Three tips to make your LinkedIn profile stand out

LinkedIn has currently over 57 million companies listed on the platform, and over 200 million applications are submitted to employers every month. That is a lot of shuffle to get lost in, so people must be intentional — and know a few tricks — to make their profile pop off the page.

Fortunately, there are three tips to get the attention of potential employers and clients hangs in the balance.

Say what matters most in headline

All too often, LinkedIn users simply copy and paste their job title into the headline section. This can function as a quick and easy placeholder, but unfortunately, it also can come across as a bit boring — which certainly won't help one stand out among peers.

It is important then to treat the LinkedIn headline section as prime real estate. Don't think of it as a place to simply put what an employer has labeled you as, but use it as an opportunity to say what you do, who you do it for, and what kind of results you can deliver.

There are only 220 characters to play with here, so it pays to be concise. Think about your unique skills and past successes, and showcase what kind of problems you are adept at solving.

Add skills

The skills section of LinkedIn profiles is often overlooked as it is located towards the bottom of the page, but it is the ideal place to flex one’s industry expertise.

The maximum number of skills users can add tops out at 50, so make each count. The user can choose three skills to highlight as "Top Skills”.

Be honest about the written capabilities and also provide as much detail as you can for each one. This matters when other users are searching for profiles in need of a service, as the LinkedIn algorithm favors those who have more specific skills listed.

So instead of just simply listing marketing or writing, try to focus a little more on your niche. Perhaps that means adding a few key qualifiers to the listed skill, such as "business writing" or "email marketing."

Post and share quality content

Even a perfectly crafted profile is not worth much if it fails to attract any attention, and there's no better way to change this than an effective content posting strategy. When you post content, you create an avenue of access for your profile.

This can be reinforced by effective captions and copy, including a call to action. Making your profile a hub of industry conversation ups your reputation and creates ripple effects of attention that will reach beyond your immediate network.

Source: Entrepreneur