5 Simple Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile

We all know that a strong LinkedIn profile is beneficial for a job search, but you might not be aware that All-Star profiles are up to 40 times more likely to be contacted by recruiters and appear 18 times more frequently in hiring managers' search results. To achieve All-Star status, there are several items to address. In this article, we'll cover the five that many people believe require a lot of effort but are surprisingly easy to perfect.

A Quick Privacy Tip

Before you begin, here's a helpful tip for job seekers. Navigate to Settings & Privacy, then to Visibility, and select Visibility of your LinkedIn activity. Turn off the option to Share profile updates with your network. This allows you to make changes without notifying your entire network.

1. Add a High-Quality Profile Picture and Cover Photo

First, choose a photo where you are smiling at the camera with your chest visible in the frame. Don't worry if the background is messy; we can fix that.

Creating Your Profile Picture: 1. Go to a free online tool like Remove BG to erase the background from your photo. Confirm this is the picture you want, as you typically get only one high-resolution download for free. 2. Create a free account on a design platform like Canva. 3. Click Create a design, select Custom size, and enter 1600 by 1600 pixels. 4. Duplicate the initial empty page to have two. 5. On the first page, drag and drop your photo (the one without the background). 6. On the second page, drag and drop the original photo (the one with the background).

You now have two options for your background:

• Option 1: Clean Gradient

  1. Under the Elements tab, search for "gradient square."
  2. Select a gradient and pick two colors you like.
  3. Expand the gradient to fill the entire square and position it behind your photo. For a more dynamic look, you can rotate the gradient.

• Option 2: Blurred Background

  1. Select the photo with the original background and click Edit Image > Adjust.
  2. Modify the settings: decrease Brightness by about 10, increase Saturation by 15, add 10 clicks of Blur, and boost the Vignette to 50.
  3. Lock this layer.
  4. Copy the photo without the background and paste it on top of the blurred image.
  5. Select the top layer, click Edit Image > Adjust, and apply these settings: add 10 to Brightness, 10 to Contrast, 15 to Saturation, and 15 to Warmth. This will make your image pop.

Creating Your Cover Photo: 1. On your Canva homepage, create a new design and search for "LinkedIn banner." 2. Select the 1584 x 396 pixel option, which is the most current size. 3. In the Templates tab, you can find numerous pre-designed banners. Choose one and simply double-click to edit the text. 4. Once finished, click Share and then Download.

Now you can upload your new, polished profile picture and cover photo to LinkedIn.

2. Craft a Headline That Shows Your Value

Your headline should be more than just your job title. For instance, if you search for "product marketing managers," you'll find that most people use their title as their headline.

A great technique is to add a sentence that showcases the value you bring to future employers. For example, if your job involves explaining complex ad features to business owners, you could distill that into something like, "I bring boring ad products to life." It can be challenging to summarize your entire job in one sentence, but doing so helps you stand out.

The goal of your profile is to drive relevant traffic—messages and connection requests from recruiters and hiring managers—even while you sleep.

3. Include Relevant Keywords in Your "About" Section

Here are three key things to know about optimizing your "About" section:

1. Keywords Matter: LinkedIn's search functions like Google's. Keywords significantly impact how often you appear in search results. Your "About" section is the perfect place to include them.
2. Finding Keywords: Review at least 10 job descriptions for roles you're interested in. Copy and paste them into a document, then use a free word cloud generator to analyze the text. This will show you which keywords appear most frequently. For example, you might see terms like "customer-centric," "growth," and "sellers" (shorthand for the sales team), indicating a need for cross-functional collaboration.
3. Structuring Your "About" Section: Use a structure that includes your keywords naturally. Here is a proven template:
   • An introductory line with your years of experience and the specific value you offer.
   • Three specific examples with quantifiable metrics.
   • A closing statement about the types of opportunities you are seeking.

Here is an example for a student looking for their first full-time role, with keywords sprinkled throughout:

Aspiring marketing professional with a passion for leveraging data-driven insights to foster customer-centric growth. Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to execute successful campaigns. Eager to apply my skills in a dynamic and challenging environment.

- Managed a university club's social media, increasing engagement by 25% over six months. - Developed a marketing plan for a local business, resulting in a 15% increase in foot traffic. - Collaborated with the sales team on a project that boosted lead generation by 10%.

Seeking a full-time marketing role where I can contribute to impactful projects and continue to develop my skills.

4. Add and Endorse at Least Five Skills

While it's easy to add numerous skills to your profile, only those with at least one endorsement count toward the All-Star requirement. You need a minimum of five endorsed skills.

Return to your word cloud, select five relevant skills, and add them to your profile. Then, ask friends, family, and colleagues for endorsements.

Note: Endorsements from people who also possess those skills carry more weight.

5. Use a Custom LinkedIn URL

There are two main reasons to customize your URL:

1. Professionalism: Resumes that include a link to a LinkedIn profile have a significantly higher chance of receiving a response from employers. A clean, custom URL looks more professional.
2. SEO: Your URL contributes to your profile's search engine optimization (SEO), helping it rank higher when someone searches for your name on Google.

You can also add your custom URL to your email signature for added visibility.

How to change it: On your profile, click Edit public profile & URL, and then click the pencil icon to make your changes.