How to optimise your LinkedIn profile for your job search

Posted in Latest News on 21 May 2015

Whether you’re actively searching for a new role or not, you need to make sure that you present yourself in the best possible light across all channels, including LinkedIn. As a constantly growing social platform, hirers consider your LinkedIn profile to be your digital CV, so to boost your career prospects you need to make your profile the best it can be. Here are some pointers direct from our recruiters based on what they think can make you stand out on LinkedIn.

1. Customise your URL

By customising your URL, you can push your profile higher up the search results if someone is looking for you on Google. To do this, go to your profile page and click on the drop-down menu on the ‘View profile as’ button. Select ‘Manage public profile settings’, and on the right hand side click on ‘Your public profile URL’ and then ‘Customise your public profile URL’. Try to keep this as close to your name as possible to match searches in Google, such as your first and last names, or the inclusion of a middle initial.

2. Complete your profile

This may seem like an obvious statement to make, but there’s still many people with no picture on their profile and information missing. Potential connections don’t want to connect with an unknown silhouette, they like to put a face to a name. Make sure it is a professional photo though – it’s a representation of you as a potential employee.

3. Strong introduction summary

Hirers spend on average 6 seconds before they make that initial ‘fit’ or ‘no fit’ decision, and this is as true for your LinkedIn as it is for your CV. This shouldn’t be an essay, just a crisp, detailed summary of your specialisms and achievements. This is your chance to sell yourself, so make sure you let hirers know why they should keep on reading.

4. Show what you can do

It’s no good just listing your job title and the companies you’ve worked for – that doesn’t tell anyone what you learnt in your role or your capabilities for a new role. Keep it snappy, write a bulleted list of your key responsibilities or any particularly difficult cases you have worked on to show what you can really do.

5. Ask for recommendations

It’s great that you’re telling people what you can do, but to have a few good recommendations on your profile highlights your worth to the people in your industry. Don’t overload it, 2-5 describing what it is that you’ve done that was notable enough to be recommended will show that you’re respected and proficient in the industry.

Just making these few changes and additions to your profile can make you stand out from the crowd and open up more career opportunities.

Director Jon Nolan comments “It’s extremely important for legal professionals to have a presence on LinkedIn, as the likelihood is that the hirers where you’re applying are on LinkedIn too – and this is probably the first place they’ll look when they’re researching applicants for a role. Our consultants always encourage candidates to maximize their potential by showcasing themselves on their LinkedIn profiles as this offers them the best opportunities in their job search.”

Douglas Scott are multi-award winning legal recruitment specialists. For expert legal career advice, contact us here.

Share this post