At its surface, LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with individuals from your school, people who hold positions you would like to have in the future, or other rising superstars in your industry. However, there’s a lot more to LinkedIn than just connections and job-hunting, and with the following steps, you can enhance your profile to its fullest potential and impress future connections, colleagues, and employers alike.
1. Utilize Your “About” Section
Given that the “About” section on your profile is the first thing most potential connections will see, it’s important to utilize this space strategically. Here, you should focus on your interests, recent projects you’ve participated in, significant experiences, and other areas that may not translate well in a résumé alone. Include your skills, what you gained from each experience, and how you wish to apply what you’ve learned so far in the future.
2. Keep Your Profile Up to Date
Whenever you have free time, check your LinkedIn like it’s your everyday social media like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. React to posts, leave comments, and repost content that represents what you are interested in or stand for. While these actions are a part having an active “Activity” section, make sure to post your own content relative to you when you have it. Content can range from awards and accolades to posting about a recent experience or linking recent work. Doing both of these can not only show your personality and beliefs but also your strengths and skills.
3. Detail Your Experience
The “Experience” section of your profile should work as a résumé. While it’s a step in the right direction to list your organizations and roles, take the extra step and have two-three bullet points regarding each position on your profile. As a bonus, if you have work to show for each experience, link it here! Doing this is a benefit that a hardcopy résumé doesn’t have. This way, future employers can have a first-hand look at your previous work.
4. Create a One-Stop Hub for All Work
While it’s not imperative to have a website or portfolio uploaded to your LinkedIn, it will set you apart from other potential candidates when it comes to applying for jobs (and adds “Website Building” as a skill on your résumé). You can create a free website with Wix (Girls Club uses this website builder!) or a paid-for one with my personal favorite builder, Squarespace.
My website is linked in the “Featured” section of my profile and includes an “About” section discussing my professional aspirations as well as past experiences. This section also includes my résumé and a more detailed portfolio—while each résumé and portfolio should be catered to the specific job you’re applying for, a website is a great place to have general versions of these on file.
For my portfolio, I used Delaney’s template, and it got me the job I applied for! I switched some things to make it more general for my website rather than uploading the job-specific one, but it didn’t take long at all and serves its purpose. As for résumés, any basic black and white one should do the trick. Although it’s tempting, it’s most important for your résumé to be easy to read and printable rather than trendy and cute. Still, different jobs call for different résumés, so if you’re in a creative field, consider making one catered to that field instead.
Finally, for inspiration you can check out my website here. And remember, it’s important to make this work for you; put your own spin on things! If you have a reel or different forms of media that I haven’t mentioned but are important to your craft, upload them to your website! Most importantly, remember to upload your website link to the “Featured” section of your LinkedIn so everyone can see how amazing you are.
For more tips and tricks, make sure to keep up with our Instagram @sportsgirlsclub and our podcast on Spotify and Apple Music!
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