LinkedIn Tutorial for Beginners ➤ Create a Great LinkedIn Profile in 2024

Summary

This video offers an advanced guide to optimizing your LinkedIn profile in 2024, highlighting the platform's AI-based updates. It emphasizes the importance of a professional profile photo, a compelling background, and a keyword-rich headline. The guide also covers profile pronunciation, the choice between 'follow' and 'connect', and the significance of a well-crafted summary. It advises on building a strong network, showcasing relevant skills, creating impactful content, and utilizing the 'Open to work' feature. The video concludes with insights on job trends and skills in demand, providing a comprehensive strategy for enhancing professional visibility on LinkedIn.

Takeaways

• 😀 LinkedIn has introduced numerous AI-driven updates in 2024, emphasizing the need to update your profile to leverage these changes.
• 🔎 The AI-based search feature allows recruiters to find candidates by typing in keywords, making it crucial for profiles to be keyword-optimized.
• 📸 A professional and recent profile photo is essential, with the face occupying 60% of the image and reflecting attire suitable for the workplace.
• 🖼️ The background photo should visually convey personal and professional interests, standing out from others in the same field.
• 📌 The headline should go beyond just the job role, incorporating achievements, platforms, and follower counts to showcase impact.
• 🔊 LinkedIn now offers a pronunciation feature for complex names, aiding in personal branding and accessibility.
• 🔄 The 'follow' or 'connect' button choice depends on whether you aim to build a creator audience or a professional network.
• 📝 The summary or 'about' section has been moved to the top of profiles, requiring a concise yet comprehensive overview of your professional journey.
• 🤝 Building a strong LinkedIn network is crucial, and syncing contact lists can help identify and connect with potential connections.
• 🏆 The skills section has been expanded to 100 skills, highlighting the importance of endorsements from relevant individuals to validate your expertise.
• 📚 LinkedIn Learning offers free courses in 2024, providing opportunities to acquire new skills and certifications to enhance your profile.

Q & A

What significant changes has LinkedIn made in 2024 due to artificial intelligence?

LinkedIn has introduced numerous changes in 2024, including an AI-based search feature that allows recruiters to find candidates based on keywords, and updates to the profile optimization process to ensure candidates appear in search results.

Why is it important to update your LinkedIn profile photo?

Updating your LinkedIn profile photo is crucial because it should be recent, look natural, cover 60% of the photo, represent your professional attire, and show you smiling to make a good impression on recruiters.

What are the key points to consider when choosing a background photo for your LinkedIn profile?

The background photo should reflect what matters to you, convey as much information about yourself as possible, and stand out by being unique compared to others in your field.

What should be included in your LinkedIn headline to make it more effective?

Your LinkedIn headline should go beyond just your job role, include your platforms and the number of followers, incorporate numbers to show your work or results, and use relevant keywords to improve search visibility.

How can you add pronunciation guidance for your name on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn allows you to add pronunciation guidance by going to the 'edit profile' option, finding the pronunciation segment, recording your name's pronunciation, and then it appears next to your profile for others to listen to.

What is the difference between the 'follow' and 'connect' options on LinkedIn?

The 'follow' option is suitable for those who want to spread their voice and become creators, while the 'connect' option is for those looking to build a professional network and seek job opportunities.

Why is the summary or 'about' section of a LinkedIn profile important and how has it changed?

The summary section is important as it is now displayed at the top of the profile, providing the first impression. It should detail your current role, journey, skills, job significance, and differentiation from others, and use keywords for optimization.

How can you grow your LinkedIn network effectively?

You can grow your LinkedIn network by syncing your contact list or email list with LinkedIn, reviewing synced contacts, and sending connection requests to those you haven't connected with yet.

What is the significance of the skills section on LinkedIn and how has it evolved?

The skills section is significant as 40% of recruiters note it down while selecting candidates. LinkedIn now allows adding up to 100 skills and focuses on matching these with recruiters' requirements through AI-based searches.

How can creating content on LinkedIn benefit your profile and visibility?

Creating genuine and authentic content on LinkedIn can increase your visibility by accumulating more data about your topics and skills, inspiring and connecting with your audience, and leaving an impact.

What is the 'Open to work' feature on LinkedIn and how can it help job seekers?

The 'Open to work' feature allows you to signal to recruiters or all LinkedIn members that you are looking for a job. Enabling this feature helps LinkedIn's algorithm match you with relevant job opportunities based on your profile and preferences.

