What People Really See in Your Profile

I have hired a lot of people in my career. I’ve looked at more resumes and conducted more interviews than I could possibly remember. The first place I start is with a person's LinkedIn Profile. It's the best place to place get a feel for the candidate who has just come across my desk.

I know there are a lot of people out there struggling to find work. They are smart, talented, and caring people and yet they struggle to stand out from the crowd. After looking at countless LinkedIn Profiles I noticed there is a small percentage that really stand out and the rest pretty much all look the same. I wanted to capture some of the things I have seen in the hopes it will help you and your profile stand out a bit more.

Key Points

Start with the end in mind. You don’t always have to know exactly where you are but if you don’t know where you are going it’s gonna be a miserable trip. This is true with your profile. Spend a few minutes thinking about who you want to be, what role you want to play, and how you want to be viewed by others. We’ve all heard “dress for the role you want”. This is exactly the same. I am not saying lie, just that there are things you can do even before landing that coveted title.

Know your audience. Talk to the decision maker. You need to understand who they are and create your profile to speak directly to them. Don’t worry if others don’t understand it or say it’s terrible. Their opinion only matters if they are the decision maker you are trying to reach.

Tell a story. Your profile is a story about who you are and what you believe. Secondary, are the things you have done. They serve only to lend credibility.

This is your platform to tell your story to anyone who happens along. Not all of them will get it and that’s ok. Just make sure the story follows a well-formed theme. If you want to be in corporate strategy then talk about strategy. Have an opinion. Your posts, articles, comments, and media should take on a strategic look and feel. It should be a strategic experience for your audience.

Sections

First impressions - above the fold: We have all heard it before. A first impression may be your last so make it count. This holds true for the entire initial section of your profile. It includes your profile pic, background image, headline, and summary. Each of these come together to create a single view into who and what you are. Use this space wisely.

Profile Pic: This is the first thing I look at. As such, try to get something more professional than a selfie. Feel free to have fun but take the time to make it look good. Nothing says you didn’t care enough to take the time or energy to do this right than a bad profile pic.

I used my Nexus phone, got into my suit, had someone take a pick against a plain white background. Then I hit it with some greyscale. Super simple, zero cost. 

Background Pic: The vast majority of the profiles I looked at have the standard LinkedIn background image. This is another missed opportunity to make a connection with your audience and tell a story. If you're targeting a specific industry then use something industry specific. If you are trying to build your brand locally then use a well-known local landmark. I live in Phoenix and enjoy disruption so I used an image of a dust storm over the Valley of the Sun.

Headline: If this is the same as your current title then you are doing this wrong. You already have that listed in your experience section below so why waste this valuable space? Instead why not use it to say something about yourself or the areas you focus on? It is a headline after all.  

Summary: Here is your chance to tell a story. You have a bit more room to stretch out here so be creative and be personable. The one critical piece to remember is that this section will collapse, typically after only 2 lines, so I advocate for using the first 2 lines as your hook.

I also include my email and cell phone in the summary section. That’s a decision only you can make. I do it to be more accessible and I can tell you that since doing so I have not noticed an increase in spam or cold calls.

Below the Fold

Everything below the fold is secondary. The fold is the point on your profile where a user must scroll to find more information. If you get them to do that you are doing good.

Media: Use graphics and video whenever possible. Admittedly this is time consuming and difficult. I struggle with it as well but in the end, life is short and text is boring! Break it up with some great media.

Connections & Followers: We can never get enough of either of these. Followers are more important than connections but both are very valuable. Also pay attention to who you follow. The more quality posts and articles that come across your feed the richer your life will be. 

Experience: Use impact statements here as much as possible without divulging secrets. That being said this should not be a duplicate of your resume. The goal is to spark a conversation with a human being. Give me just enough information to make me believe you are legit and no more.

Skills: Don’t be afraid to ask for endorsements; they help a lot. Also try to keep your top endorsed skills aligned to the role/field you want. Headline, Experience, Skills should all align to tell a story.

Recommendations: These are super important. Reach out to some trusted connections and ask for a recommendation. Offer to give them one as well. Try to keep the gives and gets in balance otherwise you can look greedy and unappreciative.    

Activity: I try to have some activity daily. “Like” at least 1 thing a day and post 2-3 times a week. Even small things help on the post side as long as they aren't pitchy. Engage and interact. Think of it as a conversation. I can usually do this in about 10-15 minutes daily.

Comments and posts are more important than likes. I use likes for things that pique my interest and that I generally agree with, or to acknowledge someone's statement. Comments and posts are used to take a stand or share an opinion. If you pull them all together chronologically you should be able to see a theme and get a sense of who I am and what I believe.

Articles are tough. The good news is you don’t have to have a ton of these. Use these for industry insight, guides (such as this), or anything else that can help establish you as a thought leader.

I hope you found this information valuable. The team and I at ZenLeap are super passionate about helping others, especially when it comes to finding work. We are developing a new product designed to change the way companies find talent. March is the launch of our new candidate marketplace ZenHire. For more information, or to sign up for the early beta, check out https://zenleap.net.