It’s clear, we are evolving; no longer do employers need to settle for the typical CV, they can now go online to view your digital imprint.

So why not make your LinkedIn profile the best they have ever seen?

Of course we recommend all those who have the not so professional Facebook and Twitter accounts to set them on private or to simply take down all unsavoury content. You don’t want a potential employer to stumble upon your last night out, where you may have had one too many or just got caught on camera being silly.

But what you absolutely want a potential employer to find is your LinkedIn account, the professional you. It’s simple, the layout is already provided, so you needn’t worry, it has a free package on offer, and the amount of content you can add is limitless. Which is all well and good, but you need to make sure that you use your LinkedIn profile properly.

You need to make its eye catching, draws them in, and makes them want to know more about you. Don’t bore them with content stuffers.

This is where we come in, we are here to help you make your LinkedIn profile shine brighter than anyone else’s.

So keep reading….. It gets better.

First off the most critical parts of your LinkedIn profile is the:

Headline: This is right beside your profile picture and states what you are currently doing or have most recently done in terms of employment.

 This is where a potential employer will be looking for particular ‘keywords’ So don’t leave this blank,  you can make your headline more attractive with Keywords that describe your skills and experience. Keep it short, keep it relevant.

Note: If you are applying for a job and have the job description why not find out exactly what they are looking for and paste it into an app called Wordle, which gives you the keywords of a particular text, then you can tweak your LinkedIn profile so that when they come looking your LinkedIn profile is ready and has what they want.

Summery: Here is your chance to sell your skills in 250 – 300 characters ( with spaces) you can write more, but the point is,  you want to say little but reveal a lot. Here is where you tell them, what it is about you that they can’t go on without, that you would be an asset to their organisation, and that hiring you would be the best thing they ever did. You can say what you are looking for and what you can offer them – the employer 

Experience: This is where it starts to look more CV like, in where you list off where you have worked and what you have done. But what you want to do is write it in such a way, with keywords, that grabs the employer’s eye, and makes them think; yes this is the one for me.

 For example:

• Don’t  say you developed your  ‘’Computer skills’’
• Do say developed skills in Microsoft Office. This shows where and what computer skills you have developed.

Job Coconut Tips:

• Make sure your LinkedIn profile picture is professional. No employer wants to see a picture of you at the beach or on a night out. Preferably one with you dressed professionally, well groomed and clean shaven.
• Ask current/former employers or colleagues for an online reference and to endorse you. Employers will then see how other employers and colleagues have rated your performance.
• Have connections, as potential employers would find it odd if you are not connected to others. BUT make sure they are relevant connections; don’t just connect with anybody and everybody.
• We all know that images get a better response, because a picture says a thousand words, and catches people’s eye as they are scrolling, so perhaps think about embedding the odd picture in, not many perhaps 1 or 2 max.
• If you’re out of work, don’t just say you're ‘’unemployed’’ or Seeking new job opportunities’’, we recommend saying what industry you are interested in.

For example: '’Engineer currently seeking job opportunities’’ 

With this, the recruiter/employer see’s what industry you are qualified for and doesn’t have to crawl through your LinkedIn profile, slowly but surely losing interest.

For more great career advice on CV preperation or Interrview tactics.