Based on your work in the Networking section, it helps to ask yourself the following questions: Where is my target group looking? Where are companies that I would like to work for looking? Which of my qualifications and experiences are relevant?

Tip: In the Career Planning section, “How do I plan my career?”, you will find guidance on how to approach the development of your strategy.

LinkedIn fact: Profiles with a photo receive 21 times more profile views. There is no second chance to make a first impression. This also applies on LinkedIn. Profile visitors decide within milliseconds whether they want to look at your profile more closely. Publishing no photo is therefore not a good solution either. You may either be afraid to show yourself or not take LinkedIn seriously enough. It is important to use a friendly photo that encourages people to view your profile. (400x400 pixels, max. 8 MB).

Tip: Use a recent application photo and choose a crop that shows your face clearly, so that it remains easy to recognise even as a thumbnail in the newsfeed.

LinkedIn automatically adds your current position to this field if you do not adjust it. This is often shown to LinkedIn users in the job title section, which does not necessarily give a clear indication of your potential, wastes space and makes it more difficult for search engines, recruiters, etc. to find you using relevant keywords. This section, directly below your profile photo, plays a central role in profile optimisation because it shows quickly and prominently who you are and what you do, and it is also relevant for search engines. Add your USP to the field intended for your profile slogan. (Professional Headline [Desktop]: 220; [Mobile]: 240).

Tip: Look at the slogans used by professionals in your target area. What type of keywords do they use?

The background image on your personal profile is easy to adjust and is suitable for presenting your career profile even more effectively. Ideally, you should visually reinforce the message you have already developed for your profile slogan. If no suitable image material is available, a single-colour banner with a personal motto is a good alternative.

Tip: With the free graphics programme Canva.com, you can create your LinkedIn banner in just a few minutes using the correct dimensions (1584 x 396 pixels, aspect ratio 4:1, max. 8 MB).

On most LinkedIn profiles, the “About” or “Summary” section is empty. This is a missed opportunity because you have space here to convince recruiters of your talents. In a maximum of 2,600 characters, you can describe your experience, motivation and goals. Keywords are also important here. They help ensure that your profile can be found and accessed.

Tips:

a. Take several job advertisements that appeal to you and insert their text into Tagcrowd.com or ChatGPT, for example. This will show you which keywords are used most frequently in these job advertisements. Compare these with your own keywords and then write your summary. Suggested prompt for ChatGPT to extract keywords from job advertisements:

“I have the text of [number] job advertisements that interest me and match my profile:

[Insert text of the job advertisements]

Please analyse these texts and list the most frequently used keywords and phrases that could be relevant to my LinkedIn profile. Focus on skills, experience and characteristics that are sought in the advertisements.”

b. You can also use your elevator pitch as a template.

c. In the “About” section, viewers are initially shown only the first three lines. Make sure the text in the first sentences is compelling enough for profile visitors to click the “Show more” button.

d. A strong LinkedIn summary includes the following information:

• Your experience in your focus area
• Your most important knowledge and skills – when searching for a job, it is especially useful to research the skills required for your target role and list them in your profile
• What makes you stand out and which achievements you have delivered
• What you are passionate about
• The type of role you are looking for, but only if you are actively searching for a job

LinkedIn makes it easy for you and requests the relevant information step by step. This includes: company name, title or job title, type of employment, location, period and description. Always use keywords relating to the position you want to highlight. Emphasise the experience relevant to your next job with a more detailed description in the text field. To ensure that you appear properly in LinkedIn searches, you should include at least three entries. Also remember that internships count as professional experience, and that volunteer activities also give you the opportunity to broaden your skills and expertise.

Tip: Ask your former employers for your employment references if you find it difficult to describe your professional experience. They contain relevant keywords and short descriptions. Use bullet points rather than long continuous text.

Keywords can also be included in the descriptions of your education. You may also list courses or business projects that could be helpful for your target position.

Tip: Make sure that when entering the name of your university, e.g. ZHAW, School of Management and Law, you select it so that the correct logo appears automatically. This ensures that you are properly connected and shown as a student or alumna/alumnus of the SML.

In addition to the professional experience and education sections, you should also pay attention to the Skills section. By providing a list of relevant skills in your profile, you can present your abilities to other members, especially HR professionals. This allows others to better understand your strengths. After adding your skills, you can ask your contacts to endorse them. If someone endorses your skills, there is a higher probability that job offers matching your skills will be shown to you. You can add up to 100 skills. Ideally, think about which skills are most important to you and highlight these by placing them at the top. You can add the other skills without prioritising them. If you do not actively formulate these skills, LinkedIn will select terms from your profile and insert them automatically. This mainly concerns the three prioritised and specific skills displayed under the “Show all xx skills” link mentioned below.

