Still putting off updating that dusty old resume of yours? Or perhaps you haven’t even begun to draft one for your upcoming job search?
This month was meant for you. September is International Update Your Resume Month, brought to you by Career Directors International (CDI). I’ve already written about some ways to update your resume earlier this month, which include:
- Add conferences, workshops, and events you’ve attended.
- Include awards, honors, certificates, or licenses.
- List new skills you’ve learned.
- Highlight leadership roles.
- Include authorships and speaking engagements.
Your resume is certainly one of the most important job search documents. However, don’t neglect updating your LinkedIn profile as well. With 82 percent of hiring managers using LinkedIn for recruiting job candidates, your LinkedIn profile might be more important than you think.
Here’s how you can update your LinkedIn profile in order to be more visible:
Brand yourself with a unique headline. Instead of using the generic title LinkedIn provides (the title from your last job, such as “Sales Manager”), make your own headline describing the value you bring to an organization. Mine, for example, reads: “Gen Y Career Expert | Content Marketing & Digital PR | Prolific Writer.”
Go through the “People You May Know” feature. Although you might have imported your contact book and connected with most folks you interact with regularly, there will inevitably be connections you’ve neglected. LinkedIn’s “People You May Know” feature provides suggestions based on your current contacts, the college or university you attended, previous companies you’ve worked for and more.
Join at least five groups pertaining to your interests. Search for groups related to your industry, skills and hobbies. Not only do these memberships display on your profile, but they also help you make additional connections that could be vital to your job search success. Once you’ve joined, look through the discussion threads, answer questions you have expertise about, and ask questions of your own.
Add skills, websites, and publications. These things may have changed since you first included them in your profile. Did you recently make a Twitter account and forget to link to it in your profile? Perhaps you’ve learned a new skill or written a blog post in the past month? Make sure these things are front and center on your profile for interested employers to see.
