A professional LinkedIn profile has evolved from a useful social media platform to a near necessity. It’s difficult enough to create a profile, let alone stand out among the crowd.
Every month, over 200 million applications are sent to employers from over 57 million companies listed on the platform. To stand out among all that shuffle, you need to be deliberate — and know a few tricks.
- Make your headline count
- Add different kinds of skills you have acquired
- Put out good content
Make your headline count
People frequently copy and paste their job titles into the headline section. This can be a quick and easy placeholder, but it can also be boring, which won’t help you stand out among your peers.
We should treat the headline section as prime real estate on LinkedIn. Think of it as a chance to express what you do, who you do it for, and the results you can deliver.
There are only 220 characters here, so be concise. Consider your unique skills and past successes, and how you can solve problems.
Don’t start with a weak or lazy headline. Improve the section so your connections can see the most important aspects of what you do.
Add different kinds of skills you have acquired
The skills section of LinkedIn profiles is often overlooked because it is near the bottom of the page. You can only add 50 skills, so make them count. You can highlight three skills as your “Top Skills,” so think carefully about what you want to promote.
Be honest and specific about your abilities. A profile with more specific skills is more likely to be found by other users searching for services on LinkedIn.
Instead of just listing marketing or writing, try narrowing your focus. Perhaps “business writing” or “email marketing” should be added to the skill list. In this sense, even a minor detail can help others understand your capabilities.
Once your skills are listed, it’s time to get the most important ones endorsed. Having another user vouch for your abilities adds legitimacy to your claims, and helping others first adds credibility to your claims. Praise your connection’s top skills, and you’ll likely be rewarded.
Among the most in-demand soft skills are creativity, persuasion, and collaboration. These skills are transferable across industries, so prove you have them.
Put out good content
It doesn’t matter how well-crafted a profile is if it doesn’t attract any attention. Posting content opens up a profile’s access.
Effective captions and copy with a call to action can reinforce this. Making your profile a topic of industry discussion enhances your reputation and attracts attention beyond your immediate network.
If you follow these tips for a few weeks or months, your profile will gain attention and credibility as an active member of your industry’s community.
There is need for consistency in posting, so is high-quality content that is relevant to your network. If not, you risk losing connections, being muted, or having your profile perceived as less valuable.
To stand out among the millions of other users, you must honestly assess your ability to add value to others. If done correctly, you are much more likely to join the 35.5 million other LinkedIn users who have been hired. Identify your professional strengths and position yourself as a solution to common workplace issues.