Tips for Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile

As a technical recruiter, I come across hundreds of LinkedIn profiles, and I wanted to provide some tips on how to make yours stand out. Having an active LinkedIn presence is crucial for any job seeker or career professional. But it's not enough to just create a profile - you need to keep it updated, showcase your skills, expand your network, and participate actively. This increases your visibility and shows your dedication. In addition to being active, your profile itself needs to make a strong first impression. Treat your LinkedIn profile like your professional resume - it offers a snapshot of your best attributes. Here are some key areas to optimize: 📌 Headline - Summarize your current role and specialty using relevant keywords 📌 About section - Share an overview of your background, skills, and passions 📌 Experience - Detail your responsibilities and achievements for each position 📌 Skills - Include keywords recruiters search for 📌 Recommendations - Get colleagues to endorse your work 📌 Media - Spotlight projects, publications, certifications 📌 Network - Connect with professionals in your industry The more complete and compelling your profile, the more likely you are to be discovered and contacted by recruiters like me. The visual presentation also influences others' perception tremendously. I'm happy to provide more specific tips - feel free to connect with me here on LinkedIn as you update your own profile. Leveraging your personal brand effectively here can truly make a difference in advancing your career. #prosourceit #personalbrand #jobseekers #linkedinprofile

This is how I landed my very first internship interview as a 17-year-old freshman studying CS at a non-target school ➡️ No, this is not clickbait. I did, in fact, land my first SWE internship interview during my first semester at school, studying CSE at the University of Nevada, Reno [with a Cyber Defense Federal contractor that later got acquired by Accenture Federal]. So how did I do it? I optimized my LinkedIn profile, and it helped this recruiter find me. Let me just set the record straight ~ I did NOT have a following or even a good network back then (fall 2020). I think I had about 600 connections/followers at the time. And now's the moment you might be saying, "This isn't new. Everyone says to optimize your LinkedIn profile." You're right, but very few people actually explain *how* specifically for internships. So here are 5 ways to optimize your profile for recruiters on LinkedIn to find you and bring internship opportunities to YOU ~ ✅ Flip that "open-to-work" toggle! I know there is a bit of debate and taboo around the "open-to-work" setting and green banner. It does NOT make you desperate or look desperate. It's telling recruiters you're open to opportunities! ✅ Keyword Optimization If you've ever heard of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), these same principles apply to LinkedIn! Figure out what keywords are relevant to the role you're searching for (i.e. "internship," "product management," "Agile") and splash them all over your profile ~ specifically your About section & Skills section. This is what helped recruiters find me! ✅ Update your headline. Most people have short attention spans, and we'll glance at a LinkedIn profile or a resume in a few seconds. Your headline is the "headline" for a reason. If you're header says "Seeking/Open to SWE Summer '24 Internships," the person will immediately know whether or not you fit the profile of what they're looking for. ✅ Completely fill out your Experiences section. Sit down and take a full inventory of everything work or experience-related you've ever done. Put it all out there! Personal story/example ~ I included my pageant experience as a titleholder for the Miss America Organization. Later, a startup founder who reached out for another internship interview mentioned that was something that caught his attention! ✅ Update your Featured section. Use the Featured section to show off your highlight reel and get recruiters to notice you! You can include your resume, project links, news/press articles, publications, etc in this section! I actually used to put my resume (in .PDF form) in my Featured section, and it worked pretty well for me! #earlycareer #internships #summerinternship #jobsearchtips #jobsearch

