Symbols ★ Making your LinkedIn profile stand out❗️

I'm reluctant to delete the below as it is Google-ranked and has received over 130,00 views. Please note the updated version HERE.

LinkedIn is highly visual and increasingly noisy. If you want your profile to capture attention (and you want to make your short-form posts look more interesting), you need to make some alterations. Here, I share a few Top Tisdell Tips on how to make your LinkedIn profile stand out by making some simple changes to your headline and your About/Experience section.

Why your headline matters

Your headline is what feeds the LinkedIn ranking that decides your position when anyone uses the search filters. Aside from your name and picture, it’s the only part of your profile that users will see in search results.

Additionally, every time you comment on a post - it is your headline that people look at and remember you for. So crucial to get your headline right as it is your chance to interest other users enough to make them want to read the rest of your profile in order to find out more about you.

What should it say?

Your headline is the part of your profile that instantly gives other users an impression of who you are and what you do. It has to sum up your skills within 220 characters, so choosing the right words is vital. LinkedIn’s default setting is to simply have your current position and company as your headline - but there’s no reason why you have to stick to that. However, 80 percent of users do, so if you have a headline that’s a little more creative it will instantly make you stand out.

Choosing the right words

Just like Google, LinkedIn uses keywords to decide how to rank your profile in search results. It’s important to use the most relevant keywords in your headline, as this will make your profile rank higher. The best keywords to use are those which your prospective clients or employers would most likely to search for. Try to put yourself in their shoes and consider what would they type into the search bar?

Also, make the most of the 220 characters. If you only have a few keywords, make descriptions or short sentences that sum up the services you offer.

Be creative

Just because you’re using keywords that people are likely to search for, doesn’t mean your headline can’t be original. Try to think of creative ways to put your chosen keywords together. Don’t forget, this is all about selling yourself – if you were a brand, what would your slogan be? Coming up with a catchy phrase or sentence around your keywords is a great way to make your headline stand out.

Make it visually appealing

There is no reason why all your 220 characters have to be letters, or even job titles, if you prefer, your headline can be a list of your skills. The best way to separate them is by using symbols between your keywords, such as:

