Optimizing your linkedin profile

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A well-optimized LinkedIn profile is a necessity in today's job search. But what is acceptable to put on your LinkedIn profile and what is best left off it?

The biggest mistake job seekers make when creating and updating their LinkedIn profiles is not adding enough of the "right" information. But there are still a few things that don't belong on your profile, which will hurt your chances of standing out to recruiters and building your professional network.

First, let's discuss what shouldn't be on your LinkedIn profile before we talk about what should.

What Shouldn't Be On Your LinkedIn Profile

"Actively Seeking Opportunities"

Never, and we mean never, put "actively seeking opportunities" in your LinkedIn headline or anywhere on your LinkedIn profile. Your headline should include keywords that display your hard skills and expertise (and your current position, if applicable)âthat's it. If this phrase appears in your LinkedIn headline, not only does it look desperate, but you're losing valuable real estate to optimize your LinkedIn profile with keywords that help you get found by recruiters and hiring managers.

An Unprofessional (or Unfriendly) Profile Picture

Your LinkedIn profile needs a photo. Not having a photo at all is mistake number one. But mistake number two is having an unprofessional or unfriendly profile picture. The photo you choose to include on your LinkedIn profile should be one where you look professional and approachable. Others will be more willing to reach out and connect with you if you do.

Outdated Skills & Technologies

Recruiters will be more likely to skip your profile if the skills and technologies you have listed are no longer relevant or in demand in your industry. It doesn't matter your age; being relevant is all about how you market yourself. You are a business-of-one. Your reputation and success as a business-of-one are dependent on how relevant you're able to stay in the job market. So, don't include those outdated skills and technologies on your LinkedIn profile. Instead, focus on developing new skills and learning new technologies every day. After all, if you want to win, you've got to work it daily.

Politics & Religion

This one is kind of a no-brainer, but just in case you were wondering, no, politics and religion do not belong on your LinkedIn profile. Do you really gain anything by including them? No. Could including them negatively impact your job search or career? Yes. The solution? Keep those topics for a social media site that's not geared toward professional networking.

What Should Be On Your LinkedIn Profile

Lots of Keywords (Skills, Skills, and More Skills)

As mentioned above, your LinkedIn profile should include as many keywords (hard skills) as possible. You should put them in your LinkedIn headline, add them in the "Skills & Endorsements" section, and list them in the "About" section underneath your summary.

A Short but Informative "About" Section

You don't want to write a novel here. Just a short paragraph, ideally your personal branding statement. No one is going to read a summary of your entire career. So, keep it concise. Don't write in the third person, either. After your summary, remember to list your hard skills!

Quantifiable Accomplishments

Another big mistake professionals make on their LinkedIn profiles is not quantifying their work experience, skills, and accomplishments. Numbers stand out to recruiters and hiring managers and make it easier for them to understand your efficiency and effectiveness in a certain role. Back up your statements with quantifiable information and see how much better your profile looks.

Endorsements

Not having any skills endorsed on your LinkedIn profile isn't terrible, but you should definitely ask some of your colleagues to endorse your most valuable skills because that will only help your reputation as a professional. You can endorse a couple of theirs, and they can endorse a couple of yoursâthat way everybody wins.

It's not always easy deciding what you should and shouldn't include on your LinkedIn profile. We hope this list helps you update your LinkedIn profile in the future, especially if you'll be conducting a job search or making a career change.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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What Should & Shouldn’t Be On Your …

If you're looking for a way to simplify your job search and get noticed, social platforms like LinkedIn give you an opportunity to be proactive and get past the applicant tracking system (ATS). With LinkedIn, not only can you view job listings, but you can also easily find the recruiter who's leading the search for the right candidate.

Reaching out to the recruiter is certainly a solid job search strategy, but like anything in life there's a right and wrong way to do it.

Here are the best ways to connect with a recruiter on LinkedIn and potentially put yourself in a position to get hired for the job.

3 Steps For Connecting With A Recruiter On LinkedIn

1. Research the Recruiter's Profile - Details matter! You may learn from the recruiter's LinkedIn profile that you attended the same university or once worked at the same company during different time periods. Anything you have in common with the recruiter could be a good way to break the ice.

2. Make a Connection Request - Use the simple 300-word connection request to introduce yourself to the recruiter. Mention something that you have in common and that you're interested in learning more about their career field and would love the opportunity to connect. Keep it simpleâyou don't want to overwhelm the recruiter. Here are a few additional ideas.

3. Ask a Follow-Up Question - Once you're connected, send a follow-up note thanking them for the connection, mention that the job posting caught your attention, and ask them what's most important to them when considering a candidate for this position. This is a way to express your interest in the position while politely asking for their feedback. The key is not to be pushy and frame it in a way where you're trying to make their job easier.

