Is your LinkedIn profile up to scratch?

Before we get started, I wanted to let you know about a free webinar we're running next week, and the launch of a fully-animated psychometric test course...

Next Tuesday, alongside?Holly Moore ?(@thatlawblog) and in collaboration with?The Student Lawyer , we'll be running a free workshop that provides a whole host of insider insights into commercial legal careers (including solicitor apprenticeships and in-house training contracts), the recruitment cycle, what training contracts involve, what the practice areas do, and the tasks typically carried out by trainees.

It will also provide the opportunity to ask the team questions relating to a broad range of employability topics, from motivation and competency questions, to assessment centres and psychometric tests. You can register for free here .

Watson Glaser, verbal reasoning, in-tray, situational judgment, logical reasoning and numerical reasoning tests

We've now animated all 22 lessons comprising our course on how to tackle psychometric tests . This provides comprehensive advice on every element of the Watson Glaser test, as well as verbal reasoning, in-tray, situational judgment, logical reasoning and numerical reasoning tests, complete with interactive practice questions and a discount on additional practice tests through JobTestPrep .

Here's a free version of our video covering top tips for Watson Glaser tests .

Is your LinkedIn profile up to scratch?

People have written entire books on LinkedIn, so there’s clearly a huge amount of advice to bear in mind.

However, for the purposes of this newsletter, we’ll keep it short and to the point.

To summarise, your LinkedIn profile should reflect what you’ve previously done, what you’re currently doing, what you’re good at, and what you’re looking for. It should highlight all your relevant experiences and draw out your key skills and achievements. And it should always be up-to-date.

Just like a CV.

Would you send your CV out to your entire network right now?

It’s essential to keep in mind is that your LinkedIn profile is public and accessible 24/7 from all over the world. In that sense, having a LinkedIn profile is a little like sending out your CV to everyone in your network – and everyone outside of your network – every second of every day. It’s also becoming increasingly common for interviewers to have a quick skim of a candidate’s LinkedIn profile before an interview and for supervisors to have a cheeky skim before you start an internship or graduate role.

With this in mind, ask yourself the following: would you send your CV to everyone you know – plus future interviewers and supervisors – without first ensuring it’s up-to-date, it’s accurate and it positively reflects your abilities and experiences? The right answer, of course, is “no”, but many people don’t think about LinkedIn in the same way. However they (and you) really should.

The first impression

Remember, for people you haven’t met before, your LinkedIn profile may well provide their first impression of you. So, for starters, make sure that your profile is well-written and free from spelling and grammatical errors – you may be judged on your writing style as much as the quality of your prior endeavours – and ensure that your photograph is recent and professional (no photos from Ayia Napa 2019, this isn’t Facebook!).

Moreover, your LinkedIn profile headline should succinctly capture what you’re currently doing and, if you’re a student, what you’re currently looking for (e.g. “Second year Chemistry student looking for investment banking opportunities”). Then as you progress in your career, you might shift the focus to outline your particular specialism (e.g. “I’m a management consultant with a focus on the technology sector”).

On a related note, most recruiters use LinkedIn these days when headhunting candidates, and your headline (and job title) will often determine whether you appear in those recruiters’ search results when they are trying to find potential candidates to fulfil certain roles. This can be particularly important later in your career if you start to consider switching firms or roles.

Skills and experiences

You should get in the habit of adding to your LinkedIn profile every new experience that you complete, as soon as you complete it. If you have attended a virtual internship or an office visit, stick it on there, including the firm’s name, what you did, and what you got out of it.

Also include your positions of responsibility (including roles on university society executive committees), and feel free to throw in a few interests and extracurricular activities to show that you’re a well-rounded individual. Also make sure you give proper context about the organisations you have worked for and the nature of your role. Don’t assume others will inherently understand this stuff.

Media and hyperlinks

Consider publishing content to show off your knowledge, expertise and interests. The initiative and drive that this requires might impress recruiters and interviewers, plus the content itself could help you to attract the attention of potential contributors, mentors and employers.

More specifically, adding photos or hyperlinks can help to support the statements you make. For example, if you talk about your public speaking experience, why not evidence it with a photo of you speaking in front of a crowd.

If you talk about your creative skills, perhaps share a link to (or upload) a portfolio of your work. If you write blogs or commercial awareness updates, link to some of your writing examples. This can all help to add some credibility and authenticity to your profile, whilst also enabling you to stand out.

Publishing and engaging with content

Posting on LinkedIn can help to inform others about your skills, strengths and experiences, and alert them to anything in particular that you’re seeking. This in turn might improve your chances of someone else recommending you for a particular role, or notifying you of potentially relevant opportunities that they have come across.

To give a personal example, when I first started working as a copywriter for tech start-ups, I was mandated on a variety of interesting projects by people who had discovered me via my posts on LinkedIn and other social channels.

This content forms part of the networking section of our brand new?Application, Interview & Internship Handbook .

I truly believe this is the best book out there on how to answer why commercial law, why the firm and why you. Plus it also covers all the key elements of assessment centres, CVs and cover letters, converting internships, psychometric tests, networking, and much, much more.

To celebrate the launch, the code?NEWAIIHANDBOOKSEP22?will temporarily give you 15% off the book in our?online store ?(or any bundle that includes this book).

As a reminder, Commercial Law Academy offers 20 in-depth courses, covering: insights into legal careers, firm profiles and interview insights, expert advice on writing applications and tackling psychometric tests, dozens of example (verified) successful cover letters and applications, resources to help you prepare for interviews and internships, example interview case studies, practical content to help you understand and confidently discuss commercial concepts and current affairs, plus tips on how to network, negotiate, deliver presentations and write professionally.

Check out this?animated explainer video ?for more information!