LinkedIn: Create a complete Profile

Having a complete profile, or what LinkedIn currently calls “All Star” level is an important part of the process. Not only is it important for you to use all the available options within LinkedIn to best represent yourself, but also when recruiters search for you having a complete profile helps you come up higher in search results.

A complete profile consists of AT LEAST the following items: “professional” photo, custom URL, professional headline, summary section matched to goals, work experience details to match resume, recommendations, endorsements, and activities. If you have it, study abroad experience, volunteer work, and academic/research projects should be added as well.

As you create your profile you will see that LinkedIn has created several special sections for things like projects or volunteer work. While you could include those things within, for example, your education section, don’t do it. A big part of making LinkedIn work for you is to ensure your profile is search optimized. The algorithm that makes LinkedIn work looks for keywords in certain places and is aligned with LinkedIn’s pre-existing categories. So, using the Projects section to talk about your project work will help you come up better in a recruiter’s search than simply writing in that experience as text somewhere else.