Want to improve your personal brand? Here are our top tips for LinkedIn

If you’re not on LinkedIn, recruiters and hiring managers are less likely to find you when searching for candidates. So, for your best chances of being found, follow our advice and make your profile stand out!​

Did you know that more than 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn as one of their main search tools? Take control of your personal brand and make yourself stand out by updating your profile now with our top tips.

​Profile picture advice you need to know

Looking your best may not be the most important thing in life, but let’s face it – this is social media.

So, what are the non-negotiables? A clean background, a natural and sincere smile – without overdoing it – and a clean, ironed shirt or blazer. Your face needs to take up 60% of the frame so everyone can actually see who you are, no long shots! Nothing too artistic here, you want to appeal to all; save the fancy stuff for the cover photo.

Top tip: Smile with your eyes, don’t let your mouth do all the work so the rest of your face doesn’t match. Get someone to make you laugh if you’re really struggling, the goal is to have a friendly face. Can’t get a crisp background? Remove backgrounds for free.

Cover photo that sets the context

Visual elements are the first thing people will notice, so ensure you also have a great background/cover image.

This needs to set the context of your profile. Try something industry-related that compliments your profile picture. Be careful of how this sits in relation to your profile picture which will sit in front of the cover.

Top tip: Canva has a template for social media cover photos, but make sure you change the dimensions to 1200 pixels x 628 pixels to be optimised for LinkedIn.  Canva also gives you access to free photos you can include but be careful not to over-complicate it!

Write like a copywriter

Have a headline, not just a title, and a story, not just a summary – this is where you pretend to be a copywriter and write something engaging and unique to who you are so as to be memorable for those viewing your profile.

Don’t go crazy on buzzwords or overdo it on the trendiest wording. You want to seem impressive but remain genuine and authentic.

Request some recommendations

What’s better than saying amazing things about yourself? Other people saying amazing things about you!

Did you know that you can ask your connections to write you a recommendation that will be displayed on your profile? This is a powerful tool to have at your disposal as it validates the information you are putting up for everyone to see, confirming that you do in fact have those skills and experiences under your belt.

Before you ask your connections for a recommendation, think about reputable people who can vouch for you. Are they a leader or well-known figure in the industry? Do they have an impressive title? Do they work for a respected company or organisation?

Once you’ve decided who you’re going to ask, avoid doing so directly through LinkedIn. Send them an email asking if it’s okay to request a recommendation from them. This will decrease the chances of your request being ignored.

Once you have the go-ahead, it’s time to ask for a recommendation through LinkedIn. Scroll down to the recommendations section on your profile, click on the plus sign and “Ask for a recommendation”.  Follow the prompts and include your message requesting them for the recommendation. Acknowledge the original email you sent and, depending on your relationship, include a draft of the recommendation. They may decide to write their own, however, reading your draft will likely influence what they have to say.

After you have received the recommendation, you can decide whether or not you wish to accept it and have it displayed on your profile. Be mindful that this person has gone out of their way to provide you with a recommendation, so express your gratitude by sending a thank you email.

Having recommendations will greatly enhance your profile for obvious reasons but be careful not to overdo it, don’t request more than one a month unless you want to seem desperate.

Get your activity levels up to get noticed

Strike a balance between getting active and sharing great stuff without seeming like a want-to-be influencer oversharing for no good reason.

Treat your profile as an interactive resume because that’s basically what it is. So, keep it constantly updated. Engage with other people’s content by commenting regularly, and make sure you’re adding value by sharing insightful opinions and ideas.

Highlight your experience

Use the experience section on your LinkedIn profile to really delve into your past jobs and what you achieved. You have the option of including the top five skills you used on the job, as well as being able to link media files to show off your work and put your best foot forward.

Include the past jobs that you believe are relevant to your current career path and showcase your responsibilities and achievements in three to five dot points.

Put a spotlight on your skills

You can add up to 50 skills to your LinkedIn profile, however, we suggest you refine it to your top 10-15 to help keep your profile organised and clean. Don’t include skills that aren’t relevant to your current career, or career pursuits. Utilise this space to highlight what you excel at.

It should be a no-brainer, but don’t include skills you don’t actually have in order to make yourself look more experienced! Interviewers can spot liars especially when candidates have no stories to back up what they claim, and employers are not afraid to let go of employees who’ve failed to meet their expectations.

Customisable link

The default URL for your LinkedIn page will consist of your name as well as a selection of random numbers and letters. But did you know this can be changed? Customising your URL will make you stand out as someone who is technologically savvy, and detail-orientated. It will also make your profile easier to find in search results.

All you need to do is look at the right-hand side of your profile where you will see an “edit public profile & URL” button. Click on this button and it will open another tab that gives you access to personalising your URL. Click the pen icon on the top right-hand side and you’re good to go!

Profile Strength

If you’re not sure where your LinkedIn profile stands against the millions of other active accounts, you can check its strength by viewing your profile’s “suggested for you box” and profile level meter.

The five LinkedIn profile levels are: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, and All-Star. You will also see a recommendation provided by LinkedIn that will help you strengthen your profile. A stronger profile improves its discoverability in search results and search appearances.

If you can’t see the profile level meter on your profile, it means you have already received an All-Star profile rating. Congrats!

Get Connected

Lastly, focus on building up your network so you don’t appear completely disconnected from your industry. LinkedIn requires you to have at least 50+ connections to achieve a completed profile, so jump on and get networking!

If you’re not sure who to add, LinkedIn has made it easy for you to find people you may know or have similarities with. Head to the My Network page and you will find a range of different groups of people you may know from the industry you work in, your workplace, and even the school you attended.

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If you’re after more advice, fill out the form and get in touch with us today!