To get more in-depth insight into what headhunters look for when seeking candidates on LinkedIn, we interviewed CEO, Henrik Brabrand, of the executive search company Albright Partners A/S. Here you have his 5 best tips for a good profile on LinkedIn.
1. Start strong with the elevator pitch
According to Henrik Brabrand, the strongest profiles on LinkedIn starts with a catching pitch at the beginning. A good elevator pitch must not only summarize your core competencies, but it must also sell you as a person and make people curious to know more about you to ensure that they will keep reading.
2. Keep it short and to the point
It is no secret that headhunters have to go through a lot of material when recruiting for a position. A very text-heavy profile can seem overwhelming. Therefore, Henrik Brabrand recommends that you keep the text elements on your profile short – maybe with a list of bullet points to make it easy and manageable.
3. Your profile picture
The profile picture is an essential element as it is the first thing that is seen (both on your profile and in the news feed), and because it creates an impression of who you are as a person. That being said, it also matters which type of picture you choose to use. LinkedIn is a professional medium, and thus, professionalism must be reflected. According to Henrik Brabrand, if you don’t have a profile picture, it does not necessarily determine whether you will be invited to an interview or not. However, not having a profile picture requires that you keep track of the rest of the elements on your profile.
4. Do you want to work abroad?
If you are looking for an experience abroad, there may be other things that headhunters look for. The differences can be big, but this depends on the country. For example, is it more common for Americans to talk about themselves in third person and “blow themselves up”. In contrast, the Danish mindset is more influenced by the thought of not speaking too well about oneself. Therefore, the best tip is to take the time to get to know the specific country and the appropriate LinkedIn usage.
5. Accept that you will never complete your profile
Updating your LinkedIn profile is an on-going process that you will never completely finish. As mentioned earlier, it is important to continuously review the content, keep the components updated, and constantly “look good” on LinkedIn. Henrik Brabrand reviews his profile weekly to keep it up-to-date.
Do you want more tips on what to include on your LinkedIn profile? Then read: 10 important things on your personal LinkedIn profile
What would be your best tips to a strong LinkedIn profile?
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