10 tips to get an all-star LinkedIn profile

By: Emma Little

1. Write a summary. Never leave this section blank! This is where you can be creative and describe who you really are and what you are passionate about. Make sure to include what you are interested in doing, which should include your expertise as well as your eagerness to take on new challenges and learn.

   Bonus: add a profile heading. This is important to give a quick overview of who you are and is helpful in making a first impression.

2. Add a photo. Upload a high quality, recent photo of yourself. Don’t use a selfie, or any unprofessional photo. Recruiters look at many profiles a day, and having a great picture is a bonus because of memory cues.

3. Don’t write large paragraphs. Divide your thoughts into smaller, strategic chunks that are easy to read.

4. Work experiences. List your accomplishments and responsibilities and include statistics when possible.

5. Make your profile very detailed – detailed profiles are strong profiles. Add your portfolio if appropriate.

6. Contact information. Include your contact information so it is easy for recruiters to contact you. Add the “Advice for Contacting” section.

7. Do not lie about anything! It’ll come back to get you eventually.

8. Account changes. When doing many account changes, turn off your activity broadcasts, so all of your connections aren’t blasted with emails of your recent changes.

9. Recommendations and endorsements. Give recommendations and endorsements, and don’t be afraid to ask for them. Give and you generally will receive them back.

10. Proofread! Read your profile out loud, and get your friends to check it over.