The job hunt is already underway for soon-to-be December grads from journalism schools, so now’s the time to beef up those resume materials.
Sean Callahan, senior manager for content marketing at LinkedIn, says there are a few things you can do to make your profile stand out from the rest.
- Add a professional photo. Callahan says profiles with pics get 14 times the views of those without. Unfortunately, that means you need to lose the selfie and get the highest quality picture possible.
- Write an attention grabbing headline under your name. “Explain what it is that you do or you want to do,” says Callahan. “Show your passion and the value you will bring to some organization.”
- Draft a compelling summary. It should be at least 40 words and you should be thinking about “keywords not buzzwords” says Callahan. If you’re looking for a job as a multimedia reporter, be sure you use the words “multimedia” and “reporter” in the summary.
- Detail your work experience. Yes, this can be tedious, but users who fill this section out vs. simply uploading a resume get 12 times the views of those that don’t, according to Callahan.
- Add examples of your work. LinkedIn now allows you to add photos, videos and documents, so take advantage of that option.
And one of the best ways to get noticed on LinkedIn is to publish there says Callahan. “Share your knowledge, your perspective on what you care about and generate a status update.”
He pointed to one college student named Tai Tran who published a piece on LinkedIn about the failed #RaceTogether Starbucks campaign. That post got him noticed and eventually got him a job in digital marketing at Apple.
