As a Pretty Boss, you know having a LinkedIn profile is essential, but are you using it in a way that is allowing you to be both reachable and searchable? I recently started a new role at a Fortune 50 company that pays more, provides stability, and aligns with the career trajectory I see for myself. This role found me through LinkedIn. Below are some tips for maximizing the potential of your LinkedIn profile to help you get noticed as the #girlboss that you are:
1. Brand your headline.
This area is so important, and yet it's mostly overlooked when people fill out their profiles. Your LinkedIn profile headline appears after your name in the search results and wherever your profile may pop up. So think of your headline as your elevator pitch. It is so much more than just your job title. Be sure to make yourself stand out and display your expertise by using primary keywords relating to your brand or niche. The key is to make it pop so recruiters and potential employers will want to keep reading.
2. Choose a professional picture for your profile.
You have only a few seconds to impress someone. If we are being honest with ourselves, books indeed get judged by the cover. Don't get cut from the list of potential connections before you've even had your LinkedIn profile seen! At best, get a professional headshot taken of you by a professional photographer. At worst, have a friend take a professional picture of you with a neutral background behind you. Put on a blazer and take a photo of your shoulders and above (be mindful of the cleavage!). It helps if you think of it as taking a picture for a company website. Also, remember to smile!
3. Customize your profile URL.
This is a neat little trick that very few people know about. How many times have you wanted to visit someone's LinkedIn profile, but you had to sign in and then search for that person first? Save a potential employer, client, or connection that extra step that they probably won't take, and customize your profile URL to include your name. For example, if your name is Pretty Boss, your LinkedIn URL should look like this: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pretty-boss/
4. Fill out your profile entirely.
The tips above won't do much if you do not complete your profile in its entirety. In order to get noticed (and potentially hired) by contacts and recruiters, it's best to make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and captivating. How do you know if your profile is 100 percent complete? You can do so by viewing the “Profile Strengths” meter to the right of your LinkedIn profile. Shoot for the All-Star status and you'll be all set! If there's an input field for it, fill it out and make it interesting! Completing your LinkedIn profile also helps you to get noticed outside of LinkedIn, too. Google favors 100 percent complete LinkedIn profiles and ranks them higher, which improves your visibility and makes it easier to find you should someone Google you!
Pro tip: If you are looking for a job, there is a feature in LinkedIn that shows recruiters that you are available for hire!
5. Ask for recommendations.
You'd be surprised just how far real recommendations can go for you in establishing you as an expert and authority. The best times to ask for recommendations: after you've completed a huge and successful project for work or for a client; your next review cycle at work; when leaving a job (but only if you left on good terms. But Pretty Bosses always leave on good terms, right?!). So how do you get these recommendations? You can flat out ask the person right after the instances just provided, or you can also try this feature that LinkedIn has provided: the “Ask to Be Recommended” Page. From there, you can send messages to your network asking them to endorse you. But remember, you want strong recommendations from great sources, so be selective in who you ask for a recommendation, and personalize your requests instead of sending the generic message LinkedIn provides.
We know a lot of people boast about making moves on Instagram and Facebook, but making networking moves in the professional world is just as, if not more, important (remember, it's not just about what you know but who you know). This is your online reputation, and one of the biggest career marketing tools you have. Make sure your LinkedIn profile stands out as #PrettyBoss.
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