• People are getting great job opportunities on Linkedin every day. Some of the opportunities are not available anywhere else.
• So, if you want in on all of the job goodies, you need to get on LinkedIn, max out your profile, and engage with other users.
• This guide will help you optimize your profile so that it becomes an easy and exciting find for recruiters in your field.

• Manage Valuable Contacts
• Network and Look for Work
• Establish Yourself as an Expert
• Creep on Other Professionals

• Oh, and yes - LinkedIn is where you can easily find job offers that you won't find anywhere else.
• Even if you aren't looking for a job, recruiters are looking for professionals like you.
  
• If you max out your profile, there is a good chance that you could receive job offers that could lead to your dream job.

Here's How to Max Out Your Profile 100%

• Before you start to write your headline and summary (arguably the most important parts of your profile), you'll want to do some head scratching and pencil chewing.
• That's because, to get the most out of both, it's a good idea to put some thought into your personal brand or professional persona.
• Having a personal brand or persona happens to be the best way to show off your personality.
• You know that situation where you attended a party the night before, and you ask your friend, "Do you remember that short girl with blue hair who was talking about Pokémon?"
• And your friend says, "Yeah, Janet."
• Creating a professional persona is like that. The result is such that a person referring to you uses two or three keywords to describe you.
• Janet's blue hair, short stature, and Pokémon addiction were the key aspects that set her apart from other people at the party.
• What key aspects do you want as identifiers? If you lack in the idea department, try snooping on the pros. How are other people in your field self-identifying?
• Pro Tip: LinkedIn recently updated its site. Now, it might be harder to find professionals outside your network. Try growing your network to include more people in your field.  

• Most of the keywords you will use will be industry specific and skill-based. Having a list of keywords on hand when you start to write various sections of your profile will make things much easier.
• To find keywords for your profile, do a search on LinkedIn for your profession.
• Check out three or four of the top profiles that come up and make a note of any words or phrases that reappear.
• Also, check out some job offers for your position. Job offers are a great place to find keywords because hiring managers load them up with the skills and experience they find the most relevant.

• Specialized
• Leadership
• Passionate
• Strategic
• Experienced

• The Professional Headline (or your title) is one of the few fields that LinkedIn will automatically populate with information.
• If you do not change it, LinkedIn will display your current job title as your headline. And that is a huge waste of space.
• Personalizing your headline is one of the best things you can do for your profile.
• Keep in mind that you have only 120 characters to work with here, so you don't want to use full sentences and you want to be strategic about your use of keywords.
• The Headline is where you strike a balance between the personal brand you've created by now and the industry keywords you've identified. Pick two or three keyword skills or professional concepts that best define yourself.
• Note, you can use them again when you begin to write your summary.
• If you are a professional with work experience under your belt, the headline is where you describe who you are as a professional.

• Lead with your main professional title or degree, then add other relevant core competencies that you have and an industry.
• Also, being more specific allows your profile to turn up in more search results, making your profile visible to more recruiters. And more is a good thing.
• Note that using keywords in other sections will also affect search results.
• Which brings us to the LinkedIn summary section.

• On LinkedIn, it is more than acceptable to use the first person. 
• You should add your contact information. Otherwise, people who are not connected to you will not see it.
• You can add media such as documents, photos, videos, and presentations.

• Note that adding numbers and details is the perfect way to prove your proficiency.
• And don't forget those keywords!
• Pro Tip: You'll want to make sure that the information on your LinkedIn profile corresponds to the information on your actual resume.
• LinkedIn is a great place to add information that doesn't fit on your resume, but discrepancies, for example between dates, can throw off a recruiter.
• And if you've created a professional persona for your resume, use your LinkedIn profile to reinforce your personal brand.

