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Learn How To Showcase Your LinkedIn Profile

By Olivia Jaras

HER Money School Articles

Learn How To Showcase Your LinkedIn Profile

Posted By: Olivia Jaras

LinkedIn has over 660 million users. That number grows daily, so if you’re looking to stand out amongst the crowd and progress your career or grow your personal brand, you can do a few things to polish your LinkedIn profile. The days of only updating your resume for a job application are long gone. New careers or opportunities could be a click away if the right person discovers your LinkedIn profile and it’s looking sharp. Even if you’re not on the job hunt, maintaining your personal brand by sharing your knowledge and valuable content can showcase your experience, build relationships and help you stand out.

Why Following Good LinkedIn Etiquette Is So Important?

Let’s first take a minute to discuss the importance of good LinkedIn etiquette. LinkedIn can be a great way to find new opportunities, but healthy use of this social media platform requires good etiquette like all social networks. Sharing too frequently can create an obsessive kind of behavior. LinkedIn etiquette should be more about the quality and less about the quantity. Making connections with new contacts is very important, but adding people you don’t know just for the sake of expanding your network is unprofessional and will not help your career. Additionally, LinkedIn etiquette should include:

Linking to people who have linked to you is a way to show appreciation.
Commenting on posts that interest you or sharing valuable content to educate others in the field or industry.
Politely declining invitations you don’t want to add to your connection list.

Doing these things will improve your professional reputation on LinkedIn and help you reap great rewards for your marketing efforts.

Why is a LinkedIn profile important?

Recruiters use LinkedIn increasingly to connect with candidates. Whereas your resume highlights your career at a glance, LinkedIn paints a vivid portrait of you as a web developer. Since many industry leaders are active contributors to LinkedIn’s community – LinkedIn also gives you the chance to create a personal brand, be accessible to potential employers, and gain insights on industry trends. Not too shabby!

LinkedIn Goals

LinkedIn provides a blank slate to showcase your talents. However! You want to keep in mind three essential points when setting up your profile. Your goals with LinkedIn are to:

Show up in a search with the right keywords
Stand out in search results
Signal that you are qualified and motivated

To achieve these goals, keep in mind the 3-30-180 Rule. This refers to the time a recruiter spends with your LinkedIn profile (hint… it’s not very long!). Recruiters take 3 seconds to decide whether to stay on your profile, 30 seconds for the first read, and 180 seconds to decide whether to contact you. You want to be strategic with such a short window of time! Below, we’ll outline how to hit the three goals mentioned earlier with this golden rule in mind.

Goal 1: Show Up in Search Results

Ensuring that your LinkedIn profile shows up in search results is all about harnessing the power of keywords. Recruiters use certain buzzwords to find candidates, so include these in your profile. This will help ensure you and your unique talents are aggregated into LinkedIn’s search function. Your profile’s “summary” section is a great place to plant keywords. This should be in paragraph form – 3 or less. The summary tells the story of who you are – so use this blank space as a chance to highlight your resume and provide insight into your aspirations. The “Skills,” “Experience,” and “Recommendations” areas sections also offer opportunities to use keywords strategically. Describe your mastery of languages and programs in detail here. We recommend being direct and avoiding redundancy.

Goal 2: Stand Out in Search Results

Your second goal in creating your LinkedIn profile is to stand out and shine bright! Do this by creating your own “Headline” in search results beneath your name and photo. With a straightforward title, you harness the power to craft your personal brand.

Goal 3: Signal that You are Qualified and Motivated

Now that you’ve made your profile searchable and attention-grabbing, focus on showcasing why you are a qualified candidate. Highlight your education, work experience, courses, and projects you have completed. Additionally, join “Groups” and follow “Companies” that pique your interests on LinkedIn. Recruiters love to see your dedication to the field, plus you’ll love the chance to network and learn excellent tips.

LinkedIn as a Tool for Networking and Personal Branding

Beyond the three goals above, LinkedIn can and should be used as a strategic tool to cultivate your network and build your brand. To boost your professional network – think about who you want to connect with and who you already know. The more quality 1st-degree connections you have, the better your chances of making 2nd-degree connections. So have fun and remember personalization, context, and quality go a long way. When it comes to creating your personal brand, be authentic! If your career evolves, so should your LinkedIn. Think about what you want to be known for, your strengths, and how you are unique. Your profile should embody more than just the work you have done, but also the multifaceted portrait of your professional ambitions, passions, and special talents.

Need help putting your best foot forward?

If you want to prosper in today’s world, you should bring your whole self to the table. Showcasing your strengths and being smart about what to highlight is key to an eye-catching LinkedIn profile. At Her Money School, we teach female entrepreneurs how to become rich. Led by Oliva Jaras, a world-renowned thought leader and coach on financial empowerment for women. She has helped tens of thousands of women all around the world through my close-knit community, proven frameworks and high-value programs. At Her Money School mission is to close the gender wage gap and teach women how to become wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. Start your journey today towards wealth