How to Achieve an All-star LinkedIn Profile for Your Next Job - Jobstore Careers Blog

Norman Vincent Peale once said, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” If aiming for a dream job is an equivalence of ‘shooting for the moon’; achieving LinkedIn’s All-Star profile status is the part where you land among the stars.

So, how important is it to build an online presence that reflects you professionally? According to LinkedIn, “users with complete profiles are 40 times for likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn”.

Moreover, the Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report 2016 explains, “87% of recruiters find LinkedIn most effective when vetting candidates during the hiring process, especially those under 45 (90%)”. It would be safe to say that LinkedIn is where the ‘professional party’ is at.

Are you ready to throw confetti over your LinkedIn All-Star Status? Here’s how you can prime your profile to get there:

1. A poised picture

Make sure your profile picture is current. Ideally, the picture should look relaxed, warm and professional. Would a selfie be appropriate here? Do take note that, “18% of recruiters view selfies negatively”.

2. First impressions count

This isn’t where you state your current job title and company alone. Think of it as a space for a concise self- introduction. You can use keywords that describe your value and identify who you are. Here’s where Google Trends come in handy. Remember, buzzwords are so two years ago. The English Language has plenty of options but LinkedIn isn’t the place to overshare. According to Jobvite’s Annual Social Recruiting Survey, 60% of recruiters view oversharing negatively.

What not to share on LinkedIn:

Personal problems
Issues with previous or current employers, colleagues
Insensitive remarks on race, religion, politics
Photos, videos or status updates with vulgar/unprofessional language or content

3. Explain your experiences

Part of meeting LinkedIn’s All-Star requirements is to flesh out the details of your current position and two prior positions you have held. The quality of supporting information you provide for your job qualifications is important. If it’s possible to include a video, slideshow, infographic or article about your company or the culture, do it. The addition of rich media can help to give your profile an edge.

4. How sharp are your skills?

In this section, you will need to list at least five skills. Try to keep the word choices relevant to your industry or the industry you’re interested in but be careful not to use empty phrases. It always helps to have a trusted friend or family member look over your word choices to ensure its readability.

TIP: you can use keywords to help boost your ranking on LinkedIn and Google.

How you can add more skills on your profile:
>Select Edit Profile
>Go to the Skills & Endorsements section
>Click on the ‘Add Skill’ button (top right corner)
>After the line “I want to be endorsed”, select ‘Yes’
>Type in your skills and when the list populates, click on each skill
>Click ‘Add’
>Click ‘Save’ once you’re done

5. Insert sunny summary here

Here’s the section where your story shines. A summary is a detailed description of your skills and experience. One way to approach this section is to think about what your answer would be when someone says, “tell me more about yourself”. Think of what your answer would be in person. Now, mirror the tone, enthusiasm and word choice for your profile summary. Let your personality shine through your writing; include your strengths, speciality, experiences and achievements.

6. No place for blank space

Type out your current industry, your location and list out your education background. Congratulations, you are three steps closer to reaching that LinkedIn All-star level. Whilst you are sharing your professional life story, keep in mind that filling in the required sections just for the sake of it isn’t going to help. Instead, complete them in the most impactful way possible.

The goal here is to boost your profile with substance, not fluff. Achieving that balance is just as important as proofreading your entire profile as a majority recruiters view typing errors and grammar mistakes in a negative light (72%).

7. Turn on the charm

You know what they say, you have to “catch em’ all.” Oops, I meant to say connect with them all. According to LinkedIn, you will need a minimum of 50 connections in your network. Take some time to screen people instead of going on a clicking spree to add anyone you come across.

Here are more insights from LinkedIn’s official blog:

Now that you know how to keep your digital tracks on LinkedIn clean and your profile is in All-star form, what’s stopping you from submitting it to land your dream job via Jobstore.com?