Why do I need Linkedin when I have Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, and the whole package?
Why waste phone memory on another app?
What is so special about Linkedin that I need to work on marketing myself through it?
We all might have asked these questions to others or ourselves. Well, once you start on with the business, you will know the importance of a career-oriented social media platform that provides you with important information about every dream company out there and throw some light on the ways you can reach out to them.
LinkedIn is different from other social media platforms and we need to have a clear understanding of it to derive the maximum benefit. You can use LinkedIn for:
- Getting email alerts for your desired jobs
- Connecting with professionals from your field
- Conducting company research
- Getting recommendations from others
- Connecting with other students
- Finding international jobs and opportunities and much more…
For all these to happen, the first thing you need is an attractive profile that showcases your skills and abilities. Having an active and well put together LinkedIn profile will improve your chances of getting recognized by the professionals in your field.
How to optimize your Linkedin profile?
What is the importance of optimizing your profile? You need to optimize your profile to be found in searches and build relevant connections.
Factors in optimizing the profile
Optimizing your profile relies on some essential factors. Keep the following important points in mind while reviewing or creating your profile.
Your profile must be:
1. Searchable
While searching for relevant keywords and location, your profile has to come on top, and the first page of results.
2. Clickable
To make people check out your profile, you need to have a professional headshot and a clear title with profession and location.
3. Approachable
Add relevant skills and endorsements to make yourself visible under specific keywords.
One of the most important things you need to work on is the profile summary. There is no definite structure to write your profile summary but there are some things to keep in mind while writing it.
How to write your profile summary?
There are some points to keep in mind before writing your profile summary. These will help you learn ways to organize every point that needs to be said.
- Character limit: the maximum character limit is 2000 for a LinkedIn summary. Make sure you use almost all of it so that all the right keywords are included.
- Make your first sentence count: Well begun is half done and even though all the words in your profile summary are important, the first sentence has to be catchy to grab the attention of others.
- Always write in the first person: Writing in the first person will give you an extra connection with the reader.
- Write in the same way you speak: Think about how you will introduce yourself in an elegant and professional manner, and then incorporate that in your summary.
- Tell stories: Stories make you memorable. Leading with a story is an elegant way to have a place in the reader’s heart.
- Show your enthusiasm: Make sure to explain without actually explaining, how much you are passionate about what you do or what your interest is. Let the energy reflect in the words you write.
Source: Linkedin Talent Blog
What do you need in a Linkedin profile summary?
There are some important things you must include in your profile summary to complete the optimization. Those things differ according to your course of study and area of interest. Let us see what you need to have to create the perfect summary:
1. Keywords
Keywords are just your keys for every lock. The process of tailoring the profile summary lies in the keywords. Almost all recruiters find their employees through a keyword search on Linkedin. Including a maximum number of keywords is essential to be found in the search.
What are the right keywords for my profile?
The keywords must be closely related to your field of expertise or interest. Here is a small guide to the correct keywords in your summary.
- Industry terms: If you study/work in an industry-related field with career-oriented terms, you can include industry terms even though these are probably part of your experience section. Make sure that the technical terminology used is aligned with your industry.
- Experience terms: Always be aware of the standardization of your keyword. It must be on par with your experience. Your desired role must be visible in your keywords. For example, if you are seeking an entry-level position, you shouldn’t include words like “leads strategic implementations” in your summary.
Sourcing the keywords you need is an extremely easy process. Just Google it! Find the words related to your job, position, experience, area of interest, or expertise. Use them everywhere in your profile (Just mention them whenever there is a chance). Be sure not to include over-used words or words that are not related to your field or professional level.
Source: Copper Chronicle
2. Personality
A Linkedin summary is not just about job experience and professional life. The recruiters want to know what your personality is like. Also, whenever you have to speak about yourself, it is important to mention what type of person you are and how you handle your life.
This profile summary is an example of how to speak about your character and your way of dealing with everyone around you. This also shows a world outside your profession and how that helps in improving your skills and personality.
Being approachable is an integral part of LinkedIn marketing. How easily approachable are you to others? Think about it and ensure that you write it down the next time you edit your summary.
3. Passion
Demonstrating your passion is an excellent way to find people with similar interests. Regarding your job or expertise, make sure you write about that. If you are an environmentalist or any person who cares about nature, you can mention it here and design a narrative to convey all that you have done to achieve your goal and what you plan to do in the future.
4. Professional life
Being a student, you might have had a lot of experience in your field of interest. They might not be actual job roles but may include volunteering, internships, part-time jobs, and so on. Make sure to include all those details in your profile summary. Include all the past and present positions as well as the opportunities you had, and elegantly arrange them.
Source: College Infogeek
You can formulate your experience in this manner or in your own way with an element of interest and enthusiasm in it.
5. Achievements
Never hesitate to speak about what you have achieved with your skills and hard work. It isn’t boasting, instead, it helps in branding yourself! Elaborating on your achievements will give you an edge of being self-confident. Whether it is your GPA, any awards won, international conferences attended, or anything that shows ‘who you are’, it can all go on LinkedIn.
Source: INTERO advisory
6. Positions
Were/are you a class representative, executive board member of a club, or an organization, be sure that your summary says it all. Nothing attracts recruiters better than leadership and organization skills – it is true for any job. So make sure to include any major positions you have had over the years.
Source : JVS Career solutions
The student explaining his held positions making the readers understand his organizational and leadership skills more clearly
7. Life outside work
Work doesn’t mean ‘work’, it can be your studies and all the geeky stuff that you and your recruiters enjoy. Every person who sets to hire someone or at least talk to someone needs to know what kind of person they are outside their professional circle. You can include your hobbies, personality traits, or even nitpick your bad habits like ‘caring too much about unnecessary stuff’. You can speak about the little obsessions that usually make the people around you miserable but can be put to aid here.
8. Your work
This is not what you do, but what you create or have created in the past. It can be a blog, a website, an organization, a funding community, anything. Including these in your profile reflects your entrepreneur skills, directly or indirectly. Having an independent asset of your creation is always an… what is the word I am looking for… asset of course! Make sure that you provide proof of your work by providing links or any specifications related to that work. Being passionate about it is a key way to say to the readers that you are confident about your ability in this domain.
9. Call to action
Always give your contact information in your profile. It needn’t necessarily be in the summary, but it is good to have it there (if you have enough space). The email id has to be included & should be professional. Contact number or any other details can be given according to your preference.
10. Media
A picture speaks a thousand words. It is not a necessity to include a picture or video in your profile summary, you have plenty of feed space for that. But having a media presence in your profile will make it more interactive and help you stand out. Never be afraid to use the material you have and be creative. Be bold and confident when speaking about yourself.
Source: DIGITAL MARKETER
An example of how interactive having media in your profile summary be
Having an elegant and well-structured Linkedin profile summary shows potential employers & other professionals in your field that you are a person who is skilled and ambitious to work on your goals. Always be honest and even if your summary is short, make sure to stay true to yourself.
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