How To Structure Your LinkedIn Profile Professionally
Your profile on LinkedIn is a platform for you to share content with professionals, demonstrate your skills and accomplishments, build an online presence, and connect with business partners, potential employers, and colleagues.
People will land on your profile in various ways. They may want to learn about your achievements, remember you from a professional gathering, or look for employees in your industry. Thus, irrespective of the reason they come across your profile, your profile must grab their attention and make the best first impression.
As a student, you must have a LinkedIn profile that stands out so you can even attract potential employers. So if you do not know how you can do this, we are here for you. Read this step-by-step guide to structure your LinkedIn profile professionally.
1. Upload the right profile picture.
The profile picture on your LinkedIn profile will make the first impression, so it has to be perfect. The purpose is to look at how you would generally look at the workplace. Also, make sure you upload a recent picture, wear something formal, and smile with your eyes.
2. Choose a background photo.
The second visual element on your LinkedIn profile is the background photo. It demonstrates what is important to you, sets the content, and again, catches people’s attention. You do not necessarily have to be in the picture.
All you need to do is add a picture that tells about you. For instance, being a student, you can consider adding the name of your college and your area of expertise.
3. Add a noteworthy headline.
Generally, people use headlines only for job titles, but it can be way more than that. You can add details about your present role, what makes you work, or even why you do whatever you do. Consider looking at other LinkedIn profiles of people who are in the same industry as you. This will certainly inspire you and help generate ideas for the ideal headline.
4. Instead of a summary, write a story.
The LinkedIn summary is another crucial aspect – do not forget to write one. The summary section is an opportunity for you to narrate your story, so do not just use it to write your job titles or skills. Instead, give life to it. Show why the skills you have matter and how does it help in your profession.
It is highly recommended you ask your peers to read the summary and seek their opinions. The LinkedIn profile summary is the best way for marketing. You can even add what you are looking for further in your professional career.
5. Forget the buzzwords.
Buzzwords are the adjectives people use on their LinkedIn profiles to describe themselves. The most common ones include creative, expert, certified, innovative, passionate, experienced, strategic, focused, leadership, and specialized. These terms have been overused so much, that they don’t mean anything anymore. In fact, employers come across profiles that are full of these.