Outlines

00:00

📝 LinkedIn Profile Optimization Guide

The speaker introduces a comprehensive guide to optimizing a LinkedIn profile in 2024, highlighting the impact of AI on the platform. They emphasize the importance of updating profiles to appear in recruiters' search results and make a good impression. The profile photo should be recent, natural, and prominently feature the face. The background should reflect personal and professional identity, and the headline should go beyond job titles to include achievements and keywords. The video also covers the new pronunciation feature for names and the switch from 'follow' to 'connect' options.

05:00

🔍 Enhancing Profile Visibility and Content Strategy

This paragraph delves into the changes to the 'About' section, which is now more prominently displayed, and the importance of detailing one's professional journey and skills. The speaker advises using concrete numbers and impact statements to stand out. They also discuss the value of keywords over buzzwords and the process of syncing contact lists to expand one's network. The paragraph further covers the significance of work experience, education, certifications, and the new feature of AI-based courses on LinkedIn Learning. Additionally, the skills section is updated to include more skills and endorsements, aligning with recruiters' search criteria.

10:03

🚀 Leveraging Content Creation and Job Opportunities

The final paragraph focuses on the importance of content creation on LinkedIn for personal branding and skill demonstration. It discusses the platform's push for users to share more information, which helps LinkedIn's AI to understand and recommend users based on their expertise. The speaker also touches on the custom button feature for premium accounts, which allows for direct traffic to personal websites or blogs. They explain the 'Open to work' feature, which signals job interest to recruiters, and mention a forthcoming blog post detailing emerging job roles and required skills in 2024, promising to provide a link for further exploration.

Keywords

💡LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform used by individuals and companies to connect, share content, and seek career opportunities. In the video, it is the central focus as the host discusses updates and strategies for optimizing one's LinkedIn profile to leverage AI-based features and improve visibility to recruiters.

💡Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. The script mentions that LinkedIn has integrated AI into its platform in 2024, enhancing its search feature to better match recruiters with candidate profiles based on keywords.

💡Profile Optimization

Profile Optimization is the process of enhancing a LinkedIn profile to rank higher in search results and attract the attention of recruiters. The video emphasizes the importance of optimizing one's profile by including relevant keywords, a professional photo, and a compelling summary to appear in recruiters' search results.

💡Profile Photo

A Profile Photo on LinkedIn is a personal image that represents an individual professionally. The script provides criteria for an effective profile photo, such as being recent, natural,占比60% of the photo, and showing a smile, which are all aimed at creating a positive first impression on recruiters.

💡Background Image

The Background Image on a LinkedIn profile is a visual element that appears above the profile photo and can convey personal and professional information. The video suggests using this space to show what matters to the individual, such as their professional identity or affiliations, and to stand out from others in the same field.

💡Headline

The Headline on LinkedIn is a short, impactful statement that appears below the name on a profile. It should go beyond just stating one's job role and include additional information such as industry keywords, platforms used, and number of followers to provide a snapshot of one's professional identity and reach.

💡Pronunciation Guide

A Pronunciation Guide is a feature that allows individuals with complex or difficult-to-pronounce names to provide an audio recording of their name's pronunciation. This helps in ensuring correct identification and communication, as illustrated in the script where the host demonstrates how to add this feature on LinkedIn.

💡Follow vs. Connect

The script discusses the difference between 'Follow' and 'Connect' options on LinkedIn. 'Follow' is more suited for creators looking to expand their audience, while 'Connect' is for those seeking to build a professional network for job opportunities. The choice between these options depends on the user's purpose for using LinkedIn.

💡Summary/About Section

The Summary or About Section on LinkedIn is a space where individuals can provide a detailed account of their professional journey, skills, and the value they bring to their role. The video highlights the importance of this section being moved to the top of the profile in 2024, making it the first thing visitors read and thus a crucial aspect of profile optimization.

💡Keywords

Keywords are specific words or phrases that define one's skills, expertise, or professional focus. The script emphasizes the use of keywords in various sections of the LinkedIn profile to align with job requirements and improve the chances of appearing in recruiters' AI-based searches.

💡Networking

Networking on LinkedIn involves building and maintaining professional relationships through connections. The video suggests syncing one's contact list to discover and connect with people within one's network, which can be instrumental in job searches and career development.

💡Skills Endorsements

Skills Endorsements on LinkedIn are a way for others in one's network to validate one's proficiency in specific areas. The script discusses the importance of having relevant endorsements, as they serve as social proof of one's abilities and are considered by recruiters during candidate selection.

