LinkedIn is a popular source of information for employers looking to recruit top professionals. Your picture, your recommendations, even your extracurricular activities can all be very revealing.
Additionally, a lot of recruiters actively go online to headhunt Sales and Marketing professionals, so it’s especially important to build a strong profile that highlights your qualifications and experience.
Here’s how you can optimize your LinkedIn profile for the Sales and Marketing industry.
Step one: The basics
There are certain areas of your profile that recruiters will look at before deciding whether or not to continue evaluating you. Be sure that these sections are polished and up-to-date – after all, first impressions count online as well!
Photo
A good picture is a crucial element of a strong LinkedIn profile. Having a picture not only increases the number of page views you get, it can also help recruiters put a face to the name. Employers in this field are looking for confident individuals so make sure that your picture illustrates this. For example, professional attire and a smile will show future employers that you’re ready to tackle the workforce head on.
Headline
The next thing to focus on is your headline. This part of your profile is important because it’s one of the first places employers look. Keep your headline brief and engaging – it should capture and hold the viewer’s attention, like a tagline. Use industry-relevant keywords like “organized,” “client/customer-focused,” or “goal-oriented” to show recruiters that you have the skills they want. Also briefly outline your passion for the industry, job skills, and desired position.
Summary
Finally, if you’re looking to hatch a career in Sales and Marketing, your LinkedIn summary should be strong and complete. Many people forget to fill in this section, so having a finished summary will really help you stand out. This is your chance to show recruiters why you would be the best candidate for their position so you really need to sell yourself (no pun intended)!
You want to attract employers as quickly as possible so consider using bullet points to highlight your most notable achievements. Think of creative yet straightforward ways of pitching what you have to offer but don’t forget to align your main points with your headline to keep your personal brand consistent.
Step two: The Details
Now that you’ve covered the basics, you can spend some time on the more in-depth aspects your profile.
Experience
Start by listing all your industry-related work and volunteer experience from most recent to least recent, just as you would on a resume. Then list your main responsibilities and big accomplishments as well as some of the skills you developed in that role.
If you have no experience in the Sales and Marketing field yet, be sure to relate what you learned in your previous working experiences to the industry. For example, if you worked in retail or customer service and you’re now looking to pursue a career in Marketing, you can mention how you developed industry-relevant skills like communication and teamwork. Use numbers and metrics to use illustrate and back your achievements. Sales and Marketing employers want results-oriented people – even if you don’t have industry experience, this approach will show recruiters that you have the potential to excel in this field.
Example:
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Sales Intern, Company X; September 2014 – present
– Collaborated with other interns and the supervisor to carefully prepare and review documents for the Director of Sales.
– Helped implement new sales channels that increased the company’s market share by 25%
Recommendations and endorsements
This is the last key area a recruiter will look at on your LinkedIn profile. After reading your personal summary and learning about your work experience, they will have a pretty good idea of your skills and abilities but will want confirmation that what you’ve stated is true.
Having positive recommendations from previous employers, professors, or peers aren’t necessary for a complete profile, but if you go the extra mile to have these, they can show recruiters that you’re a strong candidate. People prefer to work with people they can trust, so having a credible connection vouch for your skills is a great way to assure a recruiter that you have what it takes to succeed.
Endorsements are another great way to show recruiters the industry related skills you’ve developed throughout your previous experiences. Similar to recommendations, having previous employers, professors, and peers endorse your skills will give you credibility, further proving that you’re suited for their roles.
Hint: what skills are Sales and Marketing recruiters looking for?
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Results-oriented – Are you always working with a goal in mind? Great! Employers want students and grads who are driven and have their eye on the prize.
Communication – Whether you’re working in sales or social media, you’ll need strong written and oral communication skills for this field.
Interpersonal – In this industry, you’ll always be working with people, so having strong teamwork and collaboration skills is very important.
Confident – Many roles in this field require the ability to build relationships with new people quickly and effectively. Candidates with confidence stand out to recruiters because they’re sure of their abilities and aren’t afraid to put themselves out there.