LINKEDIN PROFILE TIPS 2022: Profile Set Up & How To Use LinkedIn

If LinkedIn isn't part of your job search strategy in 2022, Imma need you to get up to speed real quick 🏃🏻‍♀️

Tapping into the hidden job market on LinkedIn is one of THE most powerful job search strategies you can have in your tool kit, and I don't want to see you miss out on all of those juicy opportunities!

Once you've built a powerful and well-thought-out LinkedIn profile, you can have recruiters coming to you with dream job opportunities in your sleep 😴 Now that's what I'm talking about!

With 12+ years in the HR and recruitment biz, I've seen enough LinkedIn profiles to last me a lifetime, so I like to think I know my shit when it comes to what makes a profile fly and what makes a profile straight-up flop. 

So if you're looking for a step-by-step guide on how to set up a great LinkedIn profile in 2022, just keep on reading, or check out the video below! 

LINKEDIN PROFILE TIPS 2022

STEP 1: Reflect before you create a LinkedIn profile

Before you even hit that 'sign up' button, take a minute to reflect on what makes you 🌟YOU🌟

• What's your purpose?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your major accomplishments?
• What makes you special? What's your secret sauce?

Gathering this information first gives you a solid overview of the kind of content you want to be scattered all throughout your profile in order to portray who you are.

People like people, and so whilst your LinkedIn profile is a professional representation of you, recruiters still want to know what makes you human, they want to know your story and be able to feel some connection with you on a deeper level!

STEP 2: Nail the headshot to make your LinkedIn profile POP

I hate to break it to you, but recruiters will spend more time looking at your profile picture than anything else, so you've got to put your best face forward because it takes only a split second to create a first impression!

Profiles with photos get 21x more views and 9x more connection requests, so grab a friend and get snapping! 

The ideal LinkedIn headshot should...

• Be 400 x 400 pixels.
• Have a genuine smile and eye contact with the camera.
• Not be a social media group shot or party shot.
• Be taken by someone else - no selfie angles here!
• Not be your graduation photo - you're more than your degree!
• Be recent (last two years).
• Not be heavily photoshopped.

I would recommend using Photofeeler to help you decide on your perfect LinkedIn profile photo! You can upload your photo and strangers can vote on how likeable, competent, and influential you seem.

STEP 3: Make your LinkedIn headline count

Your headline is your professional slogan. It shows up just underneath your name and works as the ultimate clickbait (if done right) to get recruiters checking you out! No more "Job title @company", let's spice it up 🔥

A good headline doesn't just tell us what you do and at what company, it delves a little deeper into how you add value and what your unique selling point is!

My favourite headline formula is: what you do + how you add value + what makes you different.

For example, "Social media manager | Showing brands how to manage their social media presence and build communities of raving fans | Ray of sunshine."

Hot tip: LinkedIn gives you 120 characters on a desktop for your headline, but you can get up to 220 characters if you edit on a mobile!

STEP 4: Get that LinkedIn banner on fleek 

Your LinkedIn banner is a MASSIVE piece of marketing real estate, don't waste it!

The ideal LinkedIn banner should...

• Be 1584 x 396 pixels.
• Show you in your element or workplace, doing your thing!
• Include a nice quote or slogan that sums up your values or unique selling point.

STEP 5: Tell your unique story to your LinkedIn audience

Your 'About me' section is a biggie! With 2600 characters to play with, there's plenty of room to convey your story in an engaging and compelling way.

Begin with your personal brand statement - it should explain what you do, who you help, and what value you bring. Then it's time to start telling the story - tell us why you do what you do, what gets you out of bed in the morning, and what are your drivers and your passions? This is the big picture stuff that helps recruiters connect with you on a human level.

Your 'About me' section should also...

• Be visually attractive - break up the text with bold, italics, and bullet points to keep it looking sleek and easy to read. I recommend using yaytext.com or coolsymbol.com as LinkedIn doesn’t have these features natively!
• Bullet point your career highlights - get those accomplishment statements out, this is not the time to be humble!
• Include keywords and areas of expertise - not only is this a great way to communicate your skills quickly, but it's also great juice for the search engine to make recruiters more likely to find you.
• Finish with a call to action - how can people best reach you?

STEP 6: Tease your professional experience

For each piece of experience, provide a teaser of your role and what you did, along with one or two key achievements. Remember, less is more. You don't have to explain every role in-depth, give just enough insight to pique the recruiter's interest and leave them wanting more. 

The way you describe your experience should also be in alignment with where you want to go. It's okay to tweak your job titles and keywords sightly, as long as they're still an accurate reflection of what you did in that role.

Hot tip: don't leave off relevant volunteer work or side hustles - it's all experience, and nearly half of hiring managers find this type of experience just as important as paid experience.

STEP 7: Fill out the education section on LinkedIn

The key thing for your education section is to make sure you're linking your school so that you show up in search results and the alumni network, it's great for making connections!

If you're a recent grad or don't have much experience yet, you can bulk out your education section a little more with things like extracurricular activities you were a part of, relevant coursework or papers you took, and rich media and examples of your work.

STEP 8: Show off your skills on LinkedIn!

This saying is as old as time, but 'quality, not quantity' really rings true when it comes to your skills on LinkedIn.

Instead of listing a bunch of generic skills like 'teamwork' or 'communication', try listing 20-30 industry-specific, technical skills that are aligned to what recruiters in your target industry are looking for e.g Instagram growth, search engine optimisation, customer experience. 

I hope you like exercise because after you've got those skills listed it's time to go for a sprint - an endorsement sprint that is 😏 Be generous in endorsing others' skills and ask politely if they would return the favour. The human brain LOVES social proof, so get those endorsements flowing!

Hot tip: Aim to get a few endorsements from people who are also recognised as being highly skilled in the same area - it's the ultimate form of social proof and will make you stand out to recruiters even more!

STEP 9: Get connected - make LOTS of LinkedIn connections

Yay! You made it to the final step! Now your profile is looking absolutely bangin', it's time to get connected!

The LinkedIn algorithm prefers profiles with 500+ connections, so that's the ultimate goal, but as always we want quality, not quantity.

Places and people I'd recommend reaching out to are...

• Alumni networks
• Colleagues
• Recruiters in your target industry
• Graduated in your field 

Hot tip: If you message to say thank you after you have connected, you'll be more likely to show up in their feed.

Setting up your LinkedIn profile step by step may feel like a lot of work, but the fruits of your labour are gonna be juicy AF 🍑 and so damn worth it! Get ready to fight off recruiters left and right, cause when your LinkedIn profile is going to be looking that shiny, how could you not have them flooding your DMs! 

Until next time, stay badass!

Rosie ⚡️

P.S. Download my Next Level LinkedIn checklist so you can make sure you've got it all covered!