Making a great impression at your next interview starts well before the interview is even secured. From the moment your future employer is checking your LinkedIn profile, you’re making an impression. So, it’s important that you make your LinkedIn profile professional, up-to-date and a savvy representation of who you are at work. Here are three tips that you can use to make sure that your profile shines.
Write a compelling headline
The headline of your profile is the first thing potential employers or customers see. So it’s time to get your thinking cap on and come up with a masterful description of what makes you different to others in your field. To create an eye-catching, memorable headline, start by defining what you’re passionate about in your work or career. The simplest way to do this is to answer the question, ‘when do I feel most alive at work? Then look for any themes in these activities or situations. You’ll probably find that they tell a story about the quality or passion that you bring to your work.
Then write one sentence that describes an outstanding personal characteristic, followed by your job title and a couple of your key skills. Boil that sentence back to three to four words that capture the essence of what you’ve been trying to say. For more tips on how to do this, download my free podcast 3 Things Your Future Boss Needs to See.
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Describe your skills, not your duties
Your future boss doesn’t care if you were meant to be providing customer service. They want to know what skills you possess. To quickly identify your skills, use this starter phrase ‘My XXX experience gives me a highly flexible skillset. This covers XXX, XXX, and XXX.’ Filling in the gaps with your relevant experience will help you quickly create a high-impact skill statement. For example, ‘My freelance and in-house production experience gives me a highly flexible skillset. This covers end to end conceptualisation and creation of short films, documentaries and web videos.’
Provide evidence of your success
Think of your LinkedIn profile page as a showcase for your work. Impress future employers or customers by uploading examples of what you can do. For tips on what these might be, download my free podcast 3 Things Your Future Boss Needs to See now.
Making these changes to your LinkedIn profile should only take between 60-90 minutes. That’s time well spent, because it will help you to make a great impression in the first twenty seconds that your future boss spends on your profile page.
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About the author of this tip sheet
This article is brought to you by women’s development specialist, Eleanor Shakiba. Eleanor has dedicated her career to helping women break through glass ceilings by developing their confidence, communication skills and leadership savvy. Eleanor is qualified in a range of fields including Social Anthropology, Applied Psychology, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming.