LinkedIn is definitely one of the top social media platforms out there today. I like to think of it as the “Facebook for professionals” – you can still share posts, join groups, and like pages. However, your LinkedIn profile is most likely going to look a little different than your Facebook profile.
I realized that I haven’t had a thorough comb-through of my LinkedIn profile recently, so I figured I’d go through with you how I set up and updated my LinkedIn profile! Here is how I set up my LinkedIn to get the most visibility.
1. Intro Section
Your intro section is at the very top of your LinkedIn profile. It’s the section that has your banner, profile picture, name, job title, and location. Your name should be pretty self-explanatory, but immediately following your name is the “Headline” section. I like to put my current position and company, but you could use this section to share different skills that you have or if you are looking for a job. Less is more in your Headline; don’t overthink it.
I also updated my LinkedIn cover and my profile picture. My old photo was from early in college, so I wanted to update with something a little more current. I also added a cover image that fits my brand. Having an updated profile picture is important, especially for the digital age we are in. You want people who search for you to be able to put a face to the name!
Don’t forget to update your intro information as it changes! I’ve made the mistake of leaving that I was still interning at the same company for months after my position ended. Same thing with my education, location, industry, and contact information – it is so easy to list these things once and forget to ever update it again.
In this section, you can also add if you are looking for a job or not. Even if you have a job, you can still keep this on! I like to leave it on “Flexible, I’m casually browsing” because you never know what opportunities could pop up! Since I already have a job, I leave it on “share with recruiters only” because I’m not actively looking. However, if you are actively looking for a job, you could share it with all LinkedIn members.
2. About
The next section in LinkedIn is the “About” section. Similar to the “Headline”, I really think less is more with this section. No one really wants to read your entire resume here – that’s what the rest of your profile is for!
I like to keep this section generic. I would avoid calling out specific positions/companies, as you don’t want to accidentally turn off other recruiters! Here is my “About” section – it is still just as relevant today as it was in college.
3. Featured
The “Featured” section is a great resource that I didn’t start using until now! This is the place to share if you have a personal website, any good LinkedIn posts, thought provoking LinkedIn articles, or other documents to share.
Right now, I only list my blog on my “Featured” section, but I’ve seen some people put their resume up here. It is all personal preference on whatever you feel comfortable sharing and want recruiters and connections to know about you.
4. Background
The “Background” section consists of your work experience, education, licenses/certifications, and volunteer experiences. I try to bulk out these sections as much as I can since they make up the majority of my LinkedIn.
Unlike your resume, which is only a 1 page snapshot of your most recent and relevant work experiences, LinkedIn is a webpage, so you aren’t limited to a page count. Use the “extra” space to share as many details about your different work experiences and what you accomplished in each one.
While I was updating my LinkedIn, I took off some of my high school jobs from my Experience section. I originally added them back at the beginning of college when I didn’t have any other experience. Although I wouldn’t recommend taking off all your old jobs off LinkedIn, it’s always good to go in and review what is still relevant and current. Chances are you probably don’t need to list the 3 different retail jobs you had in high school if you’ve already worked an internship or 2.
In my education section, I list both my degrees and all the relevant info (i.e., GPA, years attended, etc.). I also list relevant organizations and projects that I completed during each degree.
I have DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) Black Belt certification from my internship, so I made sure to list that in the Licenses & Certifications section.
Lastly, I updated my Volunteer Experience Section, which I realized I had not updated since undergrad! I don’t necessarily list every single volunteer event I participated in here. I really focus on long-ranging positions and activities, like my volunteer positions in SWE and any major volunteer events I participated in. When updating it, I added in my current volunteer position within Dallas SWE and other large volunteer events I helped with. I also re-ordered some of the content so my biggest/top 3 positions were at the top.
I’ve been told during multiple interviews how impressive volunteer experience is. Recruiters and interviewers love to see volunteer experience in addition to work experience because it shows that you also prioritize other things besides going to class and having a job. Volunteer work can help show who you are and what you care about, so don’t limit the detail in this section either!
5. Skills
“Skills & Endorsements” is a great section for showcasing just that – your skills! Can you program in any coding languages? Do you excel in project management? List that here! Just as important as listing your applicable skills is getting quality endorsements.
Notice the word quality. Anyone can endorse you for a skill, but it is so much more impactful when someone that is well known for that skill endorses you. For example, one of your peers who is still in college endorses you for a coding language skill you have. That’s nice, but if a past professor, especially one in the computer science field, endorses you, it means even more. Quality of endorsements definitely outweighs the quantity.
Just as with any other section, remember to update this as you learn more skills. I’ve only been at my job at TI a year, but I went ahead and added “wafer Fab” to my skills since I feel like I have a pretty good handle of the basics of it.
6. Accomplishments
The last section is your accomplishments. This is your section to brag about yourself!
“Accomplishments” is a pretty self-explanatory section, but here are some dos & don’ts for this section:
Do
- List out scholarships in the “Honors & Awards” category – they count too!
- Give credit to other contributors in your projects.
Don’t
- Don’t list every class you’ve ever taken in the courses list – just the ones that are the most relevant to your industry.
- Don’t forget to keep this section updated! I realized I forgot to update with the end date of my thesis here.
There you have it – my LinkedIn setup and insights on how to make the most of your profile. There’s a lot to a LinkedIn profile, and it can be really intimidating if you are new to LinkedIn or don’t use it often. Don’t feel like you have to tackle your whole profile in one sitting – break it up over a few different sessions. Work on updating 1 section at time, and make sure the information in there is quality over quantity. Before you know it, you’ll have an “All Star!” profile too!
What tips do you have for setting up your LinkedIn profile?