5 Easy Tips for Creating a Professional IT LinkedIn Profile

With 95 percent of hiring personnel using LinkedIn to actively search for and contact prospective employees, setting up and maintaining an effective LinkedIn profile is not optional; it’s mandatory.

If you want to stand out, whether you’re searching for a job, leads, or just networking for a rainy day, a professional, eye-catching LinkedIn profile is a superb idea to ensure you can be discovered by the right people at the right time.

Thankfully, having a good profile isn’t rocket science. It just takes a little bit of work and some diligence.

Use a good photo and background image

Right off the bat, anyone who visits your profile is going to look at your visuals. Your background image is a chance to share a side of your personality or interests. For instance, if you like to ski or hike, use an appropriate landscape photo to show those hobbies. Avoid possible copyright issues by taking the photo yourself.

Your profile picture is even more essential, as hiring personnel are more likely to read through your experience and qualifications if you have one. You should be well dressed, and the photo should show your head and shoulders. Be sure to smile; hiring personnel want happy people on their team.

Write a good headline

Instead of using the default headline – your current job title – stand out with a creative description. A good approach is to use nouns that describe your profession and where you want to go in your career. For instance, instead of using the default “Quality control analyst,” go with, “Detail-oriented quality specialist.”

Drop key phrases in your Summary

Unlike your resume, your summary should say something about your personality. If you’re on the lookout for a web design job, say, “I am a collaborative, unique thinker who enjoys bringing the web to life.”

Above all, add a section at the end of your summary called ‘Expertise’ where you insert keywords specific to your industry. These are words found in job descriptions and on the profiles of candidates similar to you.

List transferrable skills

The experience section, where you’ll list all the jobs and volunteer experiences you’ve had, should be close to the Work History section found on a traditional resume.

However, you should go into greater detail on each job than you would on your resume. You should also include jobs outside your field. Describe the skills you honed, those positions, and how they can transfer to the job you want.

Highlight accomplishments

It’s great to describe what your best professional skills are, but hard numbers often say more than just words can. Demonstrate to organizations how your work had an impression. Maybe you surpassed a sales goal or you raised the quantity of social media followers.

You can also add links to work samples. Include a description of each sample and any part you played in creating each project.

Are you looking for a new opportunity?

At Software Management Consultants, Inc. , we help professionals with every part of the job seeking process. If you’re looking to refine your methods, please contact us today.