What the Best LinkedIn Profiles Are Made of

What is it about the best LinkedIn profiles that make them so effective as bait for recruiters? This is a question anyone looking to find a new job or hoping to advance their career probably wonders. This post examines the specifics of how your profile can also become one of the best LinkedIn profiles and attract recruiters in droves.

How LinkedIn Works

Most people are already familiar with LinkedIn, but just in case, here’s a quick overview of how LinkedIn works: Owned by Microsoft, LinkedIn is a social network – like Facebook or Twitter. But LinkedIn has a more specific goal than just socializing. People use LinkedIn to network with other professionals and grow their careers.

Most people display a digital resume on LinkedIn and look for jobs on LinkedIn. Recruiters and headhunters source candidates for open positions on LinkedIn. Many people regularly update their profiles on the site with news about how their careers are going or tips for others, attempting to establish themselves as thought leaders in their field of expertise.

The basic version of LinkedIn is free, but you can also get LinkedIn Premium to take advantage of Internet-based classes and to email people with whom you would like to network. With LinkedIn Premium, you’re also able to get data about who’s been looking at your profile.

1- If You Want to Have One of the Best LinkedIn Profiles, Write a Killer Profile Summary

Your LinkedIn profile summary is the text underneath your picture in your profile on LinkedIn. You can use up to 2000 characters to provide a broad overview of you as a professional.

This summary is more important than you might think. It’s your chance to describe yourself as a professional and highlight what you have done and can do for employers. You can also use your summary to showcase your strengths. It’s also your first impression, and as cliched as it sounds, you don’t ever get a second chance to make a first impression.

How do you write a killer profile summary? Start by describing how your value system drives your business and career decisions. Hiring managers are humans. This is your opportunity to show them what you are committed to as a fellow human.

Be sure to be authentic in your profile summary. No one wants to get stuck in a job that’s a bad fit, and if someone hires you because you faked or fibbed in your profile summary, that job won’t work out.

In terms of actual formatting, remember that you’re writing for the Internet rather than a piece of paper. Most people skim content on the web, including your LinkedIn profile summary. This means that long paragraphs are a no-no.

Stick with short paragraphs and bulleted or numbered lists. We recommend a combination of both rather than sticking with one or the other.

2- The Best LinkedIn Profiles Demonstrate Your Personal Brand, So Think in Terms of Branding When Writing Your LinkedIn Profile Headline

If you as a professional were a brand, what would that brand represent? Spend some time writing down single words that describe your brand. You might come up with words like these:

• Data-driven
• Customer-centric
• Goal-oriented
• Empathic
• Energetic
• Precise
• Thoughtful

These are just examples, and they’re not meant as ideals. You should find words that describe YOUR brand as a professional.

One of the reasons this is so important is that your goal should be to stand out from the pack. Half a billion people use LinkedIn, so what makes you special? Make sure that what makes you special makes it into your headline.

3 – If You Want to Have One of the Best LinkedIn Profiles, First Impressions Matter, So Use the Best Possible Picture

It doesn’t matter if it’s right or wrong, but first impressions matter when you’re trying to land your dream job. The first impression a visitor to your LinkedIn profile gets is your picture, so it’s one of the most important pieces on your page.

Everyone seems to be shooting video with their phones and taking pictures and posting them using their latest iPhone or Android device. But you need to do everything you can to stand out from every other profile.

Unless you have professional photography experience (or know someone who does), you should have your photo done professionally. The mistake most people make is asking their spouse or a kid down the block to take a few pictures and using the best one. This is cheap and easy, but if the difference between getting passed over and getting contacted for a great job is your profile picture, it’s worth a small, one-time investment to put your best foot forward. Also, you will likely find many uses for a headshot that you love (social media profiles, corporate About Us pages, sending with your bio when you’ll be making a presentation, etc.).

Now that you have a professional photo, here’s a bonus tip that can help your profile stand out from the crowd: Most LinkedIn profiles don’t use a background picture, so using one instantly sets your page apart. Your background picture also is important for first impressions, so consider having something professional done for it as well.

4 – Slang and Buzzwords Can Kill Your Chances Faster Than Anything

Imagine for a minute that you’re a recruiter and looking over hundreds or thousands of LinkedIn profiles looking for the perfect job candidate. What are you going to do when you see the same buzzwords and slang—without quantified accomplishments—used on the 98^th profile? You’re going to quickly ignore the profile and move on to the next one.

So, it’s important to avoid using empty slang and buzzwords. Use numbers and language that sets you apart from the crowd, not the same tired fluff that everyone else uses.

5 – SEO – What It Is and Why It’s Important for Your LinkedIn Profile

SEO is short for search engine optimization, and it can make the difference between getting recruited and never being found. Search engine optimization is the process of designing your profile in a particular way, using methods and content so that your profile shows up when recruiters are searching for someone with your abilities.

The problem is that effective SEO for LinkedIn profiles requires an in-depth process. Dozens of little things have to be exactly right. Most people try to do the best they can with limited knowledge and hope for the best.

Hope isn’t a good strategy when it comes to finding the best job opportunities. The best LinkedIn profiles use the best possible SEO strategies.

The good news is we offer a free consultation to our readers on getting an SEO LinkedIn profile, as well as any other support they may need for a successful job search. Contact us today to discuss your job search goals, challenges, and needs.

Conclusion

Creating one of the best LinkedIn profiles can be challenging, but if you follow the steps laid out on this page, you’re going to be ahead of most of your competition.

The missing ingredient in most profiles is SEO. Use our free LinkedIn consultation to put your profile over the top.