Last weekend, my friends and I were sitting outside enjoying lunch when we saw a group of three newly graduated students from the local college walk past us. We said congratulations and asked if and what they had lined up in the “job world.” They all looked at each other and laughed a bit, saying that they had no idea. Most freshly graduated students don’t know what they’re interested in and don’t want to jump into anything too soon.
To any college graduate or any person in the middle of a career or job adjustment, listen up! We live in a competitive job market, and don’t you want the best job you can possibly get? Then it’s time to update your profile!
- Update your profile and background photo. These days everyone had access to a smartphone, which has an amazing camera on it. Have one of your friends or family members take a nice photo of you outside on a sunny day, or in a nicely lit room in your house. Your profile picture if the first thing that anyone sees when looking at your profile, so make sure it’s an accurate representation of what you look like in person.
- Make your background photo depict an interest of yours; nature, your favorite quote, a city skyline of where you live or your hometown, etc. Background photos can be a topic of conversation so make it interesting!
- Update your summary and make it reflect where you are right now. If you’re looking for a new job or are a new college graduate, include your passions or a unique story that brought you to where you are now. Your current day-to-day job does not need to be in this section, that’s what the experience section is for! Don’t be afraid to tell a story that separates you from everyone else. My colleagues and I look at hundreds of LinkedIn profiles every day, and we remember the people with unique summaries.
- Fill out the experience section with any previous jobs. It’s very important to link the companies with their company pages if they have one! This will make the company logo appear on your profile which makes you look more professional. For recent grads, it’s important that you provide all past jobs in high school and college so that your potential future boss knows what you’re all about.
Don’t hesitate to check out any of our past blogs regarding these topics and subscribe! If you feel that you can’t or don’t want to update your profile, reach out to us and we can help!
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