experience. My profile previously had a few job description points for three of my past positions, and nothing for my most recent positions. Fully filling out your work experience makes you seem more credible and more dedicated to establishing your online portfolio and personal brand, which in turn makes it more likely for you to get noticed. Don’t forget volunteer positions!
  3. Add some of your interests. Do you like to garden? Ski? Freelance write on your free time? This information makes you more relatable.
  4. Include your awards and accomplishments! It’s okay to brag a bit on LinkedIn. Heck, it might even be necessary to set you apart from your competition when job searching. Don’t be shy.
  5. Ask for recommendations, and recommend others. I was told recently by a marketing industry professional that when she goes to someone’s LinkedIn profile and doesn’t see any recommendations – given or received – she becomes a bit skeptical, especially when that person has a long list of past positions. Make sure you utilize this feature! Go here if you aren’t sure how (it’s a bit of a hidden one).
  6. If you don’t have as much work experience as you’d like, really work on building out your educational experience. Add courses, academic accomplishments (hello Dean’s List), and big projects you completed that might be relevant to the type of career you’d like to have.

Did you find these helpful? Have any more tips? Connect to Peckman Search Partners on Twitter or Facebook and let us know!

Stay tuned for more “Diary of a Soon to be College Grad”!