Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile: How to Attract Employers and Build Your Professional Brand

Your LinkedIn profile has become one of the most important career tools to have. With over 740 million members, LinkedIn is the premier social media platform for establishing your professional brand and networking with opportunities. 

 

Optimizing your profile is essential to getting found by recruiters and showcasing your background to potential employers. With a complete, compelling profile, you can proactively connect with hiring managers, demonstrate your fit for job openings, and stand out from other candidates.

 

Here are tips to polish your LinkedIn presence:

 

Craft an Eye-Catching Headline

Your headline sits front and center under your name and photo. Use it to define your professional identity. Include your current job title, field of expertise, and a capability statement or brand message.  

 

For example: “Product Marketing Manager | Passionate About Data-Driven Demand Generation”

 

The 120-character limit forces you to hone your headline carefully. Spend time perfecting it to make an immediate impression.

 

Showcase Your Background in the Summary 

Recruiters often quickly scan your summary section to learn about your background. Use this space to provide an overview of your career history, capabilities, accomplishments, and specialties.  

 

Tailor it specifically based on the types of roles you are targeting. Call out relevant certifications, technical skills, leadership experience, or other qualifications you want hiring managers to notice.

 

Populate the “About” Section

Provide more details on your background in the About section. Include current and past job titles and companies, education, licenses, volunteer work, publications, honors, and awards. 

 

This information will also auto-populate other areas of your profile. The fuller your About section, the more credible and complete your profile appears.

 

Display Your Skills & Expertise 

Hiring managers can search LinkedIn profiles based on skills. Be sure to fully complete the Skills section with all areas of expertise relevant to the types of jobs you want.  

 

Prioritize keywords hiring managers are likely using to find candidates with your capabilities. This will boost your visibility in LinkedIn search results.

 

Show Off Your Education

If you have college or graduate degrees, showcase your education, including institutions, degrees earned, and graduation years. You can also include courses, activities, academic projects, and honors.  

 

This signals your educational credentials and knowledge base to employers. It also serves as a networking opportunity with alumni from your university. 

 

Provide Detailed Experience Summaries  

Expand on your professional experience with multi-paragraph summaries under each position listed. Share responsibilities, examples of initiatives and projects completed, and quantifiable wins and accomplishments.  

 

Use data, metrics, and specifics to convey your true impact in the role. This demonstrates the value you brought to employers.

 

Collect Endorsements and Recommendations

Earned endorsements and recommendations from colleagues carry tremendous weight. Collect recommendations highlighting skills that potential hiring managers are looking for.  

Ask managers, clients, or senior coworkers who can vouch for your work ethics and contributions. These credible references help you stand out.

 

Showcase Samples of Work

Leverage the media section to display sample projects, presentations, videos, and other content you produced. These act as credibility builders to show employers your skills in action.  

 

Photographers can share professional photos, marketers can show campaigns, and programmers can display code samples. Make your capabilities tangible.

 

Build Your Network Strategically 

Your number of LinkedIn connections expands your reach for job opportunities. But focus on quality over quantity. Connect purposefully with those at companies you want to work for or who work in your target field.  

 

Also, join relevant industry or alumni groups to widen your sphere of connections. With a thoughtful network, you gain access to insider opportunities.

 

Fine-Tune Custom Public Profile URLs  

Claim a unique URL tailored to your professional identity rather than the default address LinkedIn assigns.  

 

Include your name and a brief descriptor like; www.linkedin.com/in/johnsmith/professional-communications

 

This creates a cleaner link to share and makes you more easy to find. 

 

Check the All-Star Profile Strength Meter

Maximize your profile completeness by checking the Profile Strength Meter. Get tips to reach 100% by filling in any missing pieces of information sought by hiring managers.

 

The more robust your profile, the more LinkedIn rewards you in its search algorithm. Aim for All-Star status.

 

Conclusion

By taking time to thoughtfully optimize each section of your LinkedIn profile, you can craft a strong professional brand and maximize your visibility to recruiters. This establishes credibility and demonstrates you have the background top employers are seeking.

 

With a compelling, comprehensive profile, you can proactively reach out to future bosses rather than waiting for opportunities to find you. At ERW, we’ve perfected the LinkedIn optimization process, and we’re here to help. Let’s connect!