Building your profile
You should use your CV as the basis for building your LinkedIn profile, as there are many similarities in their content. In addition to the textual content, you should also pay attention to the layout and discoverability of your LinkedIn profile. By adding a profile picture and background image, you can stand out more and leave a stronger impression. In your LinkedIn settings, it's worth checking which things on your profile are publicly visible to ensure that the things you want to communicate to potential employers are also visible.
Headline
The headline at the top of your profile tells readers what you are currently doing professionally or what you are aiming for next. Therefore, it's a good idea to include keywords that describe you and your situation. If you are a student, you can use the headline to tell readers what field you are studying, what stage you are at in your studies or what you are particularly interested in. If you are employed, you can also mention your job title or relevant areas of expertise. If you are applying for jobs, you can mention your goals and the job you are looking for in your headline.
About
At the beginning of your profile there is a field for a summary. It is a particularly important part of your profile and should be filled in carefully. In this summary, you can write freely about your skills, interests and goals. You can also use it to tell a little about yourself. Since the summary is usually the first thing people read in a profile, it is often the first thing that helps them decide whether they want to read the whole LinkedIn profile. That is why it's worth putting thought into this summary.
Examples of things you can say in the About section:
- What are you currently doing or what goals do you have.
- What skills do you have and where and how you have acquired them.
- What are your main achievements or accomplishments.
- What are your strengths and what are you interested in.
- What kind of a person are you and what is your style of working.
- What kind of job are you looking for or what are your career goals.
- How to contact you.
Keep the About section short so that a visitor to your profile will be encouraged to read it in full. It is a good idea to place information at the beginning of the text that will capture the reader's interest. You can also ask a friend or family member to read the summary and tell you what they think.
Experience
This section of your profile allows you to present your professional and educational experience. In the Experience section, you can describe your previous jobs, such as summer jobs, internships or thesis placements. When describing your work experience, you should write in sufficient detail – a job title alone rarely provides essential information about the role. For example, write about the responsibilities you had, what you achieved, or who you worked with and how.
Education
In the Education section, you can describe your education and training leading to a degree, your major and minor subjects, the topics of your theses and any other information of interest in relation to your education and training. You should also mention any exchange studies abroad and study-related positions of responsibility in your profile. For shorter training courses or stand-alone courses, you should consider whether they are more appropriately listed under Education or under Licences and Certifications.
Skills
This section allows you to list your skills. Fill it in as comprehensively as you can and use keywords that match your skills, so that this section of your profile also generates keyword hits. Once you have listed your skills, other users can give you endorsements. Please note that without clicking on the Skills section, the reader will only see the first three skills. Make sure that these first three include your most important skills. You can modify the skills and the order in which they are displayed whenever needed. .