As someone who has experienced the benefits of LinkedIn firsthand after a mass layoff, here are my 7 tips for how this platform can help you land your next job: ✅ 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝: Your LinkedIn profile is your personal brand, so make sure it's top-notch. Have a good profile picture and a catchy headline. According to a survey by LinkedIn, 70% of employers say they check candidates' social media profiles. ✅𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞: Your LinkedIn profile is your digital resume, so it's crucial to make it stand out and showcase your skills and experience in your About and featured sections. You can add documents, videos, links, and posts. As many as you want to showcase. According to LinkedIn, members with at least five skills listed on their profile receive up to 17 times more profile views than those with fewer than five skills. ✅𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤: Connect with people in your industry, whether it's through groups, events, or one-on-one outreach. Building relationships is key to finding job opportunities, and LinkedIn makes it easy to connect with professionals from all over the world. Just don't end up in Linkedin jail by sending too many at once ;) ✅𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞: Position yourself as an expert in your field by sharing your knowledge and insights. Write articles, post videos, and engage with others on the platform through comments. Post at least 3 times a week. This will help establish your credibility and increase your visibility to potential employers. ✅𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝: To make the most of LinkedIn, you need to be active & engaged on the platform. This means regularly sharing content, commenting on others' posts, & responding to messages and connection requests. A survey by Jobvite found that 55% of recruiters consider a candidate's engagement with content on LinkedIn to be a positive indicator of their interest in a job. By sharing relevant content, commenting on posts, & engaging with others, you can demonstrate your passion for your industry and your willingness to contribute to the conversation. ✅𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧: LinkedIn allows you to follow companies and stay up-to-date on their latest news and job openings. This is a great way to learn more about the companies you're interested in and stay on top of their hiring needs. Engage with their postings. ✅𝐁𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: Don't wait for job opportunities to come to you - be proactive and reach out to companies and recruiters. Use LinkedIn's job search function to find positions that match your skills and experience and apply directly through the platform. And most importantly, JUST SHOW UP. What other #Linkedin advice can you add to my list? ⬇ #layoffs #layoffs23 #jobseekersupport

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 LinkedIn? Let me share a 3-second story that might just change your mind. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩: I recently helped someone struggling with their job search revamp their LinkedIn profile based on a few strategic tips I shared. They took the advice to heart and implemented the changes. Fast forward 2 weeks and they’ve been contacted by 𝟕 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 and are currently navigating 𝟒 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬—all this after 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐎 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by LinkedIn or unsure if it’s worth the effort, here’s why you should reconsider: 🌟 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫: LinkedIn isn't just another social network; it's a critical tool in today's job market. Yes, it might seem daunting, especially when you're feeling frustrated with your job search, but a few tweaks can truly turn things around. 🛠️ 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Start with a clear, professional photo. No need for a pricey photoshoot—you can take a great photo with your phone and fix it up with Canva. 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: This is prime real estate. Beyond your current role, highlight your unique skills and what you excel at. Make it compelling! 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Your chance to tell your story. What are your strengths? What drives you? Make it personal and engaging. Experience Section: Go beyond job descriptions. Focus on what you've achieved, how you've made a difference, and what sets you apart. 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Keep this updated and engage by endorsing others too, which often leads to reciprocation. 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: More than just your degrees, highlight how your education aligns with your career goals. 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: These are incredibly powerful. A good word from a peer or manager can make a huge impact. 🌱 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬: - Maintain a simple, clean layout for ease of reading. - Focus on aligning your achievements and skills with the roles you are targeting. - If you’re more reserved, engage with content through comments, collaborative articles, shares, or likes—it's networking that doesn’t feel like networking! 🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞: - Taplio for smart profile insights. - Teal AI for hands-on optimization help. - HeadshotPro.io for top-notch headshots. - Canva for all your graphic needs. (You can use for headshot, LinkedIn banners, post creation, and more!) You've got this, and I’m here cheering you on! 🎉 #jobseeker #jobsearch #linkedin

90%+ of recruiters use LinkedIn to find talent, so if you don't have a presence here, you are seriously crippling your career. Over and over again, I have heard executive clients say that they "hate social media" and don't feel comfortable being here. You don't have to post. You don't have to comment. You do need a optimized profile. This is so much easier to do than you think it is - I promise. I'm going to walk you through what to do and I guarantee you can make a ton of progress in under an hour. Here are the 6 biggest LinkedIn mistakes I see: 1. No details in Experience section: Please don't leave your experience section blank. Recruiters can't guess what you do by your title. If you want recruiters to find you on LinkedIn, share your quantified results and the scope of the work that you do. 2. Skills section isn't updated: You can share up to 100 skills and their is no downside to adding more skills. Make sure to reorder your skills so that your most valuable skills are shown first. (I've seen too many profiles that show Microsoft Word - the reader assumes that you know this, so what you add in can be as important as what you leave out). 3. Headline is ambiguous: My headlines are typically a title/skill/keyword combo. Please be careful with value statements - they can be useful, but I don't want you to confuse the reader, so please don't be creative for the sake of being creative. 4. Unclear About section: A recent study shows that only 3% of profile viewers click through the About section, so you want to write something compelling that prompts the reader to want to read more. If you have strong experience, it makes sense to lead with that in your intro. 5. URL isn't customized: A customized LinkedIn URL looks cleaner on your resume - it will take you under a minute to do this. Check out "Public profile & URL" on the right hand side of your profile and go from there. 6. No profile picture: I get that you want to be private, but I've talked with numerous HR leaders lately and with the uptick in hiring fraud lately, people want to know that they are talking with people. Add a picture (or fix your privacy settings so that you can be seen). Updating your LinkedIn profile is important for workers of all ages and stages, but it's especially important for executives as recruiters often source executive talent through LinkedIn search and you want to make it easy for them to find you. What is the biggest LinkedIn mistake that you see? #gethired #getahead ♻️ Repost to spread the word. 🔔 Follow Colleen and Ageless Careers for more tips.

