Job seekers – how to make your LinkedIn profile stand out in 2024
Job seeker looking for a new opportunity in 2024? Make sure that you pay close attention to your LinkedIn profile.
With 79% of job seekers using social media to look for a new opportunity, you need to make sure your profile stands out amongst the crowd.
Why use LinkedIn for job hunting?
With more than a billion users worldwide, LinkedIn is one of the largest social networks for professionals.
As a business-focussed platform, it’s now home to over 67 million companies, which is what makes it a great place to look for a new job.
With 70% of job seekers doing research before they hit apply, having all the information easily accessible on the same platform is what makes LinkedIn popular. Unlike most job boards, on LinkedIn you are able to search for a job using the filters and have a direct link to their company profile, including all content and current employees.
With that in mind, here’s our top tips on how to make your LinkedIn profile stand out:
Make sure you have an appropriate profile picture.
We appreciate that not everyone will have a professional headshot, but with modern technology it can be easy to take one using your mobile phone. Consider lighting, background and your distance from the camera.
Make use of the headline feature.
If you’re a job seeker, use this area to let people know that you’re looking for a new opportunity. Common and popular headlines are along the lines of ‘looking for a new opportunity in project management’ or ‘Project Manager looking for new opportunities in facilities management’ (obviously changing your area of expertise and industry).
Add details to your work experience
Re-visit your work experience section. Have you just filled in the basics? Now’s the time to add some more detail, make sure you add some key achievements in this role and share exactly what you’re responsible for. Try to use positive, proactive words like ‘accomplished’, ‘identified’ and ‘delivered’. Don’t forget, you can also add skills used in this position and any courses or qualifications you’ve achieved.
Job seekers – Don’t forget the ‘about section’
The about section is a great way to say a little bit more about yourself to showcase your personality. It doesn’t need to be too long or in-depth, just enough for people to understand why they might want to connect with you.
Engage with others
Don’t just connect with people, make sure you regularly scroll your feed and interact with posts. If you’re interested in certain companies, check out their employees and make connections – especially with the recruiters.
Make your content visual
When you’re putting posts out there, don’t forget to include some eye-catching imagery or videos. Some websites, such as Canva, offer free subscription packages so that you can access images, videos and create your own content.
Try not to be too specific
When it comes to listing your skills and experience, try not to be too specific with your language. For example, if you want to list software that you’ve used make sure you also include the type of software, as well as the name. E.g. use the term CAD software, alongside SolidWorks. This helps with the search function that recruiters have access to.
We hope this list of top tips helps you when job hunting on LinkedIn. If you have any additional tips to add, feel free to reach out via our LinkedIn page.
While you’re here, why not check out our full list of vacancies.