It’s time to make your introduction to the world of business and you’ve chosen to do it on LinkedIn, great choice! Or, maybe you never got around to making your LinkedIn profile because you’ve been busy being an entrepreneur. Either way, where do you begin? Read on to learn how we optimize Linkedin profiles here at Colibri Digital Marketing to make them stand out. 

Why You Want to Make a LinkedIn Profile and Optimize It

In September, I started my first year of college in southern California, now, two months later, I am back home in San Francisco working as a digital marketing intern at Colibri Digital Marketing. I had planned to be at school for four years, graduate with a bachelors degree and then move on to the next stage of my life. As you can probably tell, things did not go according to plan. The timing was not right for me. This last year I have gone through some really big changes in my life and moving away from home and into a dorm, and starting at a new school with all new people and teachers was the cherry on top that made me decide to take a step back and focus on myself. So I took a leave of absence from school, came home, and started looking for a job. I was speaking to Anna Colibri, the CEO of Colibri Digital Marketing, about where I should begin the process of starting my career and she offered me an internship and told me the first thing I needed to do is make a LinkedIn profile. So I did. 

Along the way I learned quite a few things about why you should have a LinkedIn profile.

• A strong LinkedIn profile can take you pretty far. It’s one of the first things potential employers look at so it needs to stand out. 
• Your LinkedIn profile puts your name out into the world. When people search for your name, LinkedIn will pop up so make it informative.
• LinkedIn is one of the easiest ways to make business connections, spread your project ideas and get support.

Before this project I knew nothing about LinkedIn, I didn’t even have the app. So I turned to the internet for help and looked up “how to optimize your LinkedIn profile.” After reading the results, I began drafting my profile and made sure to fill out every section that I could and gave it to my boss, Anna Colibri, to review. Her feedback was the most helpful part of my process.

Tips and Tricks

The main suggestions she gave me were to add more and don’t sell yourself short. Under my volunteer experience I added why that work was meaningful to me, and I added my education even though I haven’t finished college yet because that’s something that means a lot to recruiters. I also worked on the aesthetic of my page by uploading a profile and cover photos. It’s important to have both so that your profile is visually appealing and helps your personal brand stand out. Lastly, I did more research for my about section and completely rewrote it. I added industry keywords, and outlined what I do at my job. In my research, I learned that writing your goals and outlining where you want your career to go is very powerful because recruiters can see what your ambitions are and what drives you to complete them. This is a section where you can show your personality so consider using some humor or a short personal anecdote, and keep a friendly tone.

Part of the research I did was evaluating my colleagues’ LinkedIn profiles and seeing what drew me in. I kept what I liked about theirs in mind as I created my own LinkedIn profile. On one, the explanations for their work experience helped me to know their skills, and gave me insight as to how much they have grown at each job. Another profile displayed the subjects values and work ethic in their about section by highlighting the importance of working at a B Corp and sticking to the high standards that requires.

Step by Step Guide

I learned quite a bit by optimizing my LinkedIn profile and have compiled a list of instructions. Here’s what to do:

Step 1

Do your research; learn what LinkedIn is by reading articles and evaluating profiles of people you look up to

Step 2

 Make a draft. If your LinkedIn profile is strong it can be very helpful, so put the effort in and take each section seriously. Keep it organized, clear, and not just a list of what you’ve done. What you’ve done is an important part of your profile, but you also need to share your personality so that people can feel like they know you from viewing your profile. You have the opportunity to make a great first impression through your profile and stand out to employers before you meet in person. Add in all your accomplishments and goals to demonstrate your work ethic, ambitions, and skills.

Step 3

Make sure you have a strong headline because that’s the very first thing people see so it needs to be professional and clearly state what you do.

Step 4

Don’t forget to use keywords, so that when recruiters are searching for someone in your field, you are findable.

Step 5

 Lastly, have someone review your work. Feedback is always helpful and will let you know how your profile is received by others.

Once you are proud of the profile you have created, upload it! 

Next up it’s time for the fun stuff like following companies and making connections.

Having A Strong Profile Leads to Great Results

This project on optimizing my LinkedIn was my introduction to the world of business and was very informative. By doing research, I am now educated on what recruiters are looking for, and by actually making my own profile I have a better understanding of what I am doing at my job and where I want it to take me because I had to put my goals into words. I am proud of those results and have also noticed that I have had a few views on my profile and am making connections. That’s the goal of a LinkedIn profile: to introduce yourself to the business world and make yourself a strong candidate for job opportunities.