How to Refresh Your LinkedIn This Fall To Land Your Dream Job

Photo Credit: Coveteur.com — Photo Credit: **Coveteur.com**

When I pitched this story to Caroline for October, little did I know that I’d have actually landed my own dream job by the time I sat down to write it. Last month, I was a full-time freelancer and today I’m the beauty content director for Jumprope, a free app that allows you to create and discover how-to videos for beauty, fashion, home, food, and more. As it reminded me, the job application process involves a number of things that factor into whether or not you land the role. There are interviews, test assignments, phone calls—all aspects I did—but, before you even get to any of that, there is the all-important curating of your LinkedIn profile.

Think of LinkedIn as shaking hands with potential employers. At a glance, they should be able to determine if you’ll be a good fit for the role they’re hiring for. How can you be sure to catch their attention for the few fleeting moments that they are checking out your page? Follow these six tips and you’ll be on the right path towards landing your dream job.

Update your information

This may sound so simple, but you’d be surprised how many LinkedIn users put this on the back burner. Make sure your job title and bio description are up to date. Have you been out of school for a year or two? Remove the “recent graduate” modifier. Have you written for an impressive publication or appeared on a podcast? Include those details.

List the most relevant experience to your industry

If you’re applying for a job at a fashion magazine, for example, be sure to include your work for your student newspaper, your retail job, and any internships you may have had in that area. While your summer spent scooping ice cream sounds delicious, it may be better left out of this curated selection of experience.

Don’t just list your responsibilities

It can be easy to use passive adjectives to describe your day-to-day, but don’t be afraid to brag and share some details. Did you improve social media engagement by 25%? Did you write the most-viewed article of the month for a website? Share data that will back up the value that you provided to your role as that’s what will distinguish you compared to other candidates.

Write and receive recommendations

Reach out to five of your former co-workers and ask them if they’ll write you a quick recommendation—you can offer to write one for them in exchange. This is a great way to help someone else out and have a few great recs when an employer goes to check out your page.

List your education, volunteering, and any awards or honors you’ve received

Don’t be afraid to brag about yourself a bit! These things can help you with connections even from outside of your industry. Whenever a woman from my college reaches out to me and asks for advice, I always try to help her because I can relate to what she’s going through. You never know if a mutual interest in volunteering with animals is what will keep your profile in a recruiter’s mind.

Let your personality shine through

If you have an awesome personal blog or you’ve got a business selling custom jewelry on Etsy on the side, don’t be afraid to show off your side hustles and those parts of your personality. Use your judgment on what to include if you’re applying for a more corporate role, but employers often look for people who are well-rounded and who have hobbies outside of what their careers are.