Tips On Creating a Highly Impactful LinkedIn Profile

Apr 30, 20223 min read

“LinkedIn is the salad to your social media diet.” - Mallika Hirwani, Regional Account Manager, Global Clients Programme, LinkedIn

Over 100 female undergraduates and fresh graduates took away practical and valuable tips on creating a highly impactful LinkedIn profile at the hybrid Future Women Leaders Forum (FWLF) 2022, YWLC’s annual flagship event, held at Grab Singapore on the 26th of February 2022.

Invited speaker Mallika shared that LinkedIn is a very powerful platform for networking, helping you land your next job opportunity, and learning from others to keep abreast of the developments within an industry. She shared with the attendees three practical steps on how to harness the power of LinkedIn.

Step 1: Build a LinkedIn Profile that Attracts Employers

Over 50% of hiring managers use LinkedIn profiles to qualify jobseekers. Your headline is an opportunity to show who you are - not just what you do. Leverage your headline to convey your personal and professional brand.

Tap on your summary to put a spin on your own experience and tell the story you want to tell. Stick to 3-5 short paragraphs, include past accomplishments and future goals, and use keywords.

Put forward your passions and your authentic self, which also includes a great profile photo. LinkedIn also allows you to record your name and add pronouns to help you make a good lasting impression.

Your profile should catch the attention of all potential employers so it should not go into detail like a resume but focus more on skills, projects, volunteering experience.

Step 2: Build Your LinkedIn Network

LinkedIn enables us to digitally network with anyone in the world and stay in touch to build long-lasting relationships. 70% of people were hired at a company where they had a connection.

Select “My Network” in the navigation bar to find people you already know. As most people will only connect with people they know, it is important to personalise your invitation - this makes it clear why you are reaching out. An example of how you can personalise the invitation:

Request recommendations and make it easy for the person you are requesting from by providing a template. By having recommendations, you make your profile richer and more credible.

Step 3: Search and Apply for Jobs On LinkedIn

There are over 20 million companies and 15 million active job postings. Based on machine learning, LinkedIn facilitates your job search based on your search patterns.

Set your career interests so that potential recruiters can reach out to you for relevant opportunities. Tweak your profile to make you more relevant for roles that give you more visibility in the industry.

When searching for jobs, apply the filters by using keywords, include potential job titles, and set alerts.

Use your network to ask for a job referral by reaching out to your connections at a company you would like to apply to. Surprisingly, people usually pay it forward.

Lastly, use the “Easy Apply” or “Apply on company website” button to quickly apply for a job you want.

Now that you know how to harness the power of LinkedIn to get one step closer to landing your next job opportunity, you can also leverage the platform to gain knowledge and insights by following companies, influencers and customise your feed to see news, content, and posts that matter the most to you.

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