74% of employers check IT candidates’ social media profiles during the hiring process according to a Career Builder survey of US hiring managers. Clearly, keeping your profile up to date, accurate and a good representation of your value is an important factor in securing your next job. Here are some tips from K2 staff for promoting your personal brand on LinkedIn:
Profile Picture
Not having a profile picture on LinkedIn can be viewed as being impersonal. If you wish to present yourself as someone who is personable and friendly, having the default image gives quite the opposite impression. Instead, choose a picture of yourself with a neutral background so that the emphasis is on you, with your face occupying the center of the picture. Most importantly, with you making eye contact and smiling!
People are naturally drawn to someone who makes eye contact and smiles at them, the same is true if you wish for your profile to stand out amongst others on LinkedIn.
Headlines
One way to significantly stand out among others is to include a value statement in the “Headline” section in your LinkedIn profile. The “Headline” serves to quickly inform potential employers that you are open to a new role, so make sure to state this. Try and ensure that you emphasize the technologies you work with, for instance, if you were an SAP S/4HANA consultant you might want to consider the following:
“SAP S/4HANA Consultant looking to help drive digital transformation”
This is a quick, sure-fire way to ensure your potential employer knows exactly what you are looking for and they can check whether both your needs are aligned. Adding the statement looking for “my next opportunity” adds an immediacy that can spur the hiring manager into action!
About Section
A common mistake is for people to treat the about section as simply a secondary CV. Instead use this as your cover letter for potential employers, highlighting how you can aid them in their goals. It does not have to be very long, two paragraphs will suffice, detailing your contributions to successful projects. But try to make it less about “I” and more about how your skills could be relevant to the employer and the role they are hiring for. One thing that would be perfect to talk about would be any open source contributions you have made and be sure to link to them!
Also, don’t be afraid to include a short sentence at the end talking about any other hobbies or interests you have, it shows character and makes it more individual.
Recommendations
Recommendations on your profile are a great way to enhance your credibility, ask people who you have good relationships with to write a short paragraph about you. An employer who sees many recommendations is always reassured to see that you are a candidate who builds great working relationships. Just don’t forget to recommend people back!
In the modern digital economy, your social media profiles are used by employers to understand the sort of professional you are, so keeping them up to date is vital.
If you are looking for your next opportunity, reach out to us!
