Linkedin Profile Tips to Help You Stand Out

LinkedIn is an amazing tool for job seekers! With over 500 million users and 11 million jobs available, it is easy to be lost among throngs of candidates with similar skills and experiences. The competition is white-hot. It takes hard work to stand apart from the crowd. This article provides tips to improve your Linkedin profile and separate from the masses.

Twice in the past several years I found myself on the wrong side of a corporate downsizing. Both times, LinkedIn was the backbone of my job search. Neither job search lasted longer than 60 days.

Through a process of trial and error along with a ton of research, I offer 5 Linkedin tips that are designed to help you to consistently appear in more search results. I hope you find these tips as useful as I do.

Here Are Tips to Help You Appear in More Targeted Search Results:

LinkedIn Profile Tip 1: Complete your full LinkedIn profile

Whether you are just beginning your job search, or it’s well underway, having a complete LinkedIn profile can make a huge difference in your ability to be found by recruiters and potential employers. Take time to complete each area of your profile.

94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to vet candidates. (Source)

Completing your LinkedIn profile adds content and relevant keywords to your profile – increasing your chances for discovery.

A recruiter’s first contact with you may be viewing your LinkedIn profile. A complete LinkedIn profile signals to a recruiter that you invested time to present yourself well on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Profile Tip 2: Upgrade Your LinkedIn Headline

Research indicates that your headline may account for about 40% of the reason you appear in a search result. This is important, because recruiters increasingly search the LinkedIn database for qualified candidates. The better your headline the more likely you will appear in relevant searches.

If you do not actively manage your headline, your default headline is your present title and company. Don’t make this mistake!

This is a problem.

First, if you are not presently employed, having your last position listed as your current position will lead to awkward discussions with recruiters when you finally connect with one. I made this mistake early in my last job search. When the recruiter asked why I was leaving my last role, I shared that my position was eliminated and I was no longer with the firm. The recruiter thanked me and shared that she was disappointed that she had inaccurate information.

Second, you may not be capturing keywords that are relevant to the type of role you seek. More on that later.

Finally, using the default headline is a missed opportunity to differentiate yourself from the masses.

What makes a good LinkedIn profile headline?

It depends. If you are actively looking for a new position, your headline should include industry and position keywords.

When you list a title, it should be an industry standard, not one stuffed with keywords. For example, in one iteration of my headline, I listed my title as “District Sales Manager, Obesity and Diabesity.” I thought that by including a novel emerging disease state like obesity in my title my profile would be listed in more recruiter searches. The title was a little too specific, especially as the obesity market in the United States never really developed. My profile views improved when I changed the title to “District Sales Manager, Specialty Biotech.” Each of these words are industry standards. As a result of this minor change, my search views increased dramatically.

One of the biggest changes I noticed between my first LinkedIn job search and my second job search was the importance of keywords. I am sure they were important during my first job search, but they are critical today.

For me the best way to identify relevant keywords was to read the job posting descriptions very carefully, looking for common terms across related postings. Once I found common terms, I molded them into my headline and included them in my career summary.

Finally, if you upgrade your headline and it does not produce the results you’re looking for, change it up! Use the same process and test whether the keywords you choose are relevant to the recruiters searching the database.

Pro Tip: I keep a spreadsheet that captures my headline, the dates I used it, and how it worked. By keeping track of changes I make, it’s easier to see which specific words are working best.

LinkedIn Profile Tip 3: Don’t Bury Your Lede!

The second way to improve your chances of being found AND contacted by potential employers is by grabbing your viewer’s attention with the first two lines of your career summary. While your entire Linkedin career summary tells an important story, the first two lines are critical because they are visible any time someone views your profile.

If these two lines are compelling the person viewing your Linkedin profile is more likely to click on the highlighted “show more” immediately below this visible text. This action brings your profile viewer to your full career summary and profile.

I communicate the essence of my personal brand with the first line, then highlight the breadth of my skill and experience in the second line.

During my last job search, I eliminated common, cliché buzz words like “proven,” “motivated” and “experienced.” I realized that while these adjectives may be accurate, they are now overused and do not differentiate in a crowded market. I avoid tired, overused language in your career summary.

Your LinkedIn career summary should be written as a description of what you can do for a future employer, not as a litany of past accomplishments.

During my most recent job search I targeted smaller biopharma and medical device companies. I leaned heavily on my experiences turning around struggling sales teams and leading sales teams through successful product launches. Offering specific benefits to potential employers was much more productive than my former approach.

Finally, it’s important to test these opening lines, too. Be careful when testing elements of your LinkedIn profile.

I would not make any changes to my career summary at the same time I change my headline. Test your headline and career summary independently. It will be much easier to see the specific impact of your changes.

Linkedin Profile Tip 4: Upgrade Your LinkedIn Profile Photo

When I started overhauling my LinkedIn profile for my latest job search, I realized that my profile photo was very dated. I went to a portrait studio and had a headshot photo taken.

Your LinkedIn profile photo is an opportunity. Your profile picture should be a headshot. LinkedIn profiles with professional headshots get 14 times more profile views. (Source)

Don’t clip yourself out of a group shot. That tarnishes your personal brand. If you look through LinkedIn, you still see a lot of profiles with very badly edited photos – or worse, without a photo at all. Can you imagine what a recruiter or potential employer thinks about viewing a profile without a photo or with a photo that includes part of the shoulder of the person who was standing next to you when your photo was taken? It’s clear that you don’t pay attention to detail.

When it comes to presenting yourself on LinkedIn, you control everything potential employers see. Why not make every effort to make your profile photo look great?

Take the time to either have a professional photo taken OR have someone take a well-lit picture of you in front of a pleasing, simple background. It’s OK for your photo to show some personality, too. Try black and white or sepia finish on the photo to make it a little different.

The LinkedIn program offers the opportunity to position and crop your profile photo. You can also use Linkedin’s built in filters to make the photo more distinctive.

Linkedin Profile Tip 5: Personalize Your LinkedIn Background Photo

When I started upgrading my LinkedIn profile, I noticed that my background photo was the same as most – the LinkedIn default photo. If you want to stand out, change out the stock LinkedIn background image for something more interesting. This is another opportunity to complement your brand.

For ideas search the web for “LinkedIn backgrounds.” A number of free and paid examples exist.

I use a free service called Canva to create my LinkedIn backgrounds. Canva has templates that are sized for the LinkedIn background photo requirements. Within about 10 minutes I found a copyright free photo, sized it for LinkedIn, then uploaded it to my profile.

If you prefer, you can add text to the background image. I recently added text to my background photo to further differentiate my LinkedIn profile. I’ll continue to experiment with my background photo in the coming months.