How’s Your Brand… Your Personal Brand, That Is? Ten Tips for Polishing Your Resume & LinkedIn

You’re responsible for marketing your brand(s) at work, and so you work hard to do a great job. You know what it takes to succeed, and you do it. So when it comes to marketing your personal brand – in particular, your resume/CV and your LinkedIn profile – everything is just as world-class and up-to-the-minute.

…Right?

If not, don’t worry. We’ve compiled the ten most impactful – and most frequently missed – opportunities to improve your resume and your LinkedIn profile, based on the latest research as well as on years of coaching experience.

Updates. This is the big one. If your LinkedIn profile and your resume aren’t complete and up-to-date, the opportunity of a lifetime might pass you by, and you may never even know. Even if you do have your current position listed, have you described it thoroughly, and added your most recent achievements?

 Proofreading. According to Undercover Recruiter, 59% of recruiters will pass on a candidate because of errors: grammar, spelling, or subtler ones, like inconsistent formatting or redundant use of words. It’s hard to catch everything in your own writing. Try reading your resume or profile aloud or asking a friend to help.

Clarity. You may have listed your positions, but have you made it clear what your role entailed? Avoid organizational jargon or acronyms, so that a recruiter or HR person who isn’t familiar with the ins and outs of your role can understand how your experience applies to the role they’re looking to fill.

Quantification. You ask for data to make good decisions at work, right? So does everyone else – recruiters and hiring managers included. However, according to an analysis of more than 125,000 resumes, only 26% had five or more mentions of measurable value, and more than a third had no metrics at all. Use numbers to demonstrate the difference you make.

Summaries. Statistics vary on exactly how little time a recruiter or a hiring manager spends reviewing each resume or LinkedIn profile, but they agree on one thing: it isn’t long. You have seconds to catch someone’s eye. Make the reader’s job easier with an up-front section that explains your expertise succinctly.

Recommendations. We have exceptional professionals in this industry, and you’ve probably worked with many of them. Ask your peers and colleagues if they would write you a brief LinkedIn recommendation and offer to do the same for them.

Volunteering. Listing volunteer experience can illuminate your skills and experience beyond what you’ve had an opportunity to achieve professionally, while giving insight into who you are and what you value. This can be excellent for helping you to find a workplace culture that’s a great fit for you.

Connection. Adding your LinkedIn profile to your resume has been shown to increase your resume’s likelihood of winning you an interview, but most people still don’t include that link. And many people still treat their LinkedIn profile with less care and attention than their resume. Both your resume and your LinkedIn should be thorough and well considered.

Multimedia. Videos, slides, photos: your LinkedIn profile should be far more visually engaging than just plain text! One of the most basic ways is to add a profile photo: LinkedIn says that profiles with photos receive up to 21 times more views, nine times as many connection requests, and 36 times more messages. If you feel comfortable doing so, a photo that looks clear and professional on your profile can help you represent yourself more fully.

Your complete online presence. We’ve talked a lot about what to include, but it’s also important to consider what you shouldn’t. In your online presence – including, but not limited to, everything we’ve talked about above – there could be a misattribution, or a mention of something you prefer to keep private, that might make you feel uncomfortable. Scrutinize your entire online presence with a critical eye – what’s there now, and what you add in future, across all platforms.

You do great work for your brand in your job. Let that same expertise shine through with your own brand with updates like these.