How to Stand Out On LinkedIn
- Sydney Hope
- Jul 13, 2020
- 3 min read
One of the most important things I have learned in college, especially being in the Fashion Industry, is that networking is EVERYTHING. Having a well-rounded resume, a business card on hand, and a visually appealing / informative LinkedIn will get you far in your career.
I am going to break down the basics of building your LinkedIn profile in order to stand out, make connections, and hopefully get hired down the line.
Why is LinkedIn Important?
It is simple. Let me break it down into five answers.
Personal Branding
Networking
Job Hunting
Industry Knowledge
Business / Industry News Sources
After following my simple steps, you will have an efficient and presentable LinkedIn profile that you can use and update for years to come.
Step 1: Images
There are two images that are quite important to your page (profile photo and header).
Profile Photo: Fill in this image with a professional headshot. By doing so, your profile will get up to 14x more views.
Header: Make this personable to you! Whether it is a solid color image, a photo of your school, or a personable quote. This is where you can have a little bit more fun.
Here is mine for a reference! I made it specific to my personal brand, and added a little spunk/creativity, because I am a Fashion major after all!

Step 2: Headline
Try to use a personal slogan that defines your current role. This can be your specific job, your major in school, or your incoming role that you plan on starting shortly.
Make sure to use key words, keep it informative and to the point.

Step 3: Summary
This is where you want to brag about yourself a little bit. Talk about your experience, qualifications, goals and aspirations. Make sure you use a narrative (either first or third person), and make sure to be confident! Use keywords that describe your specific roles, values, passions, accomplishments, and why you deserve the job.
Tips:
Keep it short and to the point
Show your personality
Don't be afraid to "humble brag" about yourself
Re-read to check for grammatical errors
Step 4: Experience
In a sense, this is your digital resume! Look at your resume to fill out this section, and it should help you tremendously. If you do not have a resume, make sure to sit down, think and write out your past experiences thus far in your career.
This section is where you can include your different work and leadership experience. This includes your internships, jobs, leadership roles, etc. Within each role make sure to include:
position overview
bullets with specific responsibilities and accomplishments
demonstrating the value you add to the company (quantify as much as possible)
Make sure to use powerful verbs and action words for each bullet point.
Action + Result
^ Use this format when writing your bullet points
Step 5: Polish Your Profile
This is the easy part as long as you reference your resume. Fill out the desired sections as much as you can! Having a completed and detailed page will make your viewers stop and explore your page for a longer amount of time. Generating traffic on your page is huge!
Education
Volunteer Experience
Skills
Endorsements
Courses
Honors & Awards
Organization
Languages
Certifications
Accomplishments
Some other helpful tips to make you stand out:
Adding a URL
Adding important media (blog, resume, articles about yourself)

Remember, your LinkedIn page is always going to be changing as you gain new leadership roles, have new work experiences and receive new awards.
Make sure to always keep it up to date!
Other Helpful Tips:
Connect with as many like-minded people as you can
Follow Influencers / Companies / News Source pages
Join LinkedIn Groups
Connect with employees / recruiters / companies of interest
Check out my LinkedIn Profile for more info and don't forget to connect with me!
Link to Pinterest
IG Handle: @sydneyhopeee
Don't forget to subscribe to my blog here!
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