Having an interesting LinkedIn profile is crucial for standing out in the crowded job market. With over 722 million users on LinkedIn, simply having a profile is no longer enough. You need to make sure your profile catches the attention of recruiters and hiring managers. An uninteresting profile can severely limit your job opportunities and prevent you from reaching your career goals. The good news is there are numerous ways you can spice up your LinkedIn presence. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore proven tips and strategies to make your LinkedIn profile irresistibly interesting.
Highlight Your Personality and Uniqueness
One of the best ways to make your LinkedIn profile more interesting is to infuse it with your unique personality, voice, and flair. Share your passions, quirks, interests, and anything that captures the essence of who you are. Too many profiles on LinkedIn read like sterile résumés. Add color to your profile by sharing what excites you, what you geek out about, your hobbies, causes you support, or details about your life story. This allows the reader to get to know the real you. However, don’t go overboard. The key is balancing professionalism with a sprinkle of personality.
Ways to Showcase Your Personality
- Select a memorable, professional profile photo that reflects your personality
- Craft an engaging headline and summary that instantly captures attention
- Share your interests, hobbies, causes, and what motivates you
- Use humor and wit appropriately
- Tell compelling stories and anecdotes that reveal who you are
Provide Rich Media Content
Text-heavy profiles can be mundane. Include relevant visual elements to add visual interest and break up large blocks of text. Photos, infographics, videos, presentations, and documents can help bring your profile to life.
Ideal Types of Media to Include
- Professional headshot
- Photos highlighting your work, skills, volunteering, conferences, etc.
- Infographics displaying your skills, accomplishments, certifications, etc.
- Slides from presentations you have given
- Work samples like reports, publications, design portfolios, etc.
- Videos about you, your projects, and achievements
Ensure the media you provide is high-quality and professional. Only include documents or work samples that showcase your capabilities and are permissible to share publicly.
Showcase Projects, Accomplishments, and Wins
One of the most compelling ways to demonstrate your capabilities is by spotlighting your achievements and results. Under the experience section, expand on meaningful projects and how you contributed to success. Quantify accomplishments with numbers and metrics. For example, instead of “Led successful marketing campaign,” say “Led marketing campaign that resulted in 20% increase in customer engagement.” This provides tangible proof of what you can do.
Tips for Highlighting Achievements
- List measurable accomplishments under each role
- Emphasize how you solved problems, added value, exceeded goals, etc.
- Quantify results with numbers whenever possible
- Convey the scope and impact of projects you worked on
- Balance presenting achievements with humility
Demonstrate Thought Leadership
Establish yourself as an industry leader by showcasing your expertise. Share insights on trends, best practices, and emerging developments in your field. Post relevant articles, reports, whitepapers, ebooks, and other materials published or created by you. You can also link to talks, workshops, and training sessions you’ve delivered. This portrays you as a skilled professional at the forefront of your niche.
Thought Leadership Assets to Include
- Authored articles and publications
- Slideshares from your presentations
- Ebooks, research reports, and whitepapers
- Videos and podcasts of your talks
- Blog posts on industry topics
When adding thought leadership assets, provide an overview explaining key concepts and takeaways. This provides helpful context for viewers.
Showcase Education and Credentials
Providing details beyond your degrees gives recruiters a fuller picture of your educational background and capabilities. List coursework, thesis topics, academic achievements, scholarships, study abroad programs, and other relevant experiences. Also highlight licenses, certifications, training programs, and specialized skills development. This demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning.
Ways to Feature Education
- List major courses, projects, papers, and presentations
- Note special programs, honors, scholarships, awards
- Include study abroad colleges or programs
- Highlight noteworthy professors and their areas of expertise
- Feature licenses, certifications, and specialized skills
Leverage Keywords
Sprinkling relevant keywords throughout your profile boosts your search engine optimization (SEO) so you appear higher in LinkedIn searches. Research keywords commonly used in your target roles and industry. Work them naturally into your headline, summary, experience descriptions, skills, etc. But avoid awkwardly overusing keywords or repetitive phrasing.
Best Places to Include Keywords
- Headline and professional summary section
- Job titles and company names
- Industry buzzwords and technical terms
- Skills, certifications, credentials
- Volunteering or organization names
Track your LinkedIn profile analytics to see which keywords drive the most profile views. Adjust keywords over time for maximum impact.
Showcase Volunteer Work and Causes
Volunteer work and causes reveal what you care about. Describing your involvement in nonprofits, community initiatives, professional associations, and other organizations adds dimension to your profile. Be specific about your contributions and accomplishments. Align causes and volunteer work with your target industry and roles to establish common ground.
Highlighting Volunteer Work
- Note leadership positions held
- Quantify results and impact of your work
- Describe specific projects contributed to
- Explain skills and experience gained
- Share inspiring moments and impact stories
Optimize Your Profile for Mobile
An increasing number of people access LinkedIn via mobile. Ensure your profile looks great on smartphones and tablets by using short paragraphs, bullet points, headings, and easy-to-scan formatting. Mobile optimization also means having a professional headshot, succinct summary, and rich media content for visual appeal. A profile tailored for mobile delivers the best experience for on-the-go users.
Mobile Profile Tips
- Break up large blocks of text
- Use bullet points to organize content
- Include ample white space
- Use brief paragraphs and headings
- Showcase visuals, video, presentations
- Check how your profile looks on mobile
Customize Your Profile URL
LinkedIn automatically assigns a random string of numbers for profile URLs. Create a customized URL that’s cleaner and easier to remember. Your URL should contain your name and be consistent with other social media handles. A customized URL also looks more professional in email signatures, resumes, and business cards.
Tips for a Better Custom URL
- Use your full name or first/last name
- Make it simple and easy to type
- Check availability to get your first choice
- Use dashes (-) instead of underscores (_)
- Choose a URL that aligns with your personal branding
Conclusion
Making your LinkedIn profile interesting is crucial for getting noticed and maximizing opportunities. Focus on showcasing your unique personality, achievements, thought leadership, education, causes, and more. Optimize content for mobile users, include rich media, and customize your profile URL. With these tips, you can turn your plain profile into a masterpiece bound to impress recruiters and showcase your professional awesomeness. The investment will pay dividends for your career.