Welcome back, everyone! Hoping you had a great weekend and, if you’re located in the Midwest, are embracing the warmth that is still lasting through the beginning of our fall season. Keep reading below to engage with the importance of LinkedIn, its profile attributes, and what information recruiters look for as they scan applicants!

LinkedIn Profile Attributes…

Profile picture: Likely the first piece of content addressed when someone views your profile. LinkedIn headshots anchor the professionalism of your page, so most recruiters expect to view a picture that looks: formal, displays professional dress, and is centered against a plain background (a dorm room wall is often a good place!). Make sure you’re smiling, and crop from the chest/shoulder area up so that your face is still clear to see from that little circle!
Header Image: An area of your profile that you could make fun! Since the header is simply the top of your profile and not necessarily linked to candidate information, we encourage you to display a photo that relates to your identity, hobbies, or professional goals. For example, throughout college, I chose a header image of Lake Mendota (on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus); not only did my header relate to one of my favorite places, but it helped easily lead to an overview of my college experience and activities on campus.
General profile below picture: Make sure your occupation is documented in your profile headline (i.e.: student, full-time, part-time, actively seeking a new job, etc.)! Include as much information as you feel comfortable with: first name, last name, pronouns, home location, or any other characteristic that might help someone viewing your profile to mentally map out your full candidate identity.
About Section: This space is dedicated to personal attributes about yourself! Remember, recruiters view so many profiles, so keep it concise (6-8 sentences). Communicate your year in school (if applicable), University, major(s), career interests, and anything personal (in my free time, I love to…../you can find me/…. something like that!). Remember that any recruiter can glance through your experiences, but they won’t know the non-related pieces of your lifestyle that contribute to a job search. So, take advantage of this section to add color to who you are and what you’re looking for in your next role (i.e.: what motivates you?).
Experience: Your experiences should essentially match your resume, in addition to providing more detail since you are not limited to a single printer paper page. If you have valued experiences that didn’t make it onto your resume due to relevancy or space, this is a great space to elaborate on prior work you’ve done that may contribute to future roles. Make sure to keep this space up to date with your current role and any bullet points about the work you do.
- Extra Tip: If experiences start to feel too dated to be valuable to your profile and identity, it’s expected that they will be removed over time!

Check back in later this week for a full run-down of the additional attributes in Part 2!

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