When you are searching for a new position, your LinkedIn profile speaks volumes to potential employers. You need to make sure that when you craft your profile it makes a good first impression. Avoid these mistakes that will make your profile scream “Unprofessional” to everyone who sees it.
Turning Your Headline into a Sales Pitch
Your headline, or the text you can enter underneath your name, is an opportunity for you to summarize the benefits you can offer to a potential employer. You don’t want to include your contact information or add a sales pitch to your headline. These are rookie moves that will turn people off before they even get a chance to learn about your skills.
Including an Unflattering Photo
LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals, therefore, you need to make sure you add a professional photo to your profile. You don’t need to pay for a professional photo shoot, but you don’t want to include an image of you partying or hanging with the girls. A picture of you smiling with a neutral background is the perfect addition to your profile.
Trumpeting Your Skills
You have strengths and you should outline your benefits to an employer, but don’t proclaim yourself as a guru. It is tacky and unprofessional. People who really are gurus don’t have to announce it to everyone. So when you are listing your skills and areas of expertise, be honest but humble.
Bragging about Your Connections
It is also unprofessional to brag about the number of first degree connections you have on LinkedIn. LinkedIn offers people who view your profile an estimate of your connections, so be satisfied with that. Touting the exact number of connections is like that annoying person who loves to tell you about all of the A-listers they know.
Talking about Yourself in the Third Person
LinkedIn is a social site, so you need to be social when you write your profile. Write in a warm conversational tone that outlines how you will be an asset to a potential employer. And though your profile is a substitute for your resume, don’t just upload your resume onto your profile. Tell a story and weave some of your experience into your summary to give people a full view of your skills and professional background.
Bugging People for a Job
Don’t spam people by harassing them for a job or an introduction to someone in their company who can offer you a job. LinkedIn is for networking so network. Be yourself, communicate honestly and if your profile resonates with someone they will remember you the next time a position is open in their organization.
Your LinkedIn profile is one of the best ways to find a new job. By creating a professional profile and networking the right way, you will make your job search easier and increase your chances of finding the job you want.
In addition to setting up a professional LinkedIn, you should contact the experts at Job Store Staffing®. Our recruiters can help place you with a job that will match your skills and your professional goals.