Part 3 in a 3 Part Series on How to Create a LinkedIn Profile that Stands

Continuing from Part 1 & 2, we will continue to show you how to create a LinkedIn Profile that Stands Out.

Please note LinkedIn’s format is constantly changing; therefore, there is a small chance the information in this article could change over time.

Click Part 1 by clicking this link – https://www.eliteproresume.com/2019/06/06/how-to-create-a-linkedin-profile-that-stands-out-part-1/

Click Part 2 by clicking this link – https://www.eliteproresume.com/2019/06/11/how-to-create-a-linkedin-profile-that-stands-out-part-2/

Be Honest and Use Proper Spelling and Grammar

Like your resume and cover letter, make sure your LinkedIn profile is edited properly for spelling and grammar. And just like your resume, do not lie about your skills, titles, and companies where you have worked.

Get Endorsements on LinkedIn

Endorsements give you credibility, so it is recommended you ask many former colleagues to give you positive endorsements. Think of using services based on Yelp reviews or buying products on Amazon based on positive reviews. Your LinkedIn recommendations work like Yelp or Amazon reviews. Aren’t you more likely to use a service that has good Yelp reviews? And don’t you often base a purchase decision on positive Amazon reviews? In the same way, if you include positive endorsements in your LinkedIn profile, potential employers may be more inclined to contact you.

If you have a good relationship with a former colleague and they are on LinkedIn, there is a good chance they will give you a recommendation. To ask for recommendations, go to https://www.linkedin.com/recs/received. Click the top middle column, Ask for Recommendations. A pop-up menu will appear, which asks the following questions:

1. What do you want to be recommended for?
The drop-down menu will list the roles and companies you worked for. Select the role/title you want to be recommended for.

2. Who do you want to ask?
Select who you want to ask for a recommendation from your LinkedIn contacts. Please note: it’s a good idea to ask your contacts ahead of time if they are willing to give you a recommendation.

3. What’s your relationship?
From a drop-down menu of choices, select what your relationship is or was with the person you are asking to recommend you. The second part of this section has a drop-down menu which asks, What was the person’s position at the time? Select the role they had when they worked with you.

4. Write your message
Using the template provided by LinkedIn, write an InMail asking for their recommendation. Don’t forget to include a subject line.

Connect with People to Expand Your Network

A great way to grow your network on LinkedIn and increase your chances of being seen by more recruiters is to connect with many people. Here are some tips on how to expand your network:

1. Upload your contacts into LinkedIn to see if any are on LinkedIn and then connect with them. You can upload Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook contacts, and even excel spreadsheets, to LinkedIn. These contacts will be sent an InMail inviting them to connect. Also, your non-LinkedIn contacts will be given the option to join LinkedIn and connect.
2. Look up people you have worked with, friends, and family and invite them to connect. Click the search icon found on the top of your main page and type the name you are looking for. You will be shown a list of names along with the option to connect.
3. Look up recruiters, especially those in your profession, and send them invites to connect. Most recruiters will accept your invitation. To find recruiters, type “recruiter” in the search box and different recruiters’ profiles will pop up.
4. Sent invites to people LinkedIn recommends. To do this, go to My Network and below it you should see People You May Know. A long list of people will appear and under each person’s picture will be a Connect box you can click to add them to your network. Many people will accept your invite request. Be careful on this one—LinkedIn will warn you if you try connect to too many people who reject your request.
5. Connect with people in your field, especially hiring managers. To look them up, hit the search icon and type ‘hiring manager’. You’ll be taken to a page where you can search for hiring managers by company and title. By connecting with people in your industry, especially hiring managers, more eyes will be on your profile.
6. Look for open networkers. These are people on LinkedIn who are open to connecting with anyone. In the search bar, type “Lion” or “Open Networker” to find profiles.
7. Always except connections when invited to connect on LinkedIn. It will expand your network. Remember, LinkedIn is not like Facebook; the purpose of LinkedIn is to make business connections.

Join LinkedIn Groups

Joining groups in your profession can expand your reach because recruiters look at these groups to find talent and post jobs. To use this feature, go to the search bar. Click the work icon, found at the top right corner, and look for the Groups icon. Hit the Groups icon and a page will come up that gives you recommendations of groups to join based on your job title.

Conclusion

By creating a detailed SEO-centric LinkedIn page, connecting with contacts and joining groups, your profile will attract attention. You will easily be found by recruiters looking to fill their roles. That translates into more job opportunities for you.