• Adding a professional photo is obvious. But did you know that adding a photo will result in your profile getting 11x more views?
• And Julie Dossett says that adding a photo makes it 14x more likely that a recruiter will click on your profile. 
• You don't need a professional headshot. Of course, if you can get one done then do so, but if you don't have the resources, just make sure your photo looks professional.
• That means making sure you are are dressed in semi-formal business attire, taking the photo against a clean background, and trying to look pleasant.
• Don't use a photo from Facebook and lose the tigers and the duckface. If it would flop on Tinder, there's no way it's going to fly on LinkedIn.

• Generate a link to your profile composed of a string of random characters. You are more than a string of random characters.
• Automatically populate your professional headline with your current job title.

• Let's say you're starting on your Homepage. Select "Me" and "View Profile." Once you're inside your profile, select "edit your public profile" on the right-hand side of the page.
• You will be redirected to your profile. Again, on the right-hand side you'll see your URL and "edit public profile URL." Clicking on the pencil icon allows you to edit.
• Another novel way to personalize your profile is to add links to your other social media profiles (Twitter, Google+), your blog URL, or links to your portfolio or website. You can add up to three links.
• And you can add all of them in the Contact Information section.
• And when it comes to adding your contact information, make it as complete as possible. Add your professional email address and your phone number. You could also consider adding your Skype username if you use the platform in a professional context.

• Write your job history in reverse-chronological order starting with your current position.
• Underneath each position, you will want to include approximately six bullet points describing the scope of your responsibilities at that job.
• On LinkedIn, you can use the first person to describe responsibilities. Otherwise, use action verbs as you would on a resume.

• Each of these bullet points should be seasoned with keywords, follow the bullet point format, and include facts and figures.

• Start with an Action Verb (or first person + action verb)
• Make a Quantifiable Point
• Follow Up with a Specific Task

• You should try to include achievements.

• You should try to craft a narrative that reflects the persona you introduced in your LinkedIn summary.

• If you are a professional with a lot of work experience, show that your progression into a management position was steady over time. Each role should reinforce your place in the next one.
• Because describing yourself as a social media manager won't be credible if all you did was the marketing for your parent's pizza place.
• Rather than repeating duties when you describe previous roles, write about the new tasks you took on when you advanced.

• I am responsible for the creation of a global brand strategy.
• I prepare Category and Portfolio Deployment Plans.
• Team Management (10 marketing specialists).

• Planned and implemented promotional campaigns.
• Cooperated with interactive agencies.

• Assisted during promotional campaigns.

• Click on "edit your public profile" and click on the skills you've already added.
• You'll be taken to a page that will give you a working definition of the skill and show you how many other LinkedIn users have listed that skill on their profile.
• The page will also show you where people with that skill work, where they went to university, and what other related skills they have.
• If you continue to explore the page, you can find articles and presentations.
• These pages are fun to explore, and they will help you make sure that you've used the best skill to describe what you do and that you've not forgotten other skills that are related.
• The other half of this section, endorsements, aren't something you can add on your own. Your connections need to endorse your skill set for you.

• LinkedIn is a very reciprocal site. If you scratch backs, your back will get scratched. If you want endorsements and recommendations (and you need them), chances are, so do other people. 
• When you start building your network, ask the people you've worked with, your friends, and your old professors and fellow students to endorse your skills.
• And make sure you've already gone ahead and endorsed theirs in return.
• And when you attend a conference or an industry event, add those people, as well, and ask for endorsements or recommendations.
• Endorse and recommend them back. Spread the love.
• Pro Tip: When you add skills, LinkedIn will autosuggest things to you as you go. Choosing a suggested skill is better than entering one in manually. That's because the suggested skills are things people actually search for on LinkedIn. 
• Also, if you want a skill endorsed, make sure that it shows up in your LinkedIn summary and experience sections as a keyword. LinkedIn is much more likely to suggest that your connections endorse a skill if it shows up across your profile.

