No Buzzwords: Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out

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Exercise 1

Vocabulary

Repeat each word, definition, and example sentence after your tutor.

networking

Noun

ˈnetwɜːrkɪŋ

the action or process of meeting and talking to people in order to make professional connections with them

Extroverts often do well in professions that require networking and public speaking.

stand out

Phrasal Verb

stænd aʊt

to be different, better, or more noticeable than others

If you want your application to stand out, make sure you have a strong cover letter.

recruiter

Noun

rɪˈkruːtər

a person whose job is to find someone to join a company or organization

I'm constantly getting emails from this recruiter.

actively

Adverb

ˈæktɪvli

in a way that involves action or effort

He's been actively involved in the local community for over 30 years.

impression

Noun

ɪmˈprɛʃən

a feeling, idea, or opinion of someone or something, especially one that is formed without thinking or with little evidence

Making eye contact and smiling can help you make a good impression at a job interview.

summary

Noun

ˈsʌməri

a short statement explaining the main points of something

The annual report provides a summary of the company's performance over the past year.

Exercise 2

Article

Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your tutor.

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

No Buzzwords: Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out

Millions of us use the networking site LinkedIn to share our professional successes, make contacts and look for new jobs.

But how can you make your profile stand out? Here are a few tips from industry experts.

Be professional, but don't hide your personality

First, make sure you get the basics right: use a profile picture that wasn't taken on holiday, and make sure you have good spelling and grammar.

But did you know you can even make your URL look more professional? The URL will usually include some numbers after your name, but you can change it in the settings to be just your name, which looks much cleaner.

According to business expert André Spicer, you should also list more than just your work history: "Including the right amount of personal information is important. Recruiters want to be given a hint of the kind of person you are."

Keep your profile active

Ken Chase from jobs site Top Resume says you want to show recruiters that you're an expert, so keep your profile active with posts and articles that demonstrate what you know.

This will show others that you know of new developments in your industry, and that you're actively using your profile as a professional tool.

Make the right connections

Connections are important, but Spicer recommends "quality over quantity" — so, connect with important people in your industry rather than just everyone.

And if any of those important contacts have worked with you before, ask them for a recommendation you can display on your page.

Get to the point

You need your profile to make an impression from the very top. So get to the point right away, selling your skills and successes using clear vocabulary.

However, Jane Deehan from LinkedIn suggests avoiding "buzzwords," which she says "are adjectives that are used so often in LinkedIn headlines and summaries that they become almost completely meaningless."

She lists examples like "experienced" and "creative," saying it's best to demonstrate these things on our profiles to convince people that these adjectives apply to us.

Exercise 3

Discussion

Have a discussion based on the following questions.

Which of the tips from the article did you find useful?

Is it common to include details about your personality on CVs in your country?

Do you try to stay up to date with developments in your industry?

How often do you get the chance to connect with people in your industry?

Are there any terms that often appear on CVs that have become "almost completely meaningless" in your language?

Exercise 4

Further Discussion

Have a discussion based on the following questions.

When was the last time you updated your resume?

Have you ever had to read resumes as part of your job?

Which of your professional skills would you highlight if you were preparing for a job interview?

Have you ever turned down a job offer? If so, what was the reason?

If you could work for any company in the world, which would you choose?

Source

This lesson is based on an article by Henry Milward.