Have you ever tried to google yourself?! Try it… if you’ve got a LinkedIn profile, chances are it’s the first thing that’s going to come up. And this is how potential employers will look you up – and judge you. As a professional administrator, it’s important to have a LinkedIn profile that represents you and your skills to the fullest.

LinkedIn can be used to job hunt, attract recruiters, stay in touch with people and expand your professional network. But these days setting up a profile isn’t enough. LinkedIn is only as good as the effort you put into it.

Below are some ways to boost your profile and stand out from the crowd.

  • Fill it in! All sections of the profile that is, starting with the summary. According to LinkedIn data, writing at least 40 words in your profile will increase, by seven times, its chances of being viewed. This is your chance to make an impression. Include key words on your specialisms, jobs you have held, successes you’ve had and what do you love about your position. Try to think of keywords that will make you stand out and easier to find.
  • Invest in a professional photo – Profiles with a photo are 14 times more likely to receive views than those that don’t. If you can invest in a professional headshot, or get someone to take this for you, this will look much more polished. Ditch the selfies and pouts – keep it professional.
  • Create a custom URL – LinkedIn will issue you with your unique URL, which is essentially full of symbols. You can create your own URL, which you can then use on your business cards, email signatures, CV and social media. Click on your profile and go to ‘Edit your public profile words/link and select ‘Edit public profile URL’. Just edit your name as you would like it to appear and click save.
  • Get connecting – The more connections you add, the more visible you are in LinkedIn searches. You can easily find people you know and then expand your network.
  • Show your experience – Your profile is 12 times more likely to be viewed if you have more than one job listed. Complete all the credentials you’ve earned, anything you’ve joined, languages or other skills you have learned. Recruiters hunt for candidates using key words in these fields.
  • Don’t be modest – This is your opportunity to shine! So, go ahead and list as many of your skills on your profile as you can. People who include skills receive 13 times more profile views than those that don’t. These can be wide ranging – languages, IT, communication, teamwork, presenting skills.
  • Post on a regular basis – Updating your status and sharing useful content is a great way to make yourself visible to your network. If you’re openly looking for work, share an update – you might catch the eye of a useful contact. In fact sharing once a week can make you ten times more likely to be contacted by a recruiter. But primarily, status updates tell your network that you are active and up to date with your industry. You can also tag people and companies in your status to engage with them.
  • Join groups – Network with other people within your industry, or a field you want to get into, by joining LinkedIn groups. You can also make yourself more visible by actively joining in discussions within the groups. Provide thoughtful answers/comments – don’t self-promote too much.
  • Share your work – Put a link to your blog, or workbook, or anything else you’ve done that you want to share in your profile. This is a good way to appear proficient in your particular line of work.
  • Get recommendations – Ask current and former colleagues, clients and connections to recommend you. Strong recommendations help to improve your ranking in LinkedIn’s people search results. It may help if you draft a short recommendation on their behalf – it saves them writing it themselves.
  • LinkedIn Answers – This is a feature that allows any member to ask a question. You will find this under the More tab on the home page after logging in. You could search for questions that come under your area of expertise – this is an excellent way to demonstrate expertise and help others.