IT Professionals: What Should Your LinkedIn Profile Look Like?

By now you probably understand how important it is to have a LinkedIn profile. What often gets missed, however, is simply having a profile is not enough. A bland, boring, bare-bones profile will do little to further your career goals. But an optimized profile can be a real asset when you’re looking for work, growing your network and establishing your professional brand. Follow these tips to make an ordinary LinkedIn profile extraordinary.

Complete Every Section

Every aspect of your LinkedIn profile is designed to help you improve your professional image. That means there’s no excuse for leaving a section blank or incomplete. A completed profile not only gives recruiters more to look at, it makes it easier for them to find you, too.

Pick the Right Picture

Your profile picture might not say much about your IT credentials, but it does help to humanize your profile. Make sure you upload a picture that presents you in a professional and personable context. This is not the time to recycle a profile picture from your Facebook account.

Create a Public Profile URL

As an IT professional, you are expected to be tech savvy in a variety of different contexts. If your public profile URL includes an incomprehensible string of numbers at the end, it could make you look less than capable. Edit the URL so it only includes your first and last name, this will help add to the professionalism of your profile.

Take Advantage of Keywords

Like most search tools, LinkedIn relies on keywords to connect queries with relevant results. Think of the kinds of keywords recruiters use to find professionals like you; then find ways to organically integrate those keywords into your profile. Ideally, they will appear in your profile headline.

Solicit Recommendations

Recruiters are always suspicious of self-endorsements. Give your profile some credibility by asking co-workers and people who know you professionally to endorse your skills. Focus on the skills that will be most important to your career evolution, and make sure you return the favor by endorsing others in kind.

Use Multimedia

LinkedIn offers a number of tools that allow you to enhance your profile with various types of multimedia – pictures, PDFs, videos, links, etc. Use these to give recruiters a better sense of your IT experience and the kinds of results that it has produced. Tools like these were not available when you relied on a printed resume, so use them to your advantage.

LinkedIn is an important tool in your job search, but just one of many. Learn about other ways to make your search more efficient and more effective by contacting INSPYR Solutions. Be sure to also view our current IT job openings.