9 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your LinkedIn Profile

9 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your LinkedIn Profile9 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your LinkedIn Profile10Since LinkedIn is such an important job search tool, its important to keep your LinkedIn profile in tiptop shape. By strategically thinking about your LinkedIn profile, you can make necessary adjustments to help your job search. This will help you keep your profile relevant and in line with your career ambitions, as well as readily available for hiring managers and recruiters.Check out the following nine questions you should be asking yourself about your LinkedIn profile.Is my profile fresh and up to date?Using an outdated profile is going to hurt your chances of getting the attention of hiring managers. While you can keep older experience and awards on your profile, it is always a good idea to update your profile to reflect your current status, promotions, experiences, skills, and recognitions.Is my summary accurate, readable, and informative?The LinkedIn summary is what h iring managers and recruiters are interested in. This is where a lot of your time should be spent. Your summary should be accurate and reflect your current and past accomplishments. It should also be an easy and quick read that is packed full of information.Is my picture professional?If your profile picture is less than professional, its time to change it. LinkedIn is used for professional purposes, and those looking at your profile are looking for a professional picture. Choose a picture that is both professional and flattering, but also shows your personality.What impact does my statement have?Your LinkedIn statement is what is going to catch the attention of readers and engage them. Ultimately, you want them to want to know more about you. Create a statement that is going to be informative and enticing.What groups am I associated with?Maybe you havent joined any groups, or perhaps you join every group you come across. Although the groups section may be overlooked, those you assoc iate with and who you follow can be a big deal to hiring managers. Make sure that people you follow and groups you participate in are ones you want hiring managers and recruiters seeing.Are keywords included in my profile?Keywords are HUGE There is no way around it, especially when those doing the hiring are scanning statements, summaries, and profiles for keywords that match their needs. Focus your keyword use on words that are highly searchable by those in your industry. Better yet, look at job descriptions and try to naturally use those keywords.Do I have a link to my work samples?To further impress and entice recruiters and hiring managers, provide a few work samples or links to work samples they would be interested in. These work samples should showcase your best work and the type of work you want to do for them.Am I searchable?Lets be honest, although privacy may be important, if you want to use your profile to attract recruiters and hiring managers, your profile must be searc hable. Keeping everything hidden from the public isnt going to help in your job search. If privacy is an issue, consider leaving out personal information such as your location and phone number, and use a dedicated email address rather than your personal one.Is my profile clean and professional?A clean and professional profile is essential to attracting other professionals. Keep your language clean and take a professional stance when writing or showcasing anything. Although you can add your own bit of flair and personality, you want to avoid making a bad impression.Going through your LinkedIn profile and evaluating each section is a great way to keep your profile active and relevant. With more recruiters and hiring managers using LinkedIn to find candidates, your LinkedIn profile can make (or break) your job search success.Readers, did you question yourself about your LinkedIn profile? What did you find out? Share with us below