8 LinkedIn Tips That Will Take Your Profile From Average To A+

8 LinkedIn Tips That Will Take Your Profile From Average To A+ LinkedInis the professional networking tool you know youre supposed to use, but youre notlage quite aya how to. Luckily, I sat down with Yomaly Suero, a former business owner and NYC human resources professional with 10+ years of experience in recruiting, career coaching, andresume writing, who has taught workshops specifically on improving job seekers use of LinkedIn. Check out herbei tips below1. Use it.Most people just put their resume information up on LinkedIn and leave it at that, hoping employers will just find them they dont put any effort in, Yomaly says. Her advice? Fill out your profile entirely and be proactive just like you would go up to someone and introduce yourself at anetworking event.2. Absolutely include a photo.Statistically, people who havepictures on their profilesare more likely to get seen viewed on LinkedIn, and called in for interviews than those who dont. HR professionals use LinkedIn as a d atabase, Yomaly says. If they dont see your photo, they think youre not active and they wont contact you, and thats a missed opportunity. Of course, make koranvers your profile photo is clear and professional. Think a high-quality, professional headshot with a neutral background not a girls night out photo you cropped someone out of.3. Craft your summary.Your summaryis key to helping you explain who you are and what youre looking for to potential employers. Its basically your answer to the Tell me about yourself question, but on paper, Yomaly says. And the main advantage? It doesnt have to be as short as you would answer that infamous first question in an interview. You can add more qualities and relevant strengths, things that your resume cant easily demonstrate, maybe more soft skills, she says. Dont overlook your headline, either LinkedIn defaults it to Current RoleatCurrent Company, but you do have the freedom to change it something less generic and more impactful4. Build your network.Add HR folks, Yomaly says. Thats one of the biggest mistakes jobseekers make. They add friends and family, which is fine, but LinkedIn is for building business connections in your field She advises adding hire managers, CEOs, and VPs, as well as assistant managers, supervisors, and those who supervise interns or volunteers. Anyone who makes a hiring decision. You want to be on their radar. As you build your network, you should also be intentional about collectingeffective endorsements your profile should include five prioritized skills and endorsements that are specifically relevant to each one5. Fix your wording.You are indexed by your job titles, not by the lengthy descriptions you may (or may not) write under each job title, Yomaly explains. So make koranvers those titles fit what you want then you can flesh out the job descriptions. Similar to the waycertain keywords should be on your resume, according to your industry, the same method applies to your LinkedIn profile. And absolutely show progression If you had multiple roles at the company, its important to list each one and show that you were amazing enough toget promoted. Plus, additional relevant job titles never hurt anyone. She also added that whileendorsements and recommendationsare great, theyre ultimately not the make-or-break for calling someone in for recruiters, its more about the job titles and accomplishments listed in the description sections.6. Connect personally.Yomaly advises reaching out to make connections with anyone you think could be a great contact, even if youre not actively job searching, and especially if youve recently applied to a job at their company. In her book, you should send inmail (essentially LinkedIns version of instant messaging) to attract attention when sending a connection request, then waiting a day or two before messaging once youve connected so you dont seem desperate, but also stay up-to-date and timely. Her main advice to job seekers about messaging potential employers? Dont betoopushy. Thank the person for accepting your request, then tell them about your interest in the company.Thenyou can tell them youve applied to X posting, and they shouldnt hesitate to contact you if they deem youre a good fit. It just adds a personal touch, and shows contacts that your follow-up skills are on point7. Keep it relevant.When it comes to posting your own content, make sure you remember that this is aprofessionalsocial network not your personal Instagram or Facebook. Any articles you share or posts you create should be relevant to your field or to job searching in general, and absolutely no complaining. Also remember that, unless youve changed settings accordingly, your social network will receive updates anytime you upload a post. So make sure those status updates are worthwhile8. Apply to jobsThe great thing about LinkedIn is its also ajob search sitein addition to being a professional networking and social media platform. Use the built-in search engine to apply to jobs Its easy and worth itBottom line? Be proactive, be professional, and be targeted-- Just like you are in every other aspect of your search, dear job seeker--Chelsea Fonden is a career coach and resume writer based in Brooklyn, NY. Over the past 5 years, she has worked with countless jobseekers across industries and professional levels, and holds a passion for womens advancement in the workplace. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Maryland and has worked for several NYC non-profits, as well as in freelance roles.