How to Create the Experience Section of Your LinkedIn Profile

Updating a LinkedIn profile can be draining, overwhelming, and confusing. As a result, many users don’t update their profiles. In fact, according to a report, 45.4% of people have outdated information on their LinkedIn profiles. This is a red flag because irrelevant information can hurt your chances of getting noticed and landing your dream job.

According to a study, 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for new talents. They also view and evaluate applicants’ profiles before inviting them for an interview. Thus, it is imperative to ensure that your LinkedIn profile is optimized and up-to-date. With this in mind, our focus in this article will be on creating a high-impact LinkedIn experience section that establishes you as a credible and trustworthy potential employee.

1. Add a description to each work experience

The job description is a vital part of how you present yourself on LinkedIn. Some professionals tend to copy the details from their resume and paste it directly into their experience section. However, a LinkedIn profile and a resume serve different purposes. Hence, job descriptions need to be presented distinctly. You need to remember that it is more than just a list and should not be written in a bulleted form. Instead, it should narrate the whole story of what you do and how you added value to your previous employer.

It is best practice to avoid long, generic duties and responsibilities. Instead, feature all significant details of the tasks you performed in your respective roles in short informative paragraphs. To impress the readers, focus on your achievements and be specific with your results. For example, highlight how you hit sales quotas, enhanced productivity, cut costs, or closed multimillion-dollar deals. These best practices will help you put your best foot forward, giving recruiters a reason to connect with you.

2. Focus on your most recent and senior roles

Hiring managers and recruiters tend to look at your current responsibilities and accomplishments. The latest work experiences that are typically the most senior roles are considered to be the most relevant. Highlighting your recent work will help you showcase your capabilities and potential to add value in your next role.

You don’t need to put every inch of your work history. Just like on your resume, you can be selective and remove positions that were held more than 10 years ago. Most recruiters will only be interested in the last 10 years of your career. In some cases, this will also address age bias which is one of the many career issues that may affect your application negatively during the recruitment process.

3. Include experiences relevant to your goals and objectives

What to include in your experience section is based on what you want to achieve with your profile. Aside from highlighting your most recent and senior roles, consider all your goals and objectives. Think about your career aspirations, dream job, and target audience whom you’re trying to impress.

We suggest eliminating irrelevant jobs or any other information that will make your audience doubtful about your commitment to your career. This can be a temporary career break or unrelated part-time gigs. Include roles that provided you with valuable experience and demonstrate your industry knowledge to position yourself as an expert. Moreover, don’t hesitate to add your previous positions if they complement your qualifications and competencies.

4. Make your experience section keyword-rich

According to Job-Hunt, over 90% of recruiters use a specific set of keywords to find qualified candidates in the LinkedIn member database. Hence, integrating keywords throughout your experience section is crucial. This makes your profile more searchable to prospective recruiters, boosting your job search success rate.

Identifying the most commonly used keywords in your industry is essential to ranking well in LinkedIn search results. One of the most efficient ways to do this is by utilizing job search websites. Explore and peruse current job openings that align with your career interests. Then take note of all critical skills, abilities, and experience they require. Incorporate these into your work experience section to increase the probability of attracting potential employers.

5. Add media elements as evidence of your skills and experience

Media elements can supplement your content and add another sophisticated dimension to your experience section. This allows you to creatively communicate your work, distinguishing your profile and helping you stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, this can extend the appeal and reach of your profile to a broader audience.

Some of the media elements you can include are PowerPoint presentations, PDF eBooks, images, videos, and links to external documents and sites. Upload this additional content to enhance your profile visually and shore up more evidence of your accomplishments, special projects, and expertise. These visuals present your brand in an artistic format,  thereby making a significant impact on those who are looking to learn more about you.

6. Make your content conversational and engaging

Communicating using a conversational tone can help you connect with your audience on a personal level. Contrary to how a resume is typically written, your LinkedIn content should be drafted in the first-person narrative. Present your professional journey naturally rather than copy-pasting the bulleted list of everything you’ve done from your resume.

Aligning the language with your target audience is critical in capturing their attention. Use a conversational writing style to let them know what you bring to the table and how you can generate results. This will help you convey your message better, improve your credibility, and build immediate rapport. This is how you can do this:

Resume:

Work directly with the VP of Key Accounts to manage a significant account base; organize meetings to deliver proposals and demonstrate brand value propositions; successfully closed large deployments with a total value of $20M+ in sales

LinkedIn:

In my current role, I manage a significant account base in collaboration with the VP of Key Accounts. By organizing meetings, I am able to deliver proposals and demonstrate our brand’s value propositions. As a result, I have successfully closed large deployments that brought multimillion-dollar sales to the company.

The experience section of your LinkedIn profile should support and complement your resume. To capture a potential employer’s interest, it is imperative to describe your job duties in a way that creates a compelling story of success and adds credibility to your professional journey. The suggestions above will help you build a comprehensive and achievement-based experience section that will maximize the realization of your career goals.