Did you know that 8 people are hired through LinkedIn every minute?

LinkedIn has become a goldmine for job seekers and companies looking to hire.

LinkedIn now has over 1 billion people, and 4-5 of them are "decision-makers." That means there are a lot of people on LinkedIn that make hiring decisions.

Recruiters often look you up online to learn about you and your qualifications. A strong LinkedIn profile can work in your favor if you can invest the time to update it with key information to showcase your experience and qualifications - I talk about specific ways to stand out using LinkedIn in this course a lot deeper.

Here 12 tips to optimize your LinkedIn profile to land jobs:

1. Update Your Headline

• Add the job title of the ideal job you would like to land
• Add the keywords or skills of the ideal job you would like to land
• Use this format: [Your job title] | [keyword] | [keyword] | [keyword] | [keyword] | [keyword]
• Update your location

2. Update Your Profile Photo

• People are fundamentally social beings - they feel comforted and secure when they see the faces of others.
• Invest in taking professionally taken pictures or headshots - let them know it's for LinkedIn
• Smile 🙂 - increases positive perception and likeability
• Choose a clean and neutral background
• Use a recent photo

4. Add a banner to your profile

• Understand this is an area that can be utilized to showcase your skills and creativity and invite people to work with you.
• Use Canva to get inspiration and build banner images.
• What to put in a banner: Your ideal job title, Phone number, Email Address, and Website (optional)

5. Update your About section

• Having content in the About Section helps you rank higher on LinkedIn and helps recruiters find you.
• Write in first person.
• Here is what you can write about:
• State key responsibilities you have had over the years
• State what processes and tools you used and the number of years
• State key companies you worked for
• State key job-related certifications and training that you have received
• Provide your contact details on how you can be contacted.
• Use emojis to make it friendlier (optional)

6. Get & give recommendations

• Showing your recommendations are one of the best ways to show your credibility.
• Request recommendations from others using this guide.
• Freely give recommendations to others. Start with your closest colleagues + friends.
• Aim to get at least 10 recommendations over the next 2 years.

7. Use The Featured Section

• Showing your publications and past projects enhances your authority and helps you develop trust.
• Make a list of past/current projects, sample work, portfolio pieces, slides, blogs, eBooks, research -papers, websites, products or services.
• Add 2-3 of your favorite items to the Featured Section.
• An easy way to create a portfolio is to create a Google Slides doc and add screenshots of your work to the slides.

8. Update Your Experience Section

• Understand that after your headline, experience is the next thing people will focus on in your profile.
• Include your responsibilities and accomplishments.
• Know that recruiters are more interested in what you have done than what you have to say.
• 4-5 lines should be more than enough to explain your work at the company.

9. Update Your Education

• People who list their education are 17 times more likely to get found on LinkedIn.
• List the highest academic level you have attained. It will make it easier for people to identify what you studied quickly.
• Add your GPA if its higher than 3.5.

10. Insert Any Licenses and Certifications

• Add certifications into your profile (i.e. PMP, Salesforce, CCNA) + currently enrolled is good too!
• Include any courses you have taken in the past.

11. Add Skills and Get Endorsements

• Know that members with at least 5 skills receive 17 times more profile views than those who do not list skills.
• Ask 5 people who know your professional qualities to endorse your skills.
• Endorse others on their skills as well!

12. LinkedIn Engagement

• Know that commenting leads to greater profile views.
• Focus on developing the skill of building deep relationships online.
• Comment on 5 posts every week with your opinions and questions.
• Like a minimum of 10 posts every week based on your interests and preferences.
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Dulik Kohomange​
Executive Coach & Business Advisor
Find me on LinkedIn | Visit my Website​

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Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

• ​Ultimate Get Hired System: Join my multi-step job search system that lands interviews and 100k/200k/+300k job offers. Learn how to create your attractive resume and LinkedIn profile, create a unique work portfolio, prepare for interviews and techniques to maximize and negotiate your job offers.
• ​Goal Achievement Formula: Learn how to set up, be, and achieve your career, personal, and business goals through my proven 7-step goal-setting framework.
• ​Courses: I created a series of courses on personal and career success for you to advance your career and personal life based on a decade of experience in technology & management consulting and executive coaching.

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