About 65 million people use the professional networking site LinkedIn to search for jobs each week, according to its 2024 data. And worldwide, six people are hired every minute from it. Clearly, it’s a popular place for job seekers and recruiters. 

If you are job hunting, or simply want to get your brand out there, a LinkedIn profile can be a valuable step. Follow these LinkedIn profile tips to increase your impact. 

Introduce yourself

When you join LinkedIn, the first step is creating a profile. This is your first impression with recruiters, so you need to introduce yourself as well as you would in person. 

Photo

Whether you consider yourself photogenic or not, you should include a photo. Not the glamorous duck lips pose you mastered last summer. And definitely not in your favorite bucket hat. It should be an accurate reflection of how you would present yourself in an interview. According to LinkedIn, a profile picture makes it seven times more likely you will be found on the site. Keeping that in mind, make your image worth finding.

  • Wear what you would to an interview.
  • Keep it current — it should look like you do today.
  • Make sure your face is 60% of the image. Crop it to include the top of your shoulders to just above your head.
  • Smile, it makes you look confident and capable.
  • Skip the filters.

All about you

This is where you can include resume information, such as education, jobs and volunteer work. But don’t make it just a list. Talk about how you used those skills and how they benefited your employer. 

When promoting yourself, it’s easy to gravitate toward certain words, such as go-getter, dynamic or passionate people person. However, it’s much more effective to use specific words that actually describe how you did the job. For instance, try words such as guided instead of managed, and coached instead of helped.

Life skills

There may be innumerable skills that you could add to your profile, but you don’t necessarily want to include them all. It may muddy the waters, meaning a recruiter won’t get a clear picture of your actual strengths. Instead of listing every possibility, focus on what your biggest strengths are, and even more importantly, the skills that are most in demand. 

Showcase experiences

Fill in as many of the profile categories as you can, which a quick look at the best LinkedIn profile examples will show you. It’s advantageous to complete every field. In fact, the site reports that completed profiles have 21 times more views.

Also, upload a resume on LinkedIn or build one on the site. It should include at least two work experiences, if possible, whether formal jobs, internships or volunteer stints. 

Grab Attention

Whether creating a new profile or refreshing your current one, take advantage of the headline option. Instead of a basic job title, include what you actually do. You have 120 characters — let them sell you as unique and qualified. Purposeful LinkedIn headline examples include: 

  • Job title: 3-5 keywords employers search for
  • Company: where you worked
  • Description: what you did in the job 

So, instead of an ordinary title of Little League Coach, make yours standout: Little League Coach for Spitball Stoppers, wrangler of Utah 6-year-old all-star team. If you are currently unemployed, you could write your desired title, the industry you’re interested in and relevant successes.

Keep it going

Just as you slowly build on your career, you can deliberately add to your LinkedIn presence. Other categories to fill in as you advance professionally include:

  • Recommendations: Ask peers or clients to vouch for your skills. (Be willing to return the favor.)
  • Publications: Describe published pieces you authored, including joint projects. This could include a company blog or an ebook.
  • Honors and awards: Note any recognition related to your field of expertise. 
  • Organizations/causes: List any groups you are involved in, showing you care about your community. And that you are well-rounded.

Maintain an active presence by posting regular status updates. Keep your profile updated, too. Your experience should increase and improve over the years. If you’re still grinding at the mall food court, no adjustments needed. Hopefully, you have progressed to greener pastures. Make note of changes and new accomplishments at least once per year.

Reach out

Another LinkedIn profile tip is to start networking. With some 188 million people with profiles in the U.S. alone, there’s a lot of interaction to be had. The quickest way to add contacts is to sync your email address book with your profile. If those people are agreeable, you’ll receive suggested links. All invitations must be approved by you, so you won’t send one to Uncle Joe unless you want to.

Expand your network by adding people you connect with in meetings or conferences. Rather than send a generic request, go to their profile page and send a personalized note. “I enjoyed meeting you at the Outdoor Retailer Show. Let’s keep in touch.” Consider adding coworkers and former or current classmates, too.

A benefit to enlarging your contact chain is a broader professional circle. You can learn more about your industry as you follow people or companies, or join online workshops and seminars. When you join LinkedIn groups, you’ll see a list of members. Send connection requests to them.

Side note: When you receive a contact request, you don’t have to connect with that person. If they won’t add value, take a pass. Remember, this is a professional directory.

Spread the word

Once you feel comfortable navigating LinkedIn, you can start contributing. Anyone can create a post. Use this as a chance to connect with others, to learn from peer professionals and to share opinions and ideas. 

You can also share currently trending articles, republish your own work (past or recent) or tell a story using long form. You can even publish a video.

When people like or comment on your post, send a simple reply of “Thanks” or “Great thought!” Leave comments on other’s posts, too. The more you communicate on the site, the more opportunities for community engagement.  

With these LinkedIn profile tips, you can easily set up — or amp up — your professional online presence. As you make your next career move, turn to KSL Jobs for listings that match your goals. Before you upload your resume, be sure to add your newly polished LinkedIn URL. It will give employers a more in-depth look at their best candidate.