💡Content Creation

Content Creation on LinkedIn refers to the act of posting original content to engage with one's network and showcase expertise. The video encourages creating authentic content with targeted keywords to increase visibility and interaction, which can enhance one's professional presence on the platform.

💡Custom Button

A Custom Button is a feature that allows users, particularly those with LinkedIn Premium, to add a call-to-action button on their profile, directing visitors to external sites such as personal websites or blogs. The script mentions this as a way to drive traffic and provide additional information to potential employers or collaborators.

💡Open to Work

The 'Open to Work' feature on LinkedIn is a setting that signals to recruiters or the entire LinkedIn community that an individual is seeking new job opportunities. The video explains how enabling this feature and choosing who can see it can help in attracting relevant job offers and networking opportunities.

Highlights

LinkedIn has introduced AI-based search features in 2024, allowing recruiters to find candidates based on typed keywords.

It's crucial to update your LinkedIn profile to optimize for AI search and to attract recruiters.

Profile photo should be recent, natural, and cover 60% of the image to ensure visibility and professionalism.

Avoid AI-generated photos for a more authentic and personal touch.

Wear attire suitable for your workplace in your profile photo to convey a consistent professional image.

Smile in your profile photo to appear approachable and friendly.

Your background photo should reflect your values and be unique to stand out.

Headline should go beyond job role and include platforms and follower counts for a comprehensive view.

Use of keywords in the headline can improve visibility in search results.

LinkedIn has added a pronunciation feature for complex names to aid in correct pronunciation by others.

The distinction between 'follow' and 'connect' options on LinkedIn has been removed, offering a unified approach.

Choosing between 'follow' and 'connect' depends on whether you aim to build a network or gain visibility.

The 'About' or summary section has been moved to the top of profiles for better visibility.

Include your professional journey, skills, and the impact of your job in the summary for a compelling narrative.

Use keywords instead of buzzwords in your summary to align with job requirements and AI search algorithms.

Sync your contact list with LinkedIn to grow your network and receive connection suggestions.

Incorporate keywords from job descriptions into your experience and education sections for better alignment with recruiter searches.

LinkedIn Learning offers free courses, and certificates from these can be directly added to your profile.

The skills section has been expanded to 100 skills, emphasizing the importance of endorsements from relevant connections.

Creating authentic content on LinkedIn can increase your visibility and impact among connections and recruiters.

A custom button can be added to redirect visitors to your website or other online presences.

Setting 'Open to work' to 'Recruiters only' signals to LinkedIn's AI that you are seeking job opportunities.

LinkedIn has released insights on job trends and skills required for 2024, aiding in career planning and development.

Transcripts

Hi guys, welcome or welcome back to the channel.

Perhaps many of you may not know that

LinkedIn has made numerous new changes on its

platform in 2024 because of artificial intelligence.

If you haven't updated your LinkedIn profile,

then the time has come for you to update it.

A few days ago, a comment was posted under a

video on this channel requesting the same thing.

And that is why I am making this video sharing

an advanced guide to make a LinkedIn profile.

So LinkedIn has launched an AI-based search feature

where any recruiter can simply type in

the type of candidate they are looking for,

and according to the keywords they have typed,

LinkedIn will automatically find those candidates for them.

It means that if you want to appear in the search

results of those recruiters, then first of all,

your profile should be optimized.

Secondly, if a recruiter visits your profile, that profile

has to look good enough so that they shortlist you.

So now we will work on both aspects.

I will take my profile as an example

and explain each component,

starting with the important thing, your profile photo.

This is my LinkedIn profile photo.

Now let's use it to check those pointers

you need to keep in mind.

First of all, your profile photo should be recent.

This is my photo, I'm hoping that I still look the same.

So this is a recent photo.

Secondly, it should look like you

and not like an AI-based photo.

Nowadays, many people are using AI-generated photos.

It should not be like that; it should look natural.

Thirdly, your face should comprise 60% of the photo.

You might have seen some people's photos

where they fill the entire picture,

and only a small part shows their face.

That's not what we want like in my photo,

a significant portion covers my face,

so that is how it should be.

4. You should wear what you’re going to wear to work.

We haven't taken the photo in party dresses or night suits.

We will wear what we are going to wear to work

and take a photo in the same attire.

The final point is that you should smile in your photo.

This means we shouldn't have a completely poker face.

Like my photo, you should take a photo while smiling.

So, this is your photo.

