WHEN searching for a job, polishing your CV is usually top of the to-do list.
But LinkedIn could be crucial when it comes to catching the eye of a potential employer.
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The networking site boasts around 40 million UK accounts and with 71 million companies now represented globally, it’s become far more than somewhere to simply display a CV.
But with 66 million people visiting LinkedIn Jobs every week – you need to stand out.
We speak to top UK career experts who reveal 13 tricks to revamp your profile to help you land your dream job…
1. Inject your personality
“A CV is a more factual, dry document, whereas with your LinkedIn profile you’ve got the chance to inject a bit of personality,” explains LinkedIn guru Mildred Talabi, founder of the 5-9 Woman community and author of Start Being Visible.
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Mildred adds that this could mean including details of an interesting side hustle, personal project or achievement that makes you memorable.
2. Grab attention with your headline
One of the quickest improvements you can make is to the headline directly underneath your name.
“Lots of people are putting ‘seeking employment’ on that line below their name, but I don’t know any recruiter or hiring manager who is going to LinkedIn and searching for ‘seeking employment’,” says career and leadership coach, Adele Leah. “They are searching for job titles.”
Instead, put the role you want prominently in your headline.
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“If you were a plumber, you’d need to put ‘plumber’ on your website so people could Google you. It’s the same on LinkedIn.”
3. Don’t rely on AI
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AI can be useful for helping you organise your thoughts, but relying on it too heavily risks creating a profile that sounds exactly like everybody else’s.
A little personality or quirkiness that comes through in your own words can make you more memorable to recruiters.
One of Adele’s clients described herself in her headline as the “queen of organisation” and a “lover of Post-it notes”.
“That is going to grab someone’s attention,” Adele says. “You’ve got to break the mould a little bit.”
4. Get into the habit of sharing content
Regularly posting about your area of expertise can help get your name in front of people working in the industry you want to join.
“If marketing is your field, share what you’ve learnt. What tips would you give? Put a post out at least once a week so it’s regular enough to be seen,” Mildred adds.
5. Leave out sensitive data and negative comments
Don’t share information such as your full home address, date of birth, National Insurance number, passport details, marital status and salary information.
“There’s no need to explain personal difficulties, redundancy or periods of unemployment in the headline either,” explains Margaret Buj, career strategist and interview coach.
“Do not include confidential information about previous employers or customers and avoid angry posts about former managers, workplaces or unsuccessful applications.
“A prospective employer may see someone’s comments and activity, as well as their profile.”
6. No work experience? Use what you do have
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A lack of professional experience doesn’t mean you should leave your profile virtually empty.
For graduates and young jobseekers, Mildred says the key is to focus on relevant skills you’ve picked up elsewhere.
“Build your profile around the industry you want to get into,” she says.
“If you don’t have work experience under your belt, use your education and experience. Think about any projects you did during university that might be relevant and reveal what you learned from them. Showcase any extracurricular things you’ve done.”
7. Use the ‘five year rule’ before posting
Personality is good. Pictures from a wild Saturday night or an online rant about a controversial subject? Perhaps not.
“Don’t put anything on there that you wouldn’t want your employer finding out about you,” Mildred warns. She says remembering that something you post now could resurface years later.
“Anything you put out online is permanent. Always think twice. Whatever you put out today, if in five years’ time you can’t stand up and say, ‘Yes, I said it and I still stand by it,’ the chances are you shouldn’t put it out in the first place.”
8. Show your face
Profiles with a photo receive up to 21 times more views and 36 times more messages than those without one, according to LinkedIn.
So while photographs are generally left off CVs, Adele believes a good LinkedIn picture matters.
“Recruiters will go to the profiles with nice, clear photos,” she explains. “It needs to be shoulders-up, not you in the background as a tiny dot. But professional doesn’t necessarily mean a suit and tie. Your photograph should fit the industry you want to work in.”
9. Don’t wait until you need to a job to sort your profile
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One of the biggest mistakes jobseekers make is only paying attention to LinkedIn when they are actively looking for work. Research shows that over 87% of recruiters are searching LinkedIn for talent before posting a job advert.
And research by Gallup found nearly 80% of roles are filled by networking and direct contact.
“LinkedIn is for life. It’s not just for your job search,” Adele says. “People only update it and use it when they are job searching, but recruiters and hiring managers are building talent pools from LinkedIn.”
Rather than simply waiting for vacancies to appear and firing off CVs, she recommends making sure you can be found by recruiters before a job is even advertised.
“LinkedIn is a search engine, so think of it like Google for the world of work,” she says. “If you haven’t got your profile updated and optimised, you’re not being found – and if you are found, you’re not standing out.”
10. Build recommendations
Don’t wait until redundancy or a job hunt to start collecting recommendations.
“If you’ve worked on a key piece of work with a client or colleague, get those recommendations as you go so you continue to build them,” Adele advises.
If you are just starting out you can ask a teacher or lecturer, or a sports coach.
Recommendations boost credibility and help you stand out from competitors.
11. Show off and quantify your achievements
Don’t just list your job duties – you need to show how you bring value to your role.
“Almost every job has some form of scale, frequency, improvement or responsibility that can be described,” Margaret explains.
“Numbers might show how many customers, cases, invoices, appointments or orders someone handles, the size of a team, budget or area they support, how much money was saved or how quickly something was completed.”
“You need to show off a little bit,” Adele adds. “That’s ok, it’s your personal marketing. But back it with evidence.”
12. Make your ‘about you’ section stand out
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Adele compares LinkedIn’s About section to the blurb on the back of a book.
“They read the back of the book before they start the story. If you haven’t grabbed their attention with the back of the book, they’re gone,” she says.
“You’ve got three to four lines to hit their attention and then they need to hit ‘more’. Think about the value you deliver and have a hook in that opening section. It’s about selling yourself.”
13. Message people doing your dream job
Don’t wait for an employer to come to you. If there are particular companies you’d love to work for, start following them – and their employees.
“Be proactive if there are specific companies or industries you want to work in,” Mildred says.
“Look at their company pages. Interact with senior leaders and be visible. Don’t be afraid to reach out.”
You could politely message someone doing a job you’d love to have.
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“You can say, ‘You are doing my dream job. Would you be open to a conversation and giving me some advice?,” Mildred says.
“Most will say no, but every now and again someone will say yes – and that’s a connection you have.”