How to win at Linkedin: 5 tips to perfect your Linkedin profile

Talent acquisition professional Luke Hannon shares relevant tips and hints in your career search.

Photographs: Unsplash

Text: Luke Hannon

It's not who you know that matters - it's who knows you.

It's no secret that recruiters love Linkedin. In fact, 59% of companies in Denmark use Linkedin as their primary source of finding candidates. After eight years in recruitment, I've seen thousands of Linkedin profiles. Here's how to make yours stand out!

TIP #1 - Be picture perfect

Your profile picture is the first thing a recruiter sees, even before they go on your profile. Years ago, I had a serious discussion with a Hiring Manager about whether to invite someone to an interview. The problem? Their Linkedin page showed the candidate in a karate gi wielding nunchucks!

Like it or not, appearances matter. Make your profile picture friendly, welcoming and professional. A headshot of you smiling is enough. No group photos. There will be plenty of opportunities to show your personality at the interview, but for now, it's best to play it safe. You've got one shot to make a first impression – so make it a good one!

"An awesome headline is the best way to grab a recruiter's attention. You have 220 characters to introduce yourself. Make them count."

TIP #2 - Hook them with your headline

Your headline is your personal ad to Linkedin's 850 million users.

An awesome headline is the best way to grab a recruiter's attention. You have 220 characters to introduce yourself. Make them count. There's a simple formula you can use to create your own headline:

Job title + skills + unique selling point + relevant keywords + call to action = Your kickass headline.

Here is a straightforward example below:

Senior Software Engineer I Team Lead I Java, Python, JavaScript I SCRUM Master I Contact For Contract Positions

This headline is great because it concisely shows a recruiter:

• Their job experience (Software Engineer and Team Lead)

• Their skills (Java, Python, JavaScript), a USP (SCRUM Master)

• A call to action (Contact me for contract positions).

It gives the recruiter everything they need to decide if they should contact this person for their job.

Recruiters on Linkedin use keyword searches to find candidates for their jobs. Including these keywords in your headline will increase your chances of a higher ranking in your profile.

Hook them with the headline, and reel them in with your experience!

TIP #3 - Are you experienced?

You've hooked the recruiter, and they're looking at your profile!

Congrats! Now you need to reel them in! It's time to show the recruiter how YOU, with YOUR skills and experience, are the right person for the job. Many people claim that Linkedin profiles have replaced the CV. I disagree, but the same rules apply.

Treat this section like your CV. Set out your experience clearly and concisely. Use the most common keywords to increase the chance of appearing high in searches. Most importantly, highlight the impact of your work. No, you weren't "responsible for marketing". Instead, you "managed Facebook and Google Ads campaigns for your company, overseeing an annual budget of $2m". Show your impact, and you'll give the recruiter no choice but to get in touch!

TIP #4 - Skills pay the bills!

So why not show off your skills section? At the bottom of your profile, you can self-select up to 50 skills to show what you can do. Make sure to use the skills you want to represent yourself first. If you're a marketer, select marketing as your first skill. Next, get your colleagues to endorse you for these skills - the more endorsements, the better! Remember that recruiters often search for candidates based on their skills, so make the most of the 50! Perfect this section and be the first person the recruiter contacts!

TIP #5 - Highly recommended

What better way to show you can do a job well than being recommended? Under the recommendations section, you can ask your connections to recommend you. Had a great relationship with a previous manager? Ask for a recommendation! Did fantastic work on a client project? Ask the client if they'd be kind enough to give you a recommendation! An excellent recommendation could be the difference between being hired or not!

That's it! My five tips to perfect your Linkedin profile! Applying these tips will hugely improve your chances of finding the job you've always dreamed of. Stay tuned for next month!