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When starting the process of looking for a new job, having a stand-out LinkedIn profile is the first step to connect with industry professionals and stay informed on the current trends in your industry. Your certifications and skill set can also provide insight into your professional strengths before you’re even interviewed. In order to keep your profile in tip-top shape, see which of these tips should be applied to your profile.


Have a Professional Profile Picture and Cover Photo:
Make sure your profile picture is appropriate and features you in a professional manner. Check out some pro tips for an easy profile picture here. Now that LinkedIn is all aboard the cover photo train, find a nice picture that connects back to you who are professionally. While a Twitter or Facebook photo might be your cat in a tree or your family on the beach, keep this one professional and use something that can tie back to your industry or profession.


Include a Summary:
Having a summary isn’t a common addition in your standard “right out of college” resume anymore, but having a summary on LinkedIn can create 18 times more views on your profile, so what’s there to lose? LinkedIn professionals will help you with the summary basics, and you can edit it as you see fit. The summary should include your professional experiences and highlight specialty skills you’ve acquired. LinkedIn highlights some of their favorite profile summaries. For inspiration, check them out here!
Maintain Your Featured Skills: While skills tend to not fade from your repertoire, make an effort to revisit the skills section every so often and include anything new that you have learned and mastered. Take a look at skills you may not excel at anymore and think about revisiting some exercises that will keep your mind fresh with that area of your industry.


Bulk Up Your Certifications & Projects:
Showcase your professional goals and how you’re going about achieving them. Make sure to list and link any professional certifications you have received that show you are staying current with industry standards. Highlighting a few projects can also show your best work you have spearheaded and completed on your own or with a team.


Monitor Your Endorsements:
Endorsements are a great way for classmates and coworkers to vouch for the skills you excel at on a daily basis. Make sure you are keeping an eye on who is endorsing you and how frequently you’re being endorsed to insure that it’s accurate and relevant. Yolanda Yeh, a LinkedIn blogger, says that endorsements are often targeted to those that to who is viewing your profile. Don’t forget to return the favor of the gift of a valuable endorsement. If carefully select the skills you know will make their profile shine, they might just return the favor!

 

What makes your LinkedIn profile stand out? Share your tips and tricks with us below!

 

By Sarah Masa-Myers

Source: LinkedIn