According to the LinkedIn website, there are over 900 million members worldwide! With tens of thousands of companies on the site and millions of job openings going out weekly to hundreds of millions of users, it is easy to feel like you’ll never land your dream job. However, your situation may not be as dramatic as it seems because, after a few changes and tweaks to your profile, you’ll start to notice that you’re getting noticed.
Four reasons why you should think about freshening up your page:
- You are not getting called back
- Your profile looks messy and unprofessional
- Your page could be a better reflection of you
- Your profile looks like everyone else’s
You are not getting called back
Are your voicemail and computer mailbox empty? If you apply to jobs as if it’s your actual day job but need help remembering the last time you got called back for an interview, perhaps your LinkedIn is doing you a disservice. Try to look at your profile from a different perspective. Is all your information and work history included? Did you list your relevant skills for your colleagues to endorse? These are the questions to ask yourself to ensure you stand out from similarly qualified applicants.
Your profile looks messy and unprofessional
Let’s start with the picture–because if it’s unprofessional–you can guarantee to be not taken seriously. If your profile picture was taken at a hockey game, get rid of it. If your picture has a “busy” background, lose it. Make sure your picture is a headshot with a plain background. An unfinished profile is an unprofessional one. Not only should you include your relevant work experience, a concise bio, and your education history, you must do so in a way that is easy to follow. Each section of your profile is an opportunity to show your uniqueness, but no one will discover your potential if they get lost in your murky text. A way to make your profile look more professional is if you have recommendations on your page. When colleagues, past and present, recognize your work, a company will be much more comfortable moving forward with you.
Your page is not a good reflection of you
Is your profile picture outdated? Is your location unclear because you work remotely but have a job in another area? Make it your priority to eliminate any information on your profile that could confuse future employers. If you work remotely, then be sure to make that clear right away. Recruiters won’t look twice at a page that is even slightly vague when there are more attractive profiles out there.
Your profile looks like everyone else’s
With millions of profiles on LinkedIn, most of them are bound to look similar, especially those with similar backgrounds and skills. Executive recruiters sift through countless similar profiles every day, so when they stumble upon something different, they know immediately. You can make a tremendous first impression by including a unique, well-written headline and a customized background photo. If you are a photographer, utilizing a picture of hands holding a camera is appropriate. Architecture and cityscape images are classic choices to consider. The background picture is what people will notice first, so remember that.
CV Studio
If you feel overwhelmed by this, consider outsourcing the work to a professional LinkedIn writing service. The professionals at CV Studio will tailor your profile to your specific industry. An experienced writer will help craft your career story and help you land the job you’ve always wanted. So, if you are tired of staring at your empty voicemail and inbox, head over to cvstudio.ie and chat with one of their writers today.