In today’s fast-paced and competitive job market, especially in fields like IT and cybersecurity, your LinkedIn profile is often your first impression. As I navigate through various profiles for people who want to work for me, I’m surprised to see many that lack essential elements – like a profile picture! Yet they display the open for work status on it too. So, here are some straightforward tips to make your profile stand out, especially if you’re job hunting: 1. Profile Picture: This is non-negotiable. A professional photo makes your profile many times more likely to be viewed. It doesn’t have to be shot by a professional; just make sure it’s clear and professional. Is a cartoon or AI generated one good enough? I am seeing this more and more and most of the mentees that do this are struggling to find work. Perhaps if you are not applying to jobs that make cartoons or is an AI profile picture company, maybe just maybe, be open to just having a nice real picture of yourself. Change it back when you are not looking for work. Just being real... 2. Complete Profile: An incomplete profile can suggest a lack of seriousness. Take the time to fill out each section with relevant information about your education, experience, skills, and certifications. Emojis 🤓🚨 are so popular, but if you want to have a valid account and that checkmark next to your name, it has to match a government ID or passport. So unless emojis are in your legal name, ditch it. You do you of course. But for those who need work, I just say remove them. 3. Headline & Summary: Your headline should capture your professional identity, while the summary is your elevator pitch. Use this space to showcase your ambitions, skills, and what makes you unique. Just being funny here can work if you are working to be a stand up comic, but for the rest of us this line is read by recruiters and hiring managers who are busy people so it helps to make this shine. 4. Recommendations & Endorsements: These add credibility. Don’t hesitate to ask colleagues or classmates to vouch for your skills. Don't play that game of having people endorsing skills. 5. Regular Updates: Share articles, post about your learnings or achievements, and engage with others’ content. It shows you’re active and invested in your professional growth. Its ok to be yourself here. Ok, you must be wondering about my profile: Yes, I get countless job offers all the time for just being me and I am not looking for work! Proud of it too! What you see is what you get. I worked very hard on improving myself by listening to my mentors over the years to get here. Remember, your LinkedIn profile is essentially your online resume and a window into your professional persona. A well-crafted profile can open doors and create opportunities. If you’re serious about your career in IT or cybersecurity, let your LinkedIn profile reflect that commitment. #LinkedInTips #CareerDevelopment #ProfessionalBranding

In early December, I had the pleasure of speaking to a large group of students at Yeshiva University about how to optimize your LinkedIn to create an engaging and professional presence. I told these students that the main purpose of creating a professional LinkedIn presence is to build professional connections, discover career opportunities, connect with potential employers, recruiters, or people who might be helpful to you in the future, and establish a clear portrayal of who you are professionally. Here are some of the key takeaways: ☑ Firmly stand behind your professional goal, and curate your profile to that audience by using keywords, a strong title, and updated resume to show your strengths. ☑ Think about what you want your Personal Brand to stand for. What characteristics do you want to convey? Think about traits like reliability, creativity, persistence and how you can convey these implicitly in your profile and posts. ☑ Apply some of the business concepts that you are learning in your classes to your personal brand in LinkedIn. In your posts and comments, for example, use concepts like Value Proposition, which is a statement of what makes your product superior to others. It is the articulation of the Benefits that your product provides to the Customer. You need to be thinking the bundles of Benefits or Value that you can provide to your ‘Customer’ (i.e., your potential employer or key contact). ☑ Always have a pipeline of content ready to be edited and posted. Talk about current events, events occurring in your industry, or things that might interest you and start a conversation with others. ☑ Be sure to engage with others’ posts, join LinkedIn groups, and always be networking! ☑ Show credibility and authenticity by writing a brief but detailed summary of your skills, experiences, and aspirations. ☑ Whichever skills you apply to your profile, request individuals to endorse them. ☑ Always make sure your posts are edited, clear, concise, and palatable for your viewers. ☑ Don’t be afraid to notify some of your connections when you launch a new post, in order to ensure maximum exposure and tell them to Like or Comment on your post. ☑ Keep track of your analytics. This is a great way to gain insight as to what types of individuals engage most with your content. It might seem intimidating at first, but once you find your LinkedIn voice, it becomes much more natural. You just have to take that first leap in discovering how you fit into the professional world of LinkedIn! Special thanks to Sy Syms School of Business for the photography!