What Do You Do If A Recruiter Doesn't Connect With You?

If a recruiter doesn't respond to your connection request, it's best to just move on.

There could be many reasons why the recruiter doesn't respond, and some may have nothing to do with your request. Being too aggressive about the connection request could actually damage your chances of getting the job. Make one request and if the recruiter doesn't respond, let it go.

You can continue your job hunt by searching LinkedIn for other professionals who work at the company where you're pursuing employment. Use the above steps to try to connect with them and perhaps they can give you tips that may help you land a job interview. This is not only a good way to boost your job search but it will also help you build your professional network.

Keep A Strong LinkedIn Profile

It's important to remember that if you have a strong LinkedIn profile it's possible that recruiters will reach out to you. By optimizing your LinkedIn profile with keywords, you'll have a higher chance of showing up in recruiters' search results. They'll be able to find you and see that you have the skills and experience they need for the job opportunity. This is your ideal situation: instead of having to reach out to recruiters in your job search, they'll come to you!

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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How To Connect With Recruiters On LinkedIn

Who has time to research LinkedIn? We know you have a busy life, and sometimes there's just not enough time in the day to scan through articles to get the information you need. That's why we created the LinkedIn Cheat Sheet! We pulled the best tips, tricks, and advice from our archives and put them all in one place just for you.

Here are five solid LinkedIn tips from our experts:

1. Change The Visibility Of Your LinkedIn Activity

Before you start âtinkeringâ with your LinkedIn profile (or hiring a professional to enhance your profile), please take a minute to do the following:

From the drop-down menu under your name on the right side of the Home page, choose Settings & Privacy.
On the left-hand side of the Settings & Privacy page is a column with a section titled "Visibility."
Click on this section and scroll down to "Visibility of your LinkedIn activity."
Turn off any visibility options for the activity you'd like to hide

When you are finished tinkering, go back and turn on the visibility of your activity, if you so choose. Itâs that simple!

(Original article: "Pay Attention To Your LinkedIn Settings")

2. Endorse Your Connections

Every Monday, take 10 minutes out of your morning to pay it forward by endorsing 10 people in your LinkedIn network. Imagine how you would feel if in your inbox on a Monday (aka the day of the week when even the most cheerful people struggle to get going), you found endorsements of your skill sets from your peers.

(Original article: "Quick Tip: Monday Is The Day For LinkedIn Endorsements")

3. Get Recommendations... Lots Of 'Em

Recommendations are essential to you. Seek them proactively and seek them passively. Proactive recommendation seeking involves reaching out and asking someone to recommend you. Passive recommendation seeking involves recommending someone, at which point LinkedIn asks them to recommend you back. The latter is actually a bit more effective.

(Original article: "10 Things To Immediately Do On LinkedIn")

4. Choose An Appropriate Photo

The following 11 tips will help you pick the right photo for your LinkedIn, Gmail, and other online accounts:

Donât use an old photo. There are few things worse than meeting someone for the first time and not recognizing them because the profile photo is from 10 years ago (or longer)!
Use a photo of YOU in your profileânot an object.
Smile! Your face should radiate warmth and approachability.
Photos should be professionally done, if possible (but no glamour shots).
Wear your most complementary color. Bright colors can attract attention, but avoid patterns.
Donât have other people in your photos (and donât crop other people out of your shotâthere should not be any errant body parts in your online photo!).
Make sure the background in the photo isnât distracting.
Relax. Look directly at the camera.
Take multiple shots and ask people for their opinion on which one makes you seem most âapproachable.â

Tips for men: Wear a dark blue or black dress shirt. No t-shirts, Hawaiian shirts, or busy/crazy patterns.

Tips for women: Wear something you feel comfortable in. No t-shirts or big/busy patterns. Soft, dark v-necks look great. Black always works; avoid white.

(Original article: "11 Tips For Choosing Your LinkedIn Photo")

5. Give Your Professional Headline A Boost

Use the â|â (vertical bar) to divide your text and create visual breaks.

Example: Which of the following is easier to read?

Project Manager Specializing in Business Research and Analysis for Major Corporations

Project Manager | Research & Analysis Specialist | Fortune 1000 Business Experience

Obviously, the second one is easier to read and comprehend because of the formatting. The vertical lines separate the data and enable the reader to comprehend what you do better (bonus points if you list hard skills in your headline, separated by the vertical bar, to better optimize your profile so it gets found by recruiters).

(Original article: "LinkedIn Quick Tip: Tweaking Your Professional Headline")

We know how difficult it can be to optimize your LinkedIn profile the right way. We hope our LinkedIn Cheat Sheet helps you create a professional and well-optimized LinkedIn profile that stands out to recruiters and hiring managers. If you're still struggling to update your LinkedIn profile, we can help.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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