Your Roadmap To An Interview-worthy Linkedin Profile

Finding a job as a college graduate is tough. So hats off to you for getting invited to an interview. But while you may have beaten hundreds of other candidates to get this far, there is probably still a dozen more to beat before you get that job. The trouble is, they’ve got a similar educational background and work experience as you. So how do you stand out?

One way is through a kick-ass Linkedin profile. With over 467 million users, virtually everyone looking for and employed in a corporate job in the country has a profile. This means that if hiring managers want to get to know a bit more about you before an interview, there’s only one place they’re going to go. Make sure you impress your interviewer and blow your competition out of the water by following this roadmap to an interview-worthy Linkedin profile.

How to approach your Linkedin profile

Linkedin is not a social networking website. It isn’t the platform on which to share your holiday pictures or joke about with your friends. Nor is it a place to regurgitate your CV. Using Linkedin in either of these two ways isn't going to result in a job offer. So how should you use it? Well, first, you should start thinking of it for what it really is: the largest candidate database in the world. For every job you apply for, there will be dozens, if not hundreds, of other candidates all with their own Linkedin profile. That means HR staff are going to spend a lot of time scouring college graduate profiles. And you know what? They all look and read the same. So if you want to get the most out of Linkedin, make sure your profile stands head and shoulders above the rest. Use your page as a way to express yourself in more detail. Highlight what makes you interesting and unique. What work or life experience do you have that sets you apart from other candidates? Why is this relevant to the job? Answer these questions throughout your profile and you'll be on your way to creating the perfect profile.

Start with the basics

When Forbes interviewed HR experts about Linkedin dos and don’ts, the most common turn-offs listed were incomplete or inaccurate profiles, poor grammar, and inappropriate profile pictures. Ideally, your profile shouldn’t be committing any of these crimes. But let’s just check, shall we?

Have you completed every section of your Linkedin page completely? That means adding a profile picture, writing a headline and a summary, adding all of your work experience and your education, listing the skills you have, and sourcing recommendations and endorsements from friends and colleagues.

Is your profile picture professional? Are you wearing suitable attire in it? What is appropriate will, of course, depend on the industry you wish to enter. For example, an aspiring lawyer can’t get away with wearing a t-shirt, but a graphic designer can.

Does your employment history on Linkedin tally with your resume? Nothing is more annoying for an interviewer than seeing inconsistencies between the two. It means wasting time during your interview trying to get your story straight instead of finding out what a great fit you could be for the company.

Does your profile read like it has been written by a college graduate or a fourth grader? If you aren’t confident in your spelling and grammar, get a friend or family member to read through your profile for you. If in doubt, install the Grammarly app on your browser.

Hook ‘em with the summary

Your LinkedIn profile will be treated like your resume. You have a limited amount of time (probably about 30 seconds) to capture their attention and entice them to keep reading. The summary is where you hook them. With this in mind, keep it short, sweet and captivating. Don’t scare readers off with a big block of text. But do get your key points across. Keep sentences short to create a rhythm. See? Like I’m doing here. Start off with a brief statement about yourself, your hobbies and your current situation. Mention your relevant working experience and define what you want from your first job and where you see yourself in the future. Remember, this is your one chance to grab the reader’s attention, so make it personal and avoid trying to sound too formal.

Get recommended

Don’t just rely on your friends and family, though. Sure, they can be a great way to start gathering a few recommendations, but an HR professional will spot these phony recommendations a mile away. Instead, get involved in groups on Linkedin and share your knowledge and experience. The better you network and the more you give, the more likely you are to receive. Don’t be stingy with your recommendations, either. Make sure to recommend someone at least once a week. Eventually, you'll start getting a few back.

Make it easy for Interviewers to find you

If you’ve followed our advice so far, you’re going to have the kind of Linkedin profile that you can be proud of. If this is the case, make it easy for interviewers to find you by creating a vanity URL for your profile page. Instead of having the default URL that is filled with letters, number and hyphens, you can create one that is much more pleasing to the eye. It may be a bit late for this job, but in future you can add it to your CV so that hiring managers don’t even have to search the site to find you. Now that’s really standing out.

Don’t forget to find your interviewers

While you’re spending all of this time polishing up your profile, it can be easy to forget about prepping for the interview. Now that you’re a whizz with the platform, you can start using it to search for your interviewers in order to get to know a bit more about them. Make a note of their education, work experience and anything that jumps out on their page, like an award. This tactic is sure to give you a couple of great talking points for the interview whilst showing you went the extra mile in preparation. Who knows, you might find your Linkedin profile is better than that of your interviewers.

Line up those interviews

Of course, an interview-worthy Linkedin profile is only useful if you have a string of interviews lined up. If you’re still trying to kickstart your career and find your perfect job, University Recruiters can help. Upload your resume today and let your talented team help you find the first job you’ve been dreaming of.