Steps all graduates should follow to write an effective Linked In profile!

As a recruiter with Phaidon International I spend a lot of time on Linked In. In fact, I probably spend more hours on Linked In these days then I made to lectures a week in College. How times change. I see the great, good, bad and ugly. Whilst the bad and ugly provide entertainment value it’s a shame when people, especially those who paid $100k+ for a degree certificate, ruin their ultimate marketing document. Your Linked In profile is out there in the public domain. Anyone can access it, including recruiters looking to fill roles that could be the opportunity you are looking for. However, if your Linked In profile isn’t up to scratch you will miss out.

How is the first taste of the corporate world going for you? Take a look at these handy hints to help you on the way.

Accuracy – List all work experiences in reverse chronological order and make sure it matches your resume, especially in terms of dates. Recruiters compare resumes against Linked In profiles and differences immediately raise the question on the reliability of the information and candidate.  List your responsibilities in each role and remember keywords, more keywords = you come up in more searches! If you are looking to relocate, however, you could change your location to where you want to move to and add that you’re looking to relocate to your headline. That way you will come up in more relevant searches which = more approaches.

 Picture – Linked In is a very different platform from Instagram and Facebook (or Myspace if you’re Gen X)! A picture of you tailgaiting before varsity with a nice hint of X Pro II isn’t going to hit the employer’s sweet spot. It’s not that we don’t appreciate that you did this, we do. Many of us have been to College; we’ve drunk ourselves silly, dressed up in ridiculous attire and had a good time. 

But, an unprofessional picture indicates that you can’t fathom the difference between college and corporate life. College was for boys, the corporate world is a man’s world and if you can’t change your attitude and adopt a professional demeanor you can kiss goodbye to opportunities. Take a picture against a good backdrop wearing business dress and try to look semi-happy rather than a modern day reincarnation of Ares.

Headline – My favorite faux par here is when people use a job title in their headline that they have never done. Calling yourself an Astronaut won’t make anyone believe that you’re about to head off into the unknown on the ISS if you have no relevant qualifications or experience relating to this on your profile. Unless your name is Harry Potter and you have some Polyjuice Potion at hand for instant transformation be truthful or put 'Recent graduate looking to begin a career in Software Development' rather than 'Software Developer'.

Summary – job seekers should think of this as an objective on a resume rather than a biography. Keep it short and sweet. If you are only considering opportunities within one industry keep it very relevant. If you want to keep your options open you can use a broader approach, ‘A recent graduate with experience in… looking to join … and make an impact in..’. School is over now guys, it doesn’t need to be an essay – a succinct paragraph should do the trick.

Skills / Endorsements / Recommendations– These are great! Ask for recommendations from former managers & colleagues in all previous employment and peers and professors from college. Positive reinforcement is always good,  it shows that you take an active interest in your career  and it will make you stand out from other fresh grads that don't bother with these sections– I guarantee it. Skills can be added or deleted and connections can endorse you for skills also.

This is a great tool as it allows someone to get a brief overview of your capabilities. Keep these relevant and professional.  You can add on as many as you like and the more endorsements you get per skill the more your credibility rises… kind of like a game, isn’t it?

Education / Honors & Awards – You don’t need to go as far back as Kindergarten here. High school and higher education is fine. If you achieved good grades, put them on there! If you got a 3.8 shout about it, overachieving is awesome!

Groups / Following - I believe that many people underestimate the power of these two sections. These sections give the employer further clarification of the type of person you are. If you're set on a career in finance and it's clear to see on your profile that you are a member of finance groups and you follow finance related feeds it backs up your candidacy and indicates that you do have a genuine interest in the sector. It also gives indication on how well rounded you are as a person. Taking an interest in current affairs is cool in the corporate world!

Volunteering – If you got involved with anything from teaching English to gardening with the Elderly add it on!

It might not necessarily be relevant to the corporate world but it shows that you take an active interest in and invest time in things other than school work and drinking, which again = bonus points! Employers want motivated achievers who do things off of their own back.

Spelling and Grammar – Check everything you have written and perhaps even ask a friend to give it the once over. It only takes 2 minutes and could easily save a bad first impression that may well cost you a job opportunity. Would you hire someone that has a degree in "Comunication"? It doesn't look great, attention to detail is key, employers don't want sloppy workers!

While some of these may seem common sense, I can assure you that following these points will help you to stand out from the thousands of other graduates who may not have given their profiles as much attention. In today's market, it's important for fresh talent to distinguish themselves in any way that they can and having a great LinkedIn profile is a brilliant start! You might not have all of the relevant experience but a good Linked In profile could help you get a call which could turn into a interview and eventually a job offer.

If you're interested in a career in sales / recruiting or business development please reach out to me directly at [email protected]