You want to use LinkedIn to find your next job? Here’s some atypical advice that's not your usual cookie-cutter career coach spiel. 🔴 Stop Being a Flattering, Needy Job Seeker: Everyone is out there 'liking' and complimenting every post by a big shot in their industry, hoping to get noticed. Guess what? You’re not the only one. It's a sea of sycophants. Instead, stand out. Be bold. Post strong, well-informed opinions about your industry. Disagree, respectfully, with big names. Spark real conversations. Thought leaders appreciate a good challenge more than a pat on the back. 🔴 Turn Your Profile Into a Story, Not a Resume: Everybody’s LinkedIn profile reads like a boring resume. Flip the script. Tell your story. How did your biggest failure teach you a lesson? What’s your unique approach to your work? Why are you the rebel or the unorthodox thinker in your field? People remember stories, not bullet points. 🔴 Hack the Algorithm with Smart Content: Stop posting generic industry news. Instead, create content that’s so unique and compelling that people can’t help but engage. Use video, infographics, or even provocative questions. LinkedIn’s algorithm loves engagement. The more unique your content, the more it stands out, the more it circulates. 🔴 Network Sideways: Everyone tries to network up, trying to rub elbows with the CEO or the industry guru. Here’s a twist: network sideways. Connect with peers, people at your level in other companies. Why? Because they are the ones who will move up the ladder and bring you along, or they’ll be the first to know of opportunities in their companies. 🔴 Be a Connector, Not a Moocher: Don’t just reach out to people when you need a job. Be the person who connects others, who offers help without expecting anything in return. Build genuine relationships. People remember kindness, and they’ll think of you when opportunities come up. 🔴 Use LinkedIn Learning as a Secret Weapon: Everyone has skills. Few continue to sharpen them. Dive into LinkedIn Learning. Talk about what you’re learning in your posts. Show that you’re a lifelong learner, constantly evolving. It’s attractive to employers who want people who can adapt and grow. 🔴 Kill the Template Message: If you’re reaching out to someone, for the love of god, don’t use a template. Write something that shows you’ve done your homework about them. Make it so personalized that they can’t help but respond. 🔴 Ride the Wave of Current Events: Tie your posts and professional narrative to current events or trends in your industry. It shows you’re in tune with what’s happening and can adapt your skills and perspective to current challenges. 🏁 Remember, LinkedIn is not just a job search tool, it’s a platform to build your brand, your network, and your career. Play the long game. Be different, be memorable, and above all, be relentlessly you. That’s how you’ll find not just a job, but the right job. #careeradvice #careers #hiring #bedifferent

95% of the Fortune 500 use #LinkedIn to source talent (and tons of other recruiters) They build queries based on things like: 1 - Job titles 2 - Locations 3 - Skills 4 - Companies 5 - Schools 6 - Industries 7 - Key words and more (like veteran status) Which means having a complete profile can make a HUGE difference when it comes to being found by a recruiter My advice? 1 - Complete your entire profile Every one of the categories above needs to be filled out completely and as relevant to your desired post-military career 2 - Include translations of your military job title If you have spoken with people in your desired field... (but keep the military title in there because it is horrible when a veteran has no idea what you actually did in the military and, therefore, can't make translations or recommendations for other roles) It shouldn't be "C-suite" anything 3 - Location should be where you want to be So you show up in recruiter searches there (if you have multiple locations, add those in the Open to Work banner) 4 - Skills on your profile should be relevant to the job(s) you want Add ones that occur often on related job descriptions The more endorsements you have on skills in the search, the higher you will rank in the results 5 - Make the experience section like your Master Resume Include your accomplishments in the description section of each job in the experience section This helps you appear in more search results for key words 6 - Make sure the logo shows up when you add schools or companies Otherwise it doesn't work for the filters 7 - It might not be a filter, but don't overlook the importance of a good profile picture and background image Because they are the first things we see on a profile #quinnsights HireMilitary #militarytransition I've added the LinkedIn article below for more info Questions? Thoughts? Anything you would add?