LinkedIn is one of the most popular job posting platforms, and having a polished profile will help you find a job faster. In other words, it is key to your professional success. Check out our 7 steps to a perfect LinkedIn profile.
We know that many of you tend to think that LinkedIn is just like any other social networking platform like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram that doesn’t help you land your dream job. Therefore, you have a half-done profile with bits and pieces copied from your CV and you haven’t logged in for months.
However, you should know that LinkedIn is one of the most popular job posting platforms, and having a polished profile will help you find a job faster.
4 reasons why using LinkedIn is crucial 👇
- Managers and Recruiters are on LinkedIn. Recruiters might discover your profile directly based on the skills and experience you have.
- Your profile builds credibility and trust. Your profile serves as a validator of your identity and experience.
- Endless Networking Opportunities. It doesn’t matter if you are currently looking for a job, having a wide network will open endless doors for you.
- Be Up-to-Date. Whether it is about news in your industry or from your contacts, LinkedIn will always keep you updated.
In other words…
Having a polished LinkedIn profile is key to your professional success.
After doing a lot of research, we have compiled a list of 7 easy steps you can take to optimize your LinkedIn profile and land your dream job in a top tech sales company.
1. Having a Public URL
Before you start working on the fun things, you need to take care of the basics. Make your profile public and give it a nice URL.
- Click on “Edit Public Profile & URL” – this appears on the top right of your profile (see image below).
- There, you can change our URL to whatever you want. We suggest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/firstname-lastname/
- Make it fully public, as it will make your profile indexed and everyone will be able to find you.
2. The Headline
This is the first information that people will see on your profile. You want to ensure that people know what you do just by a glance.
- Tailor the headline to the position and industry you are targeting.
- Use the keywords you found during the previous activity
We suggest using the following structure 👉 (Role) – (Core skills)
- Example A, keep it simple:
Sales Development Representative | SaaS B2B - Example B, add some skills:
Sales Development Representative | SaaS B2B – Prospecting, Qualifying, Social Selling - Example C, variations:
Business Development/Sales Representative | SaaS B2B
3. The About Section
Here comes the tough part… the “about” section. We know a lot of you really struggle with this step because… What is that you are supposed to write about yourself?
Well, the goal here is to show what you are doing, what your mission is, and what it is that you’re looking for.
- Look for 3 examples of SDRs and their bio’s for inspiration.
- Have a look at your personal branding statement.
- Write your bio!
Sounds easy right? We know, we know… How are you supposed to summarize your core message into a few phrases? It’s also an iterative text – it should change as your career evolves. Here are some tips that will help you, but remember it is all about expressing yourself.
- Keep it short and sweet. People won’t read anything too long. LinkedIn shows only the first three lines of your profile summary before readers have to click to see more. This works out to around 290-310 characters.
- KEYWORDS!!! It’s always a good idea to mention our key competencies. Try to stick to between 3 and 5 of those. Include the same skills that you have already mentioned in your headline (if any).
- Make it personal. The more authentic, the better. This is the perfect place to talk about your career path so far, your accomplishments, and explain what you’re looking for and why you’re so great at it.
Need more inspiration? Here are some topics you can cover:
- What are your goals and ambitions?
- Why are you passionate about your current job or industry?
- Is there any unique knowledge you’ve brought into your industry from other life experiences?
- How can you help companies with X and Y?
4. The Experience Section
In this section, you will need to explain your core functions and responsibilities and mention the results. We recommend using 3-4 bullet points maximum.
Here are some tips:
- Start with an overview. Use 2-3 sentences to give an overview of what your job entails, and don’t forget to include facts and figures.
- Use Actions worlds and keywords. Use words like managed, grew, led, etc. rather than “responsible for…”. Do some research on the keywords for your job and industry and add them.
- Keep it clear and concise. Try not to use complex sentences. And use present tense when describing your current job and past tense for past experiences.
- Frontload your achievements. Try to add your achievements in the beginning because it’s the first thing someone will read.
- Don’t forget to like other sections to your job. Link Courses, organizations, and projects to your job. This will highlight professional development as well as achievements.
- Ask for recommendations. Recommendations should be linked to the position to which they are related. These serve as references in advance and are a very strong endorsement of your work.
But what if your previous experiences are unrelated to what you’re doing now...?
In reality, no experience is ever completely “unrelated”. Every single one of our experiences in the past has taught us something. And this “something” is what we want to explore a bit more.
- What overlap is there between past jobs and now?
- What transferrable skills do I have?
For example, if you have ever worked with customers, consulted clients, done project management, managed a team, or worked with people in another function, you have gathered valuable skills in any position!
Do not just list your experiences – that’s the resume for. Rather, focus on explaining what you learned from these experiences and built stories around them.
5. Skills & Endorsements
This section is all about your capabilities.
Being “findable” is a crucial component of the hiring process in the modern world. Make sure your LinkedIn profile has a list of all of your professional skills in case a recruiter searches LinkedIn for candidates or a person with your profile.
But how do recruiters see this?
As you can see, your skills have been assembled in a neat little overview that is easy to scan. The recruiter tool blocks out all your profile endorsements. This means recruiters won’t see for what skills you’ve been endorsed and if people have left you a recommendation. To see those, one would need to return to the basic LinkedIn profile view.
But… Which skills do you add?
- Soft skills: At most, you want to add 3-5 strong soft skills that represent your personality best. (e.g. negotiation skills, active listening, Relationship Building, etc.)
- Hard skills: Here you can go crazy! Add all tools/technologies you know how to use, have experience with, or even know just a little bit. (e.g., experience with CRM, product industry knowledge, etc.)
6. Be Open to Opportunities
Make sure you mark yourself as open to receiving offers. Recruiters will know you are looking for employment.
- Activate the setting and select the type of offers that you are interested in, your contract or city preferences, etc.
- You also have the option to “Choose who sees you’re open”. We recommend opening up to everyone so that the green circle shows in your profile picture too!
7. Choose a Great Picture
Your profile picture is a key element of your LinkedIn presence. It is the first chance to make a good impression and increase your chances of being viewed by others.
Here are some tips 👇
- Choose a photo that looks like you. Make sure it is up to date
- High-resolution photo. The ideal size is 400×400 pixels.
- Make sure your face is the main focus. Avoid using a distant picture of you.
- Be the only person in the picture and avoid distracting backgrounds.
- Wear what you’d wear to work.
- Use filters wisely. Don’t be afraid to play around and see what filter fits the best with the mood you want to convey.
Did you choose one? Get your picture analyzed here!
p.s. don’t worry if your score isn’t perfect, the tool is quite strict 🧐 but it might give you some ideas on where to improve.
Congratulations, you’re all done!!
We hope these tips will help you nail your LinkedIn profile! If you are considering launching your career in tech sales, we encourage you to apply here - our program is 100% free and candidates usually find a job in under 30 days.
This article belongs to the ultimate guide to securing your dream job in 2023! Join us as we embark on a journey of exploration and discovery, diving into the secrets of building and promoting a standout professional identity, mastering the art of crafting a winning CV, LinkedIn profile, and networking strategy, and learning the best strategies for finding opportunities, acing interviews, and making the right career choices. Check the complete series here out!
Don't go anywhere just yet! In our next post, we'll be diving into the nitty-gritty of how to get found by recruiters on LinkedIn!
