Asha Haji, Global Director of Recruitment at Education First gave us her top tips for improving your LinkedIn profile and getting yourself that all-important step closer to your dream role

Optimise your LinkedIn profile for quick readability on a desktop and mobile screen.

That means you should be concise, but also make sure every sentence packs a punch.  Include content that showcases the big value you added for each of your current and previous roles and include a brief summary at the top that highlights your motivation, personality and professional expertise.

Keyword frequency is how you show up at the top of search results and how you get matched to jobs.

So, if you want to be found by recruiters looking for UX designers, make sure those words and others related to it show up regularly in your profile without coming off redundant.  You can check the recommended jobs that LinkedIn sends you to see if you’re spot on or need to make further adjustments.  A good exercise could be to write down all the permutations of keywords that describe the skills you have that you think are relevant to a future role, rank those words and determine where you can add them to your profile.

Use a professional (but not stuffy or cheesy!) picture.

Great lighting and a warm, authentic smile will let your profile shine through and invite a recruiter to explore further.  You can be a little  quirky and creative, too – that’s actually a plus for design folks!  Plus, it may not cost you more than a meal with your closest photographer friend.

Position your profile for the job you want.

If you’re in the midst of a career transition, do more to highlight where you’re trying to go versus where you’ve been.  Promote whatever coursework and freelance work you’ve done to emphasize your expertise and definitely call yourself the profession you want to be in the one-line description under your name.

When reaching out to recruiters/hiring managers at your target firms, always add context to your request message.

I get invitations to connect all the time from candidates excited about EF, and they rarely introduce themselves or their motivations.  I know many of my colleagues ignore these requests from strangers, so it’s important to speak your motivation to get your foot in the door.

Thanks to Asha Haji, Global Director of Recruitment at Education First

 

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