GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- At a time when many people are looking for work, LinkedIn can be a valuable tool to help job seekers stand out in the market.
We talked with Paula Christensen, a career coach and certified professional resume writer, about how to maximize a profile for the best chance at success.
Christensen said keywords are an important part of getting noticed. She said the Headline and About sections should be packed with keywords related to your job, duties, and goals.
"It’s very searchable within LinkedIn’s algorithms to find those keywords," Christensen said.
If you're not sure how to structure your about section, Christensen said there are a couple of tried and true methods.
"Some people do the who, what, goals structure," she said. "So, he could write about who he is, what he does for a living, what he’s going to school for, and then the goals. “Other people do a strengths section. Pick out five key strengths that are really important for that next role that you want and then list those keywords in your about section and maybe a sentence about how you emulate that strength.”
Christensen also recommends that the full profile be filled out. Experience and education should be detailed and go back more than a current job. For recent college graduates, the education section can also include relevant courses. Skills should also be filled out.
“That’s really important," Christensen said. Your skills section, you can list up to 50 skills, and those skills really help with those search algorithms and develop those keywords you would be associated with.”
Finally, Christensen said job seekers should try to maximize endorsements and connections. LinkedIn is a social media platform, and people should try to take advantage of what it offers.
“I think it’s been really important for people because a lot of people are craving that personal connection and we can’t really have that in the same way anymore," she said. "So LinkedIn has been really great for that. I’m seeing a lot more activity.”
