How to make the most of your LinkedIn profile - and attract recruiters

Headhunters, executive search consultants and recruiters use LinkedIn actively. To make the most of the service, one can set up the profile, be active on LinkedIn and network effectively. Let’s get started with the basics, your profile.

Picture

Make sure you have a positive and professional photo where you can easily be identified from. It’s important to raise positive connotations of yourself with your image.

Generally, it’s not recommended to wear sunglasses or a hat that might prevent your eyes from showing - recruiter wants to see your face! Keep it professional - you don’t want to distract a recruiter. 

Keep in mind that LinkedIn profile image screen is small, especially in a mobile environment. That’s why a close-up or medium close-up shots with a clear and clean background are preferred instead of a full shot in a crowded place.

Headline

Headline is a text field that shows right below your name on your LinkedIn profile. It is what you get remembered for, so give it a quick thought. Headline doesn’t need to include your current title but make sure that all of your titles are listed in the Experience section.

If you are a job seeker, tell it to the world. Don’t forget your industry. “Looking for a job in digital marketing and UX with a service design twist” is much more informative than just “Looking for new opportunities”.

In your profile, you can also click to show recruiters that you’re open to work.

About section

In the About section, you can tell more about you, your career and your special skills. Make sure that your summary is both informative and concise, and taps on a large enough number of keywords. 

There’s nothing wrong with being more descriptive but do maintain a sense of purpose in the introduction. 

You can consider adding your personal email address and phone number in this section if you work e.g. in more sales-oriented role or would like to have calls from headhunters.

Featured

Have you been showcased in a magazine, company report or your thesis been published? Why hide it! You can also attach a link to your latest CV, portfolio or video here.

Experience

Make sure you list all your jobs, titles and projects, and tell what your main responsibilities were. If you have had several fixed term positions, recruiters might want to know a reason for them. If you have worked for a long time, then you might consider combining the early stage of your career especially if the industry has changed.

Education

Great opportunity to expand on the degrees you’ve taken. Pay particular attention to opening up the thesis work and concrete projects you’ve worked on.

Voluntary work

If you’re taking up responsibility at a board or doing voluntary work, such as fundraising, it’s absolutely a great idea to share it with others. 

Some mix voluntary work with work experience but I’d keep them separate just to make sure your work experience doesn’t get muddled up.

Licenses and certifications

The importance of these vary extensively based on the role and career-stage. When starting your career, licenses and certifications tend to have more significance but they can also be helpful while changing career direction.

Recommendations

You can ask for a recommendation from your former colleague, boss or business partner. In return, it’s a good idea to answer their possible requests later in the future, too.

Skills and endorsements

Tell openly about your skills. From time to time, you can also ask for your colleagues and managers to add a review of yourself.

Accomplishments

A useful opportunity to showcase a number of features from your career.