Tip: Be original and also use terms that are commonly expressed using synonyms.

Tip: Adding skills to your profile, including all profile areas such as work experience and education, may increase your chances when searching for a job. When you search for jobs on LinkedIn, the platform shows job advertisements that are based on your profile and search activity.

When you open a specific job advertisement that interests you, LinkedIn also uses your skills to assess whether you are suitable for the position.

Recommendations on LinkedIn are like Airbnb reviews – pure diamonds. A recommendation is written to express recognition for a contact or to recommend them, for example colleagues, employees, fellow students or people with whom you have carried out projects. Are you hesitant about asking for recommendations from your current or former manager? We recommend, just as in the Networking section, that you first write recommendations and then ask for one in return. This function may not immediately be displayed if you have not yet received any recommendations, as the section remains hidden in that case. You can activate it by going to “Add profile section”, selecting “Additional information” and asking for a recommendation.

Tip: To make it easier for the person you are asking for a recommendation, briefly tell them how you worked together, what your responsibilities were and what you should ideally be recommended for.

The link to your LinkedIn profile normally contains your name and a few random numbers that were assigned to your profile. We recommend replacing it with a URL containing your own name and no random characters. You can do this under Profile > Public profile & URL and edit the setting under Public profile > Edit personal URL, so that your URL is displayed in the following format:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname

You can add your profile in another language, such as English, under the same URL. This is particularly useful if your profile is aimed at an international audience. Complete your profile first in one language and then translate it into the additional language.

Once your LinkedIn profile is complete, the most time-consuming part is behind you and you are ready to start building your actual network.

• Invite your fellow students, former classmates, work colleagues and other professional contacts to connect. Continuously expand your network with contacts who may be interesting to you. Also look for relevant groups on LinkedIn. When connecting with people you do not yet know, always use a personal message explaining why you would like to connect.
• Respond to your contacts’ posts. This does not only mean liking posts, but also commenting on them from time to time. Your comment gives you visibility and the opportunity to position yourself in a particular area.
• Publish your own posts so that employers and your network perceive you as an interesting person. You will mainly find ideas for posts in your day-to-day professional life, at events you attend and in interesting literature.

• Pay attention to the number of characters. The special characters include spaces and all symbols and punctuation marks. A character counter can make your work easier: https://www.charactercountonline.com/
• Basic or Premium? With the free LinkedIn account, you can create a professional profile and connect online with colleagues and acquaintances. All the most important basic functions are included. A Premium membership offers some additional features that are not included in the basic account. For example, you can see who has viewed your profile and send messages to non-contacts. However, the free basic package is sufficient to find a new job and build a professional network.
• Are you applying in both English and German or would you like to work in an international environment? You can create your profile in several languages. Your profile will then be displayed in the language that the person viewing it has selected as their default language. Make sure the multilingual profiles are consistent in each language. Mixing languages appears unprofessional.
• Add your place of residence, as your profile will then be shown up to 23 times more often in profile searches. Recruiters often conduct location-based searches.
• Review your profile regularly and make sure it is complete. It is in LinkedIn’s interest that you use the platform successfully. LinkedIn therefore developed a “Profile Strength Meter” that allows you to determine how complete your profile is. With the tips provided, you can continue completing your profile until it is classified as an “All-Star”. You can find more guidance on the “Profile Strength Meter” in LinkedIn Help.
• Go to Data Protection & Settings > Data Protection > Profile changes to “no”. This prevents your contacts from receiving a message every time you update your profile.
• Why you should have a public LinkedIn profile, although you should not share your profile carelessly with unknown contacts:

  1. Increased visibility for potential employers.
     If your profile is public, recruiters and HR professionals can find you more easily when searching for candidates, even if they are not directly connected to you. This expands your reach for job opportunities.

  2. Networking opportunities.
     A visible profile allows other professionals in your field to discover you, contact you, offer advice and discuss potential opportunities with you. You never know who might see your profile and advance your career.

  3. Building an online presence and a personal brand.
     By making your profile public, you can present your skills, experience and achievements to the wider professional world. This helps you build credibility in your industry.

  4. Connecting with alumni.
     A public profile makes it easier for you to connect with alumni of ZHAW SML.

  5. Discovering opportunities you did not previously know about.
     You may be surprised by the opportunities that result from a public profile. Unexpected connections are made possible through visibility.