CITY PERSONNEL
First things first, you will need to start by creating a LinkedIn Profile. We suggest that you sign up with a professional email. Emails you should avoid include: School Email (ex: @g.rwu.edu, @my.uri.edu, etc.) Work Email (ex: @citypersonnel.net) Non-Professional Email (ex: beachfan23@hotmail.com, orangebanana2131@gmail.com, etc.) Old Email (ex: @aol.com, @aim.com)
Here are some tips for choosing a suitable email address: Use your full name: Consider using a combination of your first and last name in your email address. This will make it easier for others to recognize you and remember your email. Stick with popular email providers: As mentioned earlier, popular email providers like Gmail and Hotmail are widely recognized and considered professional. Avoid personal or outdated emails: Using emails that contain nicknames, random numbers, or outdated domains can give an unprofessional impression. It’s best to avoid such email addresses.
Take the time to take a new photo of yourself for your profile picture. If you are still in college, some colleges have free LinkedIn profile picture day. DO NOT go back into your phone and find a picture of yourself from your high school senior photos. Outdated photos can make you look young and inexperienced.
On LinkedIn, there are several places where you will be able to explain who you are and differentiate yourself from others. First, start with adding your First Name, Last Name, and headline. The headline should be a quick overview of who you are professionally. Imagine your professional career as a video, and you need to give it a title. What would you call it? Be specific. Do not just state that you are unemployed. Instead, you can say, “Experienced Marketer Seeking New Opportunities.”
Recruiters will see the About section right below the headline section, making it the second most important text on your profile. The about section can be up to 2,000 characters, which gives you an excellent opportunity to explain yourself to potential employers. This section is very similar to a cover letter. Consider the following format when writing your summary: Hook Mission Skills Call to Action (CTA)
Adding your work experience as a dishwasher ten years ago may not be ideal if you are not in a field related to working in a restaurant. As a rule of thumb, add all the experience you have on your resume. Because there is no limit to adding experience to LinkedIn, make sure to beef it up as much as possible with RELEVANT work experience.
The education section on LinkedIn should not include your high school if you went to college or currently attending college. Add all other education, including MBA, college transfers, etc. The education section does not require you to write a degree, start/end date, grade, activities, or a description. However, make sure to fill out what your degree was, start/end date, and activities and societies (if any.)
Start by including the hard skills that are directly related to the job you’re applying for. These are technical abilities or specific knowledge that you have acquired through education, training, or work experience. It’s important to also include transferable skills that can be valuable across different industries or roles. Along with listing your skills, consider seeking endorsements from colleagues, supervisors, or clients who can vouch for your proficiency in those areas. With LinkedIn, you can easily ask connections to endorse your skills, which can be displayed on your profile and included in your resume.
The education section on LinkedIn should not include your high school if you went to college or currently attending college. Add all other education, including MBA, college transfers, etc. The education section does not require you to write a degree, start/end date, grade, activities, or a description. However, make sure to fill out what your degree was, start/end date, and activities and societies (if any.)
As we said before, having a professional image taken for your profile is very important. There are two photos you can add to your profile. We highly recommend adding a profile picture, but when it comes to a background photo for your page, it is not as necessary. However, if you choose to have a background on your LinkedIn page, make sure it is also professional.
You are almost there! Your LinkedIn profile is almost complete. All you need to do now is start connecting with people you know! You can search people you know on the top search bar or go to the “my network” tab and find people with similarities to your profile. You can also follow companies to keep up to date with all their updates.
Now that you have created a professional LinkedIn page make sure to follow us! If you or someone you know is looking for work, check out our job openings at citypersonnel.net/jobs!