Boosting your LinkedIn Profile

?? Hello, spring! Making your profile stand out on LinkedIn is crucial for attracting attention from recruiters, potential employers, and professional connections. Don't wait until you are unemployed to pay attention to it, it is beneficial to always give it some love. Here are my tips to help you enhance your LinkedIn profile:

1) Customize your URL

Makes your profile easier to share/find and looks more professional.

? Use your first and last name on your profile to match your resume.

? www.dhirubhai.net/in/vivianapalacios/

? www.dhirubhai.net/in/vp-237081202

?? Don't know how to do this? no problem, I wrote about it here.

2) Create a Banner = Build your brand

Significantly enhances your profile's visual appeal, giving a great first impression, adding personal branding, and elevating the impact of your profile. This can be an image of your artwork, your title, or something to identify you and your brand.

3) Include a Profile Picture

Use a high-quality, professional photo where you appear approachable and confident (smiles are always nice ??). Avoid using selfies, photos of pets, or caricatures. Having a photo builds trust, enhances your branding, and can expand your network. (yes to photos on LI, no to photos on resumes)

4) Use Clear Job Titles (Headline)

It's important to use standard job titles that accurately reflect your roles and responsibilities to maximize the effectiveness of your profile in recruiter search results. Avoid using names of past companies or funny headlines and focus on your skills and department.

? Lighting Artist, 2D Animator, Compositing Supervisor, VFX Supervisor

? Tech ninja, I'm the drone you are looking for, ex-Google, ex-Disney

Some past articles to help you:

??Why Job Titles are Important

??Setting your job preferences on LinkedIn

Currently looking for a job?

There is no need to add phrases like “seeking employment” or “available for new opportunities.” in your headline. You can express this by using the #opentowork banner instead.

??Using the green #opentowork banner

5) Add a Featured Section

Take advantage of this multimedia section and showcase your resume, demo reel, articles, work, and/or projects. This provides a more comprehensive view of your capabilities and makes your profile stand out.

6) Spice Up Your About Section (Summary)

Write a compelling summary that highlights your unique skills, experiences, and career goals. Use keywords relevant to your industry to improve your profile's visibility in search results. Avoid soft skills and opinions, focus on the value you bring to the role. What makes you unique? What can you offer the company? You can write this section in either first or third person, it is up to you how you want to present yourself to the reader.

? Bonus: Add your 5 top key skills in this section.

Supplemental advice:

?? Does your summary reflect the real you?

7) Fill Out Your Experience

Highlighting your key responsibilities, skills, and achievements. Use bullet points of action verbs and focus on results and accomplishments. If you have no relevant work experience (you are a student or currently pivoting careers), some things you can include are:

??Relevant projects.

??Volunteer work.

??Transferable skill sets that relate to whatever field you are trying to get into.

8) Highlight Your Skills ( LI gives you up to 50)

Be strategic with the skills you choose, making sure they are relevant to the job you are looking for. Relevant skills add credibility to your profile and increase your chances of appearing in search results from recruiters and hiring managers. (software, tools, responsibilities, soft skills).

9) Include Education and Certifications

Adds credibility and demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning. Completed degrees are helpful for recruiters to identify if they can consider you for a work permit. Remove non-relevant education without degrees and diplomas from high school.

10) Add Languages

Being bilingual or multilingual can open the door to more job prospects, especially if you are applying to a location that would see it as a bonus skill. (ex, applying to studios in Montreal with French and English fluency)

11) Utilize Your Volunteering & Organization Experience ( only if you have any)

Hiring Managers and recruiters like to see your willingness to work with others to contribute to the benefit of your community. This also boosts your interest in continued education and networking within your industry. It is especially beneficial if you are part of organizations recognized in your industry. (ex: WIA, VES, The Academy of Motion Pictures, etc.)

12) Request Recommendations

Recommendations from former colleagues, managers, or clients showcase your expertise and work ethic. Authentic recommendations can strengthen your profile's credibility.

13) Stay Updated

Regularly update your profile with new achievements, skills, certifications, or experiences to keep it fresh and relevant.

? Hot Tip: Start by mimicking your resume, you can include supplemental content and job responsibilities in your LinkedIn that you streamlined in your resume due to space limitation.

14) Engage With Content & Grow Your Connections

Like, comment, and share posts from your network. This showcases your active participation in your field and helps you stay visible to others. Avoid comments such as "CFBR or "let's connect" - instead, engage via full sentences to start building a virtual relationship.

?? You did it! Let's get your brand out there!

By implementing these strategies, you can create a standout LinkedIn profile that effectively showcases your professional brand and attracts the attention of potential employers and connections.

?? Challenge: Instead of using an emoji to like this post, add a comment to build a relationship and network!

?? Like my career tips? ring the ??

?? Hi, I'm Viv and I am #OpenToWork = Are you looking to hire a senior recruiter/Talent Acquisition Manager in Vancouver, BC, or remotely anywhere else? Let's chat! *USA/Canada dual citizen. Learn more about why you should consider hiring me here.

#animation #vfx #games #recruiterAdvice #openToWork #linkedIn #jobHunt #hotTipFriday