90% of Hiring Managers use LinkedIn® to find candidates
80% of jobs are landed through networking
Network virtually through LinkedIn®!
LinkedIn® Profile Best Practices
The information below is intended to help you strengthen your LinkedIn® presence.
If you have not created your LinkedIn® profile, please go to www.linkedin.com to begin. Please keep in mind that
LinkedIn is continually changing which may impact the information below.
PROFILE
Below are Best Practice Recommendations.
Note: Before making changes to your profile, you may want to turn off sharing your edits. To do so, click on “Me” at the top
tool bar, Settings and Privacy, Visibility, Visibility of LinkedIn Activity, “Share job changes, education changes, and work
anniversaries from profile,” and be sure it indicates “No.”
PHOTO
Make sure you have a profile photo that is professional and inviting, showing you as approachable. (Did you know having
a profile photo can get you 21x more profile views and 9x more connection requests?)
• We recommend a professional forward-facing, headshot photo that fills up space, with a non-distracting
background that was taken in the last 2 to 3 years, good lighting and a smile!
• Be sure that photo is viewable by the public.
• You can insert a background photo to replace the LinkedIn® default border. Click on this link to see some
examples: https://linkedinbackground.com/. You can also search “LinkedIn background images” – images tab.
• Use a simple photo that is not distracting, helps tell your professional story, and uses complementary colors.
HOW TO CHANGE YOUR BACKGROUND PHOTO:
1. Click the blue stylus (or camera icon) in the upper right-hand corner of the background image.
2. Click "Change Photo" button. Upload your photo from your files. We recommend that you include a photo that
highlights your professional brand instead of the custom images that LinkedIn presents which highlight your
personal brand.
3. Click "Apply."
HEADLINE (Text under your name)
• Develop a strong headline! You can use up to 220 characters in your Headline to tell your story.
• Use keywords indicating functions, skills/experience you possess and may be required in role(s) you’re seeking.
You can also use titles of positions you are looking to fill. A combination is ideal.
• One way to do this is to look at job posting for a similar job, even if they are not in your geographic area.
• LinkedIn is marketing you versus your employer.
• Whether employed or in transition we suggest your Headline is your Brand.
Example: Product Manager | Sourcing | Supply Chain Management | Budgeting | P&L Management
CONTACT INFORMATION
You may want to include a personal email address in the Contact section as sometimes recruiters/hiring managers prefer
to contact you via email versus LinkedIn®. You don’t have to include a phone number, as the email will be fine.
Important: The email address you use for your LinkedIn account should always be a personal email address as company
email addresses will not be valid when the job ends. This information is something that must be changed in the Settings
& Privacy, Sign in & Security, Account Access, Email addresses.
PERSONALIZED URL
Customize your URL! This makes it easy for colleagues and others in your network to find you.
1. You can do this by clicking "Edit your public profile & URL" in the right column while on your profile.
2. Click the blue pen icon next to your URL and it will allow you to customize.
3. Consider: linkedin.com/in/firstname-lastname. (If not available, you could include a middle initial, as an
option).
CONNECTIONS
• We recommend starting with 50 connections and then continue networking by setting an achievable goal to add
10 connections per week to reach the recommended 500+.
• Set an attainable goal to add or reach out to connections weekly, focusing on your target companies/industries.
• The more connections you have on LinkedIn® the more visible you become to potential employers.
ABOUT
• We strongly recommend an “About” section, to help your profile stand out, and allow the reader to see you
professionally! This is a critical area for keyword match in the searches that recruiters conduct on LinkedIn (in
addition to Headline).
• This key area helps establish your professional brand, as it is one of the first areas that recruiters and hiring
managers read.
• In this section, you will want to tell your story. What are you known for? What are your achievements? What
skills or competencies do you bring? How do you stand out from others? You could use your resume summary
for a jumpstart. The difference: on LinkedIn®, you can use personal pronouns for a conversational tone.
• You have 2000 characters to work with in this section.
FEATURED
Showcase your work by featuring your best posts, documents, media, and websites. This can emphasize key skills,
accomplishments and experience, helping to establish your credibility in your field.
EXPERIENCE
• Have a solid framework in your Experience section and consider linking your positions to the company's page
(make sure to do this for each role).
• Just like on your resume, we recommend including your most recent 10-15 years of relevant experience as well
as a 1 to 2 sentence job scope and several key accomplishments under each position.
