With over 810 million people using LinkedIn, it comes as no surprise that people are looking to upgrade their profile and get noticed. Your LinkedIn profile page is the foundation for your personal branding, and it is important that you take your time to build your brand as this will hugely impact your chances of getting noticed, hearing about new opportunities, and landing your next role. Spotlight Recruitment have helped numerous candidates land exciting marketing, digital, and communications roles and here we have put together 9 tips for Marketers who are looking to create a winning LinkedIn profile:
- Choose the right profile picture and background photo
Selecting the right profile picture and background photo should be a well-thought-out process as visuals are important and, in most cases, they are our first impression. Professional, engaging, and warm is what we would recommend, and we would advise that you put on a smile and stay clear of long-distance photos. Background photos are also a brilliant opportunity to grab people’s attention, showcase a little more about you, and make your profile memorable.
- Create an informative, eye-catching summary
The ‘about’ section on LinkedIn is a brilliant opportunity to summarise your story and tell people a little more about yourself. Try and avoid leaving this blank and bring it to life with skills, achievements, and the impact that you have had on certain roles and organisations. Create a few drafts and really take the time to personalise this – it will certainly be worth the effort!
- Grow your network
LinkedIn is a great place to network and find out about new opportunities, so getting into the habit of making regular connections with people in your field is key. A great target to aim for is 500 connections and you should try and prioritise connections with hiring managers and recruiters in your field.
- List your relevant skills
Displaying a clear and distinct skillset is a brilliant way to get noticed by recruiters and hiring managers on LinkedIn. Scrolling through the list of skills and selecting those that are relevant to you will make you more searchable on LinkedIn and it’s important that you often spring clean and get rid of the old skills and include your most recent ones.
- Proactively share content and interact with others
Having a lot of connections on LinkedIn is great but to create a winning LinkedIn profile, you should be interacting with your connections and sharing relevant content with your network. Take a proactive approach and express your own thoughts and ideas, spreading awareness of your profile and gaining more attention.
- Understand the significance of recommendations
Recommendations are personal testimonials that truly highlight what it is like to work with you and the more you have, the more credible you are which will in turn, encourage companies to approach you. Take the time to think about who you would most value a recommendation from and politely ask if they could write you one.
- Include details on education and any certificates/accomplishments, highlighting your passion for learning
Showcase your relevant professional qualifications and demonstrate your passion for continued learning through the education and licences & certifications sections on LinkedIn. Including grades and any other specific details will be a brilliant addition to your profile.
- Offer an accurate and detailed experience section
Spend time refining your experience section on LinkedIn as this is the most important part of your profile. Include achievements and responsibilities and place a key focus on including keywords as this will make your profile more searchable. Ensure that you are grabbing the reader’s attention with detailed, accurate information that is synonymous to your CV.
- Include contact info
If you are actively searching for a new role, include an email address and/or number where recruiters can easily reach you. Having this information available means that you won’t miss out on any new opportunities!
Building up your LinkedIn profile will take time, but by following these 9 tips, you are on the right road to creating a winning LinkedIn profile that will get noticed. If you are a candidate considering a role in marketing, digital, or communications, do get in touch to find out more about the roles we have advertised and how Spotlight Recruitment can help.
NICOLA MONGON is the MD of marketing job agency Spotlight Recruitment, specialists in marketing, digital, and communications recruitment since 2008. Read our 5* Google reviews from candidates and clients to find out more. If you would like to discuss hiring plans or find out more about us, you can reach Spotlight at 020 3008 4254 or info@spotlightrecruitment.com