1. Add a high quality head shot
A high quality head-shot is an immediate way to gain a great first impression from anyone visiting your profile. Those with high quality professional photos or logos tend to gain more views and opportunities. So think about your surroundings and be creative, making the photo fit with what you do or what you're interested in. For example, scientists why not get a high quality shot of you in the labs? This is such a simple way to immediately show your personality and grab a viewers attention.
2. Add keywords to show up more often in search results
Make sure you sprinkle in loads of keywords throughout your page. These will insure employers are drawn to your profile when looking for potential job candidates. The summary paragraph at the top of your page is especially important to mention keywords in. When introducing yourself in this section use words which reflect your skills and your achievements.
3. Craft your page
Internet users often have short attention spans so be selective about the information you put on your profile and spend time crafting it to the best it can be. It is estimated that viewers often make decisions and assumptions about your profile within the first 7 seconds of viewing it so its greatly important that your page is concise but professional and informative. Be sure to include relevant experience, bearing in mind your future career aspirations and use no more than 4 lines or bullet points to describe your experience and responsibilities in each role.
4. Get recommendations
Recommendations are key to getting your LinkedIn profile to stand out. Think of people who you have worked for in the past and send them an invitation to write a recommendation on LinkedIn. In turn it is helpful to write recommendations for other connections.
5. Update regularly
LinkedIn is more than just an online resume, it is an opportunity to network with others and be social in a professional capacity. As well as ensuring your profile is up to date, keep relevant by engaging with other posts, liking and sharing those you find helpful and posting insightful comments when you can.