• Note: It is critically important that you don’t share confidential information on your LinkedIn profile. Instead,
include a high-level recap of the information on your resume.
• Avoid ‘responsible for’ references and opt for strong action verbs instead.
• Break up longer paragraph formatting with the addition of white space or bullets for readability.
EDUCATION
Include your formal education in this section. Best practice is to spell out your degrees and omit graduation/attendance
dates. Just like with your experience section, we recommend linking your education to the school’s pages.
• If you have Certifications, you can click on “add profile section” then click on “Background,” then Licenses &
certifications” to add them to your profile.
• If you completed additional Coursework, click on “Add profile section” then click on “Accomplishments,” then
“Courses.”
SKILLS/ENDORSEMENTS
Include a Skills section on your profile! Continue to add skills, achieving the LI maximum of 50 skills.
HOW TO REMOVE SKILLS THAT DO NOT SUPPORT YOUR BRAND:
• Scroll to the Skills section and click on the stylus to edit.
• Click on the “trashcan” icon beside the skill you want to remove.
• We suggest minimizing the key words you removed in your headline, summary and professional experience
section as to not to confuse the reader and to more clearly present your brand.
HOW TO MOVE SKILLS:
• To rearrange the order of your skills/endorsements, scroll to the Skills section and click the stylus to edit.
• Click the ‘hamburger’ and use your “mouse” to click & drag the skills you want to move, then click save.
HOW TO MOVE SKILLS TO THE TOP THREE:
• To “pin” a skill to the top three, click on the blue pin of a skill in the top three to remove it from the top section.
• Click on the pin of the skill you want moved up to the top 3.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• We suggest at least 2-3 current recommendations from colleagues, past supervisors, former direct reports,
former/current peers or customers/vendors for example.
• When you ask for the recommendation you can offer to return the favor.
• Start with those that may have already written you a great recommendation letter. (Note: They need to be
LinkedIn® members to provide you a recommendation and must be one of your 1st degree connections to
endorse skills or write a recommendation on LinkedIn.).
ADD PROFILE SECTION – Click on “Add profile section” and click on “Accomplishments” for:
• Honors/Awards – A great way to highlight your exceptional work!
• Publications – If you have a blog or professional publications, relevant to your career focus, add them here.
• Projects – May attach photos, documents and videos.
• Organizations – You can include any associations or organizations here.
ADD PROFILE SECTION– Click on “Add profile section” and click on “Background” for:
• Volunteer experience - This will help to connect you with others who share interests.
Once your basic profile is complete, you can add additional information to help you get noticed.
POSTS
This is a great way to build visibility and credibility. “Like, Comment, Share” articles, quotes, etc.
Here is a link to help you learn more:
https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/47538/publish-articles-on-linkedin?lang=en
FOLLOWING
Following companies of interest to you increases your visibility and keeps you informed of activities and job postings within
that organization.
GROUPS
Join college/university alumni, former employer alumni groups; professional /industry association groups to help you
network as you have something in common, you belong to the same group! (You can join up to 100 groups).
• To find groups, enter (e.g., Sales Management, Chief Financial Officer, etc.) and click at the bottom of the list “See
all Results…”, go to “More” under the search box, click the down arrow for “Groups.”
ADDITIONAL TIPS & TRICKS
Below are some additional useful tips regarding profile settings.
UNABLE TO ACCESS PROFILE – USING COMPANY EMAIL ADDRESSES
If you have a LinkedIn® profile and are unable to access it based on a company email address associated with your account,
you can validate your identity and regain access through this link:
https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/1501?query=driver
LET RECRUITERS KNOW YOU’RE OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES
You can navigate to this setting within your profile by clicking “Show recruiters you’re open to work” box.
• When you see the option below, we suggest that you mark the setting only let recruiters know you are open to
opportunities versus notifying your network/everyone. This option does NOT create the #OPENTOWORK
frame.
• Hiring Managers/Recruiters will consider candidates whether they are employed or not.
• Shift the focus to your skills/competencies, not your situation.
Note: We also have webinars available to you, via the Career Resource Network (crn.lhh.com):
1. LinkedIn® Session 1 – Jumpstart LinkedIn ®
2. LinkedIn® Session 2 – Take Your LinkedIn® Profile from Good to Great
3. LinkedIn® Session 3 – Use LinkedIn® Proactively to Research & Network for a Productive Search
