Top 5 LinkedIn Necessities
- PROFILE PICTURE
- Smile and show enthusiasm
- Focus on face – waist up picture
- Casual / Business Apparel – no props (e.g. camera, microscope)
- Individual picture – no cropping people out of picture
- Background – Aesthetically pleasing – not distracting
- Think…“Who will they see coming in the door for an interview.”
- PROFESSIONAL HEADLINE
- Professional key words that identify and relate to your professional job search
- Keywords should match job descriptions you apply to (e.g. management, C++, machine learning, data collection, event planner, advertising)
- List job titles you aspire to apply to (e.g. software developer, copy writer, statistician)
- Use “pipes” to separate key words with a space before and after each pipe ( | )use shift+\
- Professional key words that identify and relate to your professional job search
- Public URL
- Upper right-hand section of homepage CLICK on Edit public profile & URL - click
- Click on “pencil” tool to edit your name
- SUMMARY
- The first sentence should introduce your career or career goal, skills, education, and email address. This is an opportunity to tell others why they should read more about you.
- It is advised to list your email address in the first 1-2 lines, so interested employers and professionals can contact you. LinkedIn charges others to connect with you through InMail that are not 1st or 2nd connections. This is a personal preference.
- Professional Experience & Education
- List current work/professional experience first, following with reverse chronological
- Copy/paste bullets from your resume from each experience
- List current education first and follow in reverse chronological order
- Only list community colleges and universities that degrees were obtained (e.g. not 15 credits of community college credit)
- GPA is only necessary if first position out of college or required by a job description
- List current work/professional experience first, following with reverse chronological