★ ✶✮✭✯☆✰⛥✫ ╰☆╮ * ✪☼❊🔅⊙ ◍ ❅✺ ■ ◼️ ▪️ ◻️●⚫🔴🔵🌐 🌏

⭕🧿🔘⚪✴️💧 🩸💎✦♦ ◆🔹🔷🔸💠❖🔺♫ ♲ ♻♺ ♼ ☯ ◑

♾️☼⚙✺✻✼❄❅❆❇❈❉❊ ⊕ ✇ ∆ ⚖ ⚕☢️☣️ ⚜ ⚠🔨🛠️

🎯🌀🔥🌟💥💣✨🔱⚜️💡 ⚡🌠💫☁ ⛅💭🌈 ☀️ ϟ ☾ 🏖 ⛱

♡🤍❤️💛💜🖤🤎🌱🌿☘🌸 💐 🎉🌻🍎🌴 🌵 🌷 🌸 🌼🍁 🍂

🚫⛔🛑💵🔮🍀🎆🏳️🌈🎪🏢📷 🎥📽📹📺🎬 💾💽💿📀📁📎

🎧🚨📢🔉🗣🔍🥇🎖🏆 🚦 ⏳㊗️👑🛫 ✈️🚀🖼️🏡🎨 ✒️

✊🏾👆 👇 👈 👉 👊 👋 👌 👍 👎👏 🙏🙏🏾🤝🤜 🤛 👊 💪

🧠 👀🕶👓🎶♘♞🛡️📆🎊🎼🍏🍒 🥊🎈☕🍾🥂🥛🎂🍔

🔗🔑🤝 ⚠ 📌🇦🇺🦘🐍🐦🐻🐒 🦉😾 🐓🐟🦅🐑🐕 🦏🐘🏹🗡️🛡️

🎄🎁🎅🏻🍦🕕💉🔭🔬 📡💊🚗🚓 👕👽 🦄☠️🤖👻🐉

👑 🔍 🔒 🏆 ✂️🌏 🌙 🎢 🕵️👨🎓🤓😳😷😂😎🤔😞🎭 🙋♂️🙅♂️

 💸💰💳🛒👛 👜 👝 🧬 👞 👟 👠 👢 🔠🏳️🌈📅🕳️⏲️🖨️

📩 📧 ✉ ⏏ 📞 ☎ ☎️📲📱💻 📟 📬🏡📐 🎯🎗️ 🚩 ⚐ ⚑📵

 ➢ ►◄  ➤▷◁ ▹◃⇌⇛➧➛➙➜➥ ➸ »––> ⇝➺⇥ ↕⇨⇦ ⇧ ⇩↔

❗️❓💲💱❔��✔✅ ☑✘❌💯⬇️🔝➡️⬅️🔜🆕🆒📈📊 √ 📶

💭🗨️💬 ①②③④⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨⑩ ➊ ➋ ➌ ➍ ➎ ➏ ➐ ➑ ➒ ➓

1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣ 4️⃣ 5️⃣ 6️⃣ 7️⃣ 8️⃣ 9️⃣ 1️⃣ 0️⃣ ⓦ ⓔ ✆ ℹ️ 🈸≤ ≥ ❝ ❞ « » ‟ ⟨ ⟩➕ # ⛶

🇦🇺 $ ¢ £ ¥ € ™ © ® Ⓜ 🆂🅴🆁🆅🅸🅲🅴🆂

🎤📣🎙️💬✍️✒✎✏✐🖍📑📝📄📜💼📘📚📓📰📇

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬ ▢ ▣ ▤ ▥ ▦ ▧ ▨ ▩

Don’t dismiss these symbols – they may seem a little immature to you, but trust me, it will look better than you think on your profile! Making your headline visually memorable will give you an instant advantage over users whose headlines only use text and don’t stand out in any way.

Summary and Experience section

Since LinkedIn changed its privacy settings in January 2018, the default is that only people you are already connected to, can see your contact details. This reduces spamming, however not being able to be contacted via email or phone creates a momentous barrier between you and your potential customers, collaborators and future employers!

I recommend that you be open and accessible by having your contact details in your summary, using iconography to ensure these details stand out.

Strategic placement

Using symbols sparingly in your summary section will engage readers who may be sifting through hundreds of LinkedIn profiles. Invariably these viewers are suffering from scroll-fatigue and declining-attention-deficit-disorder.

In an increasingly visual society, symbols are attractive. They increase alertness and make your profile more visually appealing by breaking up chunks of text. Used strategically, icons highlight the keywords or sections you'd like people to notice.

Experience section

The list of icons (far above) are by no means exhaustive - you can find more on your mobile, however most of us over the age of 25 find it easier to craft something on a desktop, opening LinkedIn twice, copying and pasting across from this article, to your profile... Or saving this article in your Favourites.

Keep in mind that you can use symbols instead of bullets in your all-important experience section of your profile, spacing between points to ensure your achievements really stand out.

(Don't ever cut and paste your resume to your LinkedIn profile, as this gives the reader no reason to contact you with questions. Instead keep your statements short overviews on the difference you deliver, strongly action-orientated.)

My favourite example is my friend Robert's, who in having permitted me to use him as an example of how a profile could be arranged, was recently head-hunted on LinkedIn. Robert was not, and most certainly is NOT looking for a job - but he kindly permits me to still use him as an example of how iconography enhances readability, making the subject even more interesting...

Good luck!

Spending a little extra time on your LinkedIn profile is worth it if you want to remain visible in a world that is increasingly busy and noisy. It could save you a lot of time when it comes to searching for jobs, investors, or clients. If people like what you’re offering them, they may well save you the time and the trouble by approaching you first!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading! If you found this article useful, I'd appreciate a ‘like’ or comment or ‘Follow me' as I share weekly tips that will show up in your newsfeed.

LinkedIn Trainer ♦ LinkedIn Profile Writer ♦ LinkedIn Coach ♦ LinkedIn Presenter & Speaker 📩 Karen@TisdellCareers.com