• Recommendations are a little harder to get than endorsements because people actually have to write something instead of just clicking a button.
• At the same time, recommendations are more powerful than endorsements because people actually have to write something instead of just clicking a button.
• Recommendations are powerful because they support what you're already saying about yourself on your profile, giving your profile plausibility and validation.
• It's one thing to say "Hey, I'm great!" and it's another if someone else says it, too.
• Asking for recommendations on LinkedIn looks the same as it does in real life.
• You should approach people who know you well and ask them if they can pretty please write you a thoughtful recommendation.
• They should be close enough to you that you'd be able to write a recommendation for them, as well, which is a very nice thing to do.
• Before you start reaching out, take a moment to refine your requests.
• First, people can add recommendations to specific jobs you've had. They can also give you general recommendations that end up in a separate section.

• Would any of your past jobs benefit from a recommendation? (The answer to that question is almost always yes.)
• What claims have you made about your roles and responsibilities that could use some validation?
• Who would be the best person to provide you with that recommendation?
• Who could provide you with an outstanding general recommendation?

• Of course, you should ask someone who knows you well and would be more than happy to provide you with a shining review.
• At the same time, a recommendation from the CEO, an employee at a prestigious company, or an influencer in your field is always a plus.
• Before you send the request for a recommendation via LinkedIn, reach out via email or ask in person.
• Sending an email will give you a chance to make sure that they get your request when you do send it via LinkedIn and to go into a little bit of detail.
• Politely explain to the person what you'd like a recommendation for and how it will help illustrate your skills.
• You can also suggest writing a draft for them so that they don't have to put something together themselves. Make sure the person you are writing would be okay with such a request.
• If you write a message like that from the get-go, you are more likely to get a solid recommendation where you need it most.
• When you finally send the request via LinkedIn, make sure you choose the correct role and select the person you've already asked.
• Note:, if you've never sent such a request before, it's a bit odd.
•  To send a request, you first have to go to "View Profile" mode and scroll down to endorsements. There you will need to click on "ask to be recommended."
• Once you're inside, LinkedIn will ask you to select an area for recommendation.
• Let's say you want to be recommended for your most recent position. Select the position from the drop-down menu. Next, LinkedIn will ask you to choose up to three people to ask for recommendations.
• You've already identified who you are going to send your request to, so type in the name of that person. You can always repeat the process with another person later.
• Next, you will need to specify what your relationship was with your endorser. There are both professional and academic options. Finally, you will need to write your message.
• When you write your message, make sure you personalize it and get rid of whatever generic garbage LinkedIn automatically generates for you. Also, attach the draft you've prepared if they agreed that you should do so.
• Repeat the process as many times as necessary, and make sure you send a thank-you note to everyone who writes you a recommendation.

• Think about how much time you spend on Facebook.

• But what exactly are you supposed to be doing on LinkedIn, anyway?

• Build Your Network
• Join Groups
• Add Influencers
• Share and Post Content

• When you ask people to be a contact on LinkedIn, make sure you send personal messages and reminders of how you met.
• If you get random requests from people you don't know, but who are in your industry, add them, as well. Do watch out for bogus profiles. But the general rule of thumb here is the more, the merrier. Really.

• In the meantime, share interesting content that shows up in your feed and think about posting content you've created.
• Part of what you're trying to do on LinkedIn is build up your personal brand online.
• One of the ways to do that is to tap into the knowledge on LinkedIn and curate it for your connections.

• Like any other social media platform, the more you interact with and feed LinkedIn, the more it will work for you in return.
• Most of us don't feel comfortable humble bragging about our accomplishments or work.
• A lot of you won't feel comfortable writing a post or see the point in sharing information.
• And it doesn't help that the platform isn't that intuitive to use in the first place.
• But almost every recruiter is checking the platform before making a new hire. And millions of professionals are using it to engage.
• So, you can no longer afford to ignore LinkedIn or put off revamping your profile.
• LinkedIn recently updated its platform. Have you come across any cool new hacks? Confused about any new functions? Let us know in the comments, and we'll sort it out for you. Thanks for reading!
• You can view the original Uptowork article here. Thanks, Natalie!