You probably have a LinkedIn profile. Are you making the most of it? Now that hiring is ramping up in 2021, you should be taking a serious look at your LinkedIn profile and making sure it has everything you need to make a good impression.

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with more than 600 million members and more than 300 million active monthly users, 40% of whom visit the site daily. Most employers look at LinkedIn to learn more about potential hires. One study found that job candidates with a comprehensive LinkedIn profile have a 71% higher chance of getting a job interview than those without one.

Maintaining a comprehensive profile means making use of all available LinkedIn sections, keeping your work and education history up to date, and listing any extra, pertinent information, like your volunteer experience and awards.

What else should you have on your LinkedIn profile in 2021? These five things.

A great summary (“About” section)

You only have a few seconds to grab people’s attention. Use the “About” section to do that. Put your best foot forward and talk about yourself. If you’re in an industry that would welcome it, get creative. There are a lot of people and LinkedIn. You have to stand out.

A good picture

a professional headshot is good. If you don’t have one, your best attempt at a professional selfie is fine, as long as it doesn’t look like a selfie. But do avoid blurry pictures, pictures where you’ve cropped out a friend or a puppy, or weird shadowy pictures that looks sinister (I’ve seen a few of those and it’s a really bad idea unless you’re applying for a job as a vampire or something). Note that the picture should only go on your LinkedIn and never on your resume. Everyone wants to know what you look like but it’s bad form to show it on your resume.

Accomplishments

If you have improved sales or increased revenue, put that on your profile. Use action words. “Increased sales by 150%,” “Improved efficiency,” “decreased spending”  — these are all things that make you look good. Did you design a new website, resolve 150 user tickets a week, or implement a successful employee retention program? Say what you did.

Recommendations

The more positive things people have to say about you, the better. It’s called social proof and we all need it. There’s a chance a hiring manager is not going to look at your recommendations section, but why take it? It can’t hurt to have friends and colleagues saying wonderful things about you. The more detailed they can get about your professionalism and positive personality traits, the better.

Content

Ninety-one per cent of executives say LinkedIn is their top choice for professionally relevant content. Post updates and connect with people in and outside of your field. Write articles and share them. Comment on other people’s posts. If you post frequently people will see your content and recognize you. You don’t have to do it all the time, or even every day. But do engage with potential colleagues and employers.

Need content ideas? We’ve got them here.