By David Alto

When creating your LinkedIn profile, it can be unclear what to include, or what to avoid.

I want to ensure that you expand on your personal brand, because let’s face it…this is what your LinkedIn profile is.

If you’re looking to secure a new job, here is what you’ll want to work on first.

Update your Headline

I like to tell my clients your Headline is like the world’s shortest elevator pitch. Please do not put the name of the company you work for here. This is your personal brand. So, let’s say you’re a Project Manager with Amazon…. you could write the following: “Project Manager | Servant Leader | Virtual Trainer | Operations Management” or “Project Manager leveraging across functional relationships to deliver on time projects.

I would suggest searching others on LinkedIn doing what you do and see how they approach it.                                                

SEO

Search Engine Optimization is alive and well and lives in your Headline. This is why it is important to include keywords/skills in your Headline. My clients end up showing up in more recruiter searches because we did some SEO on their Headline.

About section is your opportunity

Recruiters and hiring managers go to your LinkedIn profile to learn more about you. In this section think about writing it as if you are having coffee with a new colleague at a coffee shop. What would you tell them “About” yourself? It’s perfectly OK to write in first person in this section. Tell the world what it is you have done, what you’re doing now, and why you do it. Give people a reason to reach out to you.

Featured section is great to showcase your…

By adding a Featured section, you will now be able to showcase that Project, Presentation, Video/Interview, a mention in an Article, a mention in your Company website, Publication, Award, Certificate, etc.

The Featured is the perfect place to validate those accomplishments, achievements and metrics you have on your resume.

You can also put these same accomplishments and attach them into your work experience section as well.

But if you only have a few (2-4) of these I would highly suggest that you put them in the Featured section because this section is closer to the top of your LinkedIn profile and they show up in a larger format drawing attention to them.

Because the average LinkedIn user does not take advantage of this feature, when others see items in that Featured section they stop and take notice.

Let’s recap

Recruiters visit your profile because:

1)   They searched for people doing what you do and found you

or…

2)   They have your resume and want to visit your LinkedIn profile in order to learn more about you.

This is why you want and need a Super Hero LinkedIn profile.

• Showcase your talents, accomplishments, and metrics…
• Have that Hiring Manager or Recruiter feel confident in reaching out to you because you have what they need it its clear because of the improvements you made to your profile.

When deciding what to include on your LinkedIn profile, it’s important to consider many factors. Ensuring optimal formatting, highlighting information that will support your experience and expertise and tailoring your profile to the specific industry are all crucial elements to a LinkedIn profile that will get you noticed.