Time to Synch-up Your LinkedIn Profile

When was the last time you looked at your own LinkedIn profile? I’m in the recruiting business and so I use LinkedIn daily and view hundreds of profiles every week. One thing that has come up lately is a reminder that we should all take an occasional look at our own profiles.

The thing I am referring to is when your LinkedIn profile is out-of-synch with your resume. I’ve seen two occasions in the last month where a client reviewed the LinkedIn profile of a potential candidate and found discrepancies between LinkedIn and the candidate resume.  Employment dates were different or the career direction expressed on LinkedIn was different than the resume.

If you are like most people, you probably created a LinkedIn profile years ago, quickly typed in a few employment details from memory and called it good. Since then, maybe you’ve updated your job history here and there, but haven’t focused on keeping it synched-up with your resume.  

What is happening is LinkedIn is quickly becoming a repository for background information on all sorts of people and employers are using this when they evaluate resumes and getting familiar with candidates. Your profile speaks for you in more ways than you may realize.

It’s time to synch-up that LinkedIn profile.

Compare your resume and LinkedIn profile

Check the objective on your resume with what you are communicating on LinkedIn.  Are they compatible? It doesn’t need to be word-for-word, but it should communicate a common direction.

Pay special attention to employment dates, titles and company name details. Are they accurate? Do they match your resume? Also check education credentials and degrees to ensure dates are accurate and institution names are correct. If you’re not sure, verify and update both the resume and your profile.

Spruce up that profile!

While you are digging around in your profile, take a moment to spruce it up. Even if you’re not looking for a job, it’s good to have a quality headshot picture on your profile and list of awards, training, credentials, etc.  

Many people are now reviewing your LinkedIn profile if they don’t know you. It’s likely that they might look at it before they meet you for a sales call, return your email or respond to your connection request.

Add some keywords

There are many ways to make your LinkedIn profile more prominent. Check out Wayne Breitbarth ‘s tips for having the right keywords in your profile at https://www.powerformula.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Keywords-Worksheet-2017.pdf

There you go. Keep that profile in synch and you’ll be ready next time you are searching for a job. In the meantime, it’ll be current and provide the best representation of you!