Career Coach: Overhauling Your LinkedIn Profile And Using The Job Search Feature
CHICAGO (CBS)-- As job losses pile up during the pandemic, CBS 2 is Working For Chicago to help you bounce back.
Career Coach Lynee Alves is helping you navigate the ever-changing job market by using LindedIn to score new job opportunities. Alves, the president of Interview Like An Expert, provided advice on overhauling your profile and optimizing the job search feature.
"You don't need a professional headshot but you do need a nice photo that shows you as engaging, likable and approachable," Alves said.
Alves recommends adding a cover photo. She said some people choose quotes and Alves' cover photo shows herself working.
Your headline is also important.
"Your headline can be so much than your title," she said. "These days, this is actually an important key word area for recruiters who are searching on LinkedIn."
Next up is the "About" section. You can use a short or long bio or professional summary, but Alves recommends going beyond that.
"This is your opportunity to have your personality shine through and demonstrate what will make you stand out from other candidates or share some unique qualities that you bring to the table," she said.
At the end of your professional summary, list your professional strengths. Alves said it's another key search option for recruiters. Listing your experience and education is another step needed to build your profile.
"If you're stressed out about what to put on LinkedIn, you can literally copy and past everything on your resume under each role on linked and then you have the detail you need," she said.
Job searching is another LinkedIn feature to navigate. When CBS 2's Audrina Bigos put in "Marketing Manager" in the search, which produced more 89,000 jobs. This is too many jobs and not specific enough of a search.
To enhance your search, Alves recommends clicking on "All Filters," which allows you to choose job location, salary preference, benefits and much more to help narrow down your search.
Alves said being active and engaging on LinkedIn is just as important as having a complete profile.
