How to Optimize your LinkedIn Profile and Get Noticed by Employers

Updating your LinkedIn profile can feel overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be! We talked to Saint Joseph’s University’s Career Center to get the inside scoop on how to make your profile stand out to potential employers with professional quality photos and detailed, updated skills, experiences and attributes about yourself. These six tips will help you put your best foot forward in your new career and prepare you for that first interview. 

1. Update Your Profile Photo

   

   Grab the perfect headshot photo using the new headshot photo booth in Saint Joseph’s Career Center, located behind the welcome center. Schedule your headshot appointment and come to the photo booth dressed to impress and sporting a bright smile. Be sure to wear clothing that stands out against the background provided for you. The more approachable your photo looks, the more it will attract targeted employers.

   After you take your three photos, you will have an option to edit the photos to your liking and send them to your email. Once you decide which photo you want to upload, be sure the image is cropped to show your face and shoulders. 

2. Craft a Headline and Summary

   Your headline should reflect the position you are applying for or interested in. If you have experience with the job you want, feel free to use the actual job title. If you don’t have experience, you can add a modifier like “Aspiring Product Marketing Manager.” 

   The summary of your profile should include a brief description of yourself, what you are passionate about and keywords for your desired job description. You will also get noticed by recruiters when you include your top three selling points or accomplishments. 

3. Describe the Experience

   Only listing the company you worked for will limit your profile and not show its full potential to be recognized by employers. Instead, you should list the position you were in followed by a bulleted list of accomplishments and responsibilities you held in the role. 

   Highlighting those details will provide keywords for employers to find you. Utilizing the features section in LinkedIn can help expand your work experiences by attaching related work to the position, such as published work, creative design pieces, photography and videography, resume, etc. 

4. Expand on your Education

   Similar to experience, listing the university or college you attended, as well as your career, will not funnel you in the search results for employers. To stand out amongst other competitors, be sure to list any job positions you held while enrolled, extracurricular activities and volunteer work. 

   You should also list the classes you took during your enrollment to show what you are interested in or passionate about. If there is a large project you led or were a part of, such as building an app or a website, share the experience and the process of how it started and the results. Showcasing that work will let employers learn more about your skills and the desired position you are aiming for. 

5. Select Top Skills and Recommendations

   It is important to highlight the skills you have that align with the skills the position requires. Typically, you would want to add your top three to five skills that you want your employer to notice. From there, the connections you have on LinkedIn can endorse you for those skills, showing your employers that your colleagues recognize those attributes in you. 

   Although endorsements can give you that extra push, recommendations are where you can get credibility for and the recruiters to gain that trust that you can be an asset to the team. 

6. Review Your Profile

   When you feel that your profile is complete and you are ready to share it with employers, Trish Shafer, executive director of the Career Center, recommends “students schedule an appointment with the Career Center to have their profile reviewed just as they would their resume.” 

   Shafer also suggests students to join groups on LinkedIn to build interactions for desired positions and to use the “Open to Work '' setting on their profile to signal recruiters and viewers that you are looking for new opportunities. 

Want to learn more? Explore the Career Center’s resources and be sure to attend the University’s career fairs on Feb. 22 and March 31.