by Kirstyn Boudreau, LiveGirl Intern '19, Manhattanville College '19

Whether or not you are on the lookout for jobs, internships, networking your business, or organization, having a professional, distinctive LinkedIn profile is an important way for you to market yourself and be found by the right professionals and right people. 

Creating a successful LinkedIn profile, here are some of the important profile essentials you should follow to make sure your LinkedIn profile is as professional and distinctive as possible. 

Begin with choosing a professional-looking photo: Tips for Picking the Right LinkedIn Profile Picture

• LinkedIn suggests users use a professional headshot with your face taking up 60% of the frame. 

• Size: 400 (Width) x 400 (Height) pixels 

• Dress professionally: LinkedIn is a professional career and business platform, make sure that your photo depicts you in a professional manner. 

• Professional dress shirt and tie for men 

• A professional dress, blazer or blouse for women

• Suit for any gender 

Avoid:

Strapless tops, dresses, or anything too revealing.

Too much makeup, jewelry, and unprofessional hairstyles. 

 Here is an example of a professional headshot image for a LinkedIn profile 

Cover Photo 

Your cover photo should be eye-catching and contribute to your professional story. A cover photo shows you pay attention to detail.

Size: 1584 x 396 pixels

• Image that represents what you do or an image that speaks to you.

• Branded image that matches your company’s marketing collateral. 

• Image that could be a nod to your location.

• Example: Phyton Talent Advisors, the skyline of New York City

Make your headline eye-catching: 

LinkedIn profile headlines include your job title and current company, but you can change it to make your profile fit the audience you are reaching for. Include keywords that will make your profile stand out while still keeping it simple. Having a headline that speaks about your brand, expertise, and your abilities tells about who are as a professional. 

If you are seeking a job or an internship use your headline to make the announcement. 

Example of a good headline: Job Seekers

Recruitment Consultant at Phyton Talent Advisors

 Example of a good headline: Students

 Seeking Positions in Athletic Communications, Communications, Social Media.

 Summary Field with your biggest achievements: 

Your LinkedIn summary is your unique way to introduce yourself on your profile. This is one of the first things people will get the chance to see when they visit your profile. You make want to include a catchy opening statement. The summary field should be used to include optimized keywords, job titles, and achievements that you want hiring managers to know about you.

Keep your Summary readable with bullet points or short paragraphs.

Experience and Education: 

• Detail your professional experience: 

• Link the company name to their LinkedIn Company Page 

• Add images, documents, or links. This is a great tool to use to create a visual portfolio of your experiences. 

 Keep it relevant: 

• You do not need to list every job experience, but instead keep it relevant to your current career goals. 

 Volunteer Work:

Give background to the type of person you want people to know you as.

Make sure to include these types of experiences as a part of your LinkedIn profile. 

Education:

Detail your educational background

Outline courses, activities, and clubs/societies you are a part of that will make you stand out. 

Remember: KEYWORDS 

Skills and Endorsements: 

This is the place to put all unique and interesting skills you have that will make you stand out as an individual. 

This is also where you can include Languages you speak. 

Creating Connections

Creating connections on LinkedIn is an important tool to build your network. Building your network is a great way for you to stay in touch with alumni, and colleagues, as well as connect you with new, professional opportunities and experiences. 

You can ask someone to join your professional network by sending them an invitation to connect. LinkedIn has a default message when you invite someone to connect that reads, “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” Instead, personalize the message with a few key details on why you would like to connect with them. 

Connect by: 

A member's profile - Click the Connect button on their profile page.

 The search results page - Click Connect to the right of the member's information.

 The Grow Your Network page - Search your email address book to find contacts or invite them using their email address.

 The My Network page - If you have any pending invitations, they will be displayed near the top of the page.

 The "People You May Know" feature – connections from a member will appear as suggested people for you to connect with. 

 LinkedIn is a way for you to reach out to job recruiters, colleagues, internship opportunities as well as new, professional opportunities, and experiences. 

Endorsements: This is a way for someone to endorse the skills and expertise that others believe you have. When a connection endorses your skills, it contributes to the strength of your profile. This increases the likelihood that your profile will be discovered for opportunities related to your skills. 

Endorsing your connections’ skills is also a way to recognize any professional skills that you’ve seen them demonstrate. Endorsing others such as colleagues can help you to maintain strong connections with people in your network. 

Recommendations:

This is a great tool to have past colleagues, managers, etc. to write recommendations for you to make you stand out. 

 LinkedIn is an important networking platform that offers many benefits. It is a great way for connecting with professionals. It is also a platform for you to promote yourself as a professional. You can use this platform to advertise your skills and build credibility as a professional. This guide is going to be a useful way for you to create a successful LinkedIn profile that will help you market yourself in a professional way. Use this guide as a reference to help build your profile to be eye-catching while still being professional. REMEMBER be yourself, represent who you are.