LinkedIn Level Up: 7 ways to improve your presence as a developer
In the last decade, it has become commonplace to look up candidates on LinkedIn. For programmers, a poorly or sparsely filled profile can be more disadvantageous than not being represented on the portal at all. However, if you want your profile to shine when visited by a recruiter or hiring manager, you should follow these six steps.
Create a top-notch profile summary
Your profile summary is the first content people see when they visit your LinkedIn profile. Take the time to properly present all the relevant information you want a user to see. As you write your summary, remember the standard recruitment question: "Tell me about yourself." In a job interview scenario, you would likely tell about your previous jobs, specific skills, technologies used, projects implemented, and career goals. It's also a good idea to include something personal to give people an idea of who you are outside of work.
Quantify your job experience
Many developers make the mistake of only providing employer names and periods of employment. You should see the section as an opportunity to show what you have already done and achieved. Show what you have achieved while working for the respective employers and quantify your statements whenever possible.
Make it clear what the clear result of your work was and do not just describe your tasks in general. This means that bullet points like “Rewrote front-end code” are fleshed out with “My work resulted in a 75% faster page load”. These metrics prove that you contributed to the success of the business and not just simply punched in and out have.
Ask for recommendations
When you complete a project or change jobs, it's common for you to get a letter of recommendation. Before you switch, ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn as well. These endorsements appear on your public profile and show future employers that previous employers have been satisfied with your work. If possible, ask the referrers to focus on soft skills as these can be more difficult to grasp through the CV. LinkedIn has a handy guide to requesting recommendations. Don't just limit yourself to superiors, but also ask former colleagues for kind words.
Links to portfolio projects
If you have your work live on websites, link it directly to your LinkedIn profile. If the projects are not shown anywhere, create your own web presence with your portfolio or use platforms like Slideshare to present them. If available, point out your own projects or hackathons
This is also a great area to integrate hackathons and personal projects if you have any of those.
Including sample work is a great way to match the right contacts based on your skills. Just make sure you don't have to get permission from previous employers so you don't accidentally post anything confidential.
Don't underestimate volunteer work
As a developer, you probably have many friends who are constantly asking for favors. You don't necessarily have to do programming work for charities to volunteer your time. Updating your friend's website or participating in open source projects are just a few examples that fall into this category.
A professional profile photo
As a developer, chances are you know someone with an SLR camera. Use your network to create a professional profile picture that also conveys your personality well. Knowingly or unknowingly, a high-quality photo gives the impression that you are more professional, more experienced and also more qualified for certain tasks. Better yet, use your profile photo as an opportunity to showcase your skills, by creating a cartoon version of yourself or showing off your web design skills in an extraordinary way. Get creative and use your photo as another way to shine with your LinkedIn profile.
Optimize for search engines
Using keywords on your LinkedIn profile makes it easier for you to be found by Google and internal searches. Terms like “Javascript web developer” or “senior front-end developer” are two examples of keywords that will narrow them down and make them stand out on a tactical level. Mention your keywords in bio, work history, volunteer section, hobbies, and anywhere else you can squeeze them in.
Your profile is never “complete”
The steps outlined to improve your LinkedIn profile are a great way to improve your chances of getting your dream job. View your profile as an ongoing project. It always needs to be tweaked and updated whether you are currently looking for a job or not. This guarantees that recruiters who stumble upon your profile will be impressed with what they find.