The second component is your background,

which is visible just above your profile.

In this, there are two points.

The first is it should show what matters to you,

meaning you should crisply and pictorially explain

as much information about yourself

as possible through this photo.

For example, by looking at this photo,

you can get an idea that I am a content creator

who has attended TEDx events and

has also posted a photo of my college.

The type of content I create is also mentioned here.

Then, your background should always stand out.

So, for this, what can you do?

You can check the backgrounds of others in your

field and try to make yourself a little unique.

The third component is your headline.

meaning what is written below my name.

The most important point here is

it should say more than just your job role.

I could have written 'content creator' here,

but instead, I mentioned my platforms and

the number of followers I have on them.

If you include some numbers,

it shows how much work or results you've brought in,

so you can mention those.

And finally, use keywords.

As I said, if someone searches and comes across,

your profile should be displayed at the top.

So, here I have used the keyword 'IIM Ahmedabad'

so that if anyone searches based on that college,

they can find me directly.

The next feature is pronunciation.

So LinkedIn has added this very new thing,

through which if your name is a bit complex,

like some people have very different names

like Pradhuman, or there are names that are difficult

for some people to pronounce.

In that case, what you can do is add

the pronunciation of your name.

Here's how you do it: I'll show you through my mobile app.

We'll go to the 'edit profile' option,

where the pronunciation segment will appear.

Then, I will press record.

Here, it will ask for permission to record the audio.

I will give permission, then I will record it.

And then it appears next to your profile like this,

which anyone can listen to in order to understand

how to pronounce your name.

Our next feature is the follow or connection button.

Perhaps, very few of you may have an idea that

there is a creator a/c & normal LinkedIn account.

But now, LinkedIn has announced that

they will scrap the creator account.

Now, everyone will have a normal account.

In that case, you will have both the follow and

connect options, which were previously

only available to creators.

Meaning, you can go to your profile and choose

whether you want to show follow or connect button.

Now, which one you choose will depend on

what purpose you are using LinkedIn for.

If you want to spread your voice,

become famous, or become a creator,

in that case, you should use the follow button here.

But if your main purpose is to build a network

and seek job opportunities, in that case,

you should use the connection button so that

whenever a person comes on your profile,

rather than following, they simply connect with you.

The next component is summary or about section.

So, there has been a significant change in this.

Previously, your about section used to appear below

the featured section, meaning someone had to scroll

quite a bit to learn about your profile.

In fact, currently, the LinkedIn portal in India

still displays it that way.

But in many countries, and this thing has also been

released that in 2024,

this is one of the major changes coming up, which is

that your about section will be moved to the top.

So, as soon as anyone visits your profile,

that's the first thing they are going to read.

First of all, your summary should not only mention

your current role but also your journey.

For example, I've written that I am a content creator,

but I also need to explain what I did before that.

In 1st paragraph, what I am currently doing is mentioned,

& in last paragraph, the rest of my journey is mentioned.

The second point is to clearly mention your skills

because when any recruiter searches for a

candidate, they will definitely mention the skills.

For e.g., I've emphasized my sales and marketing skills.

Then you should write why you think your job matters.

Like here, I have written 'creating impact' because

I think my role creates some impact in the society.

After that, you should write what is the difference

that you’re making versus, let's say, someone else.

For this, you can show impact.

For example, I have quoted numbers to show

how much followership I have on different platforms.

The final point is to use keywords instead of buzzwords.

Nowadays, you may have seen a lot of people write

in their profiles that they are experts in certain areas

or they are specialized, or that they are a coach.

Recently, many articles have been written stating that

recruiters avoid buzzwords; it's a straight no-no.

Instead of using buzzwords, you use keywords.

Now, how can you find keywords?

Whatever job you like, go to its job section.

Copy the requirements or skills needed section,

and then you can use a word cloud generator

where you simply paste it.

It will show you the major skills.

Also, you'll get an idea of any other major keywords.

Now, you can add them to your profile.

This will optimize your summary with keywords.

The next important thing is building a network.

If you go to the 'My Network' page on your profile,

you will find out about your current network here.

If your LinkedIn network is not as strong

and you want to grow it, then one very easy way is

syncing your contact list or email list.

In today's date, LinkedIn automatically syncs it.

However, if you still want to check whether

your profile is synced with your contacts or not,

one way is that when you go to 'My Network',

you'll see an option for contacts at the bottom here.

First of all, if it is synced, you can scroll down

and send requests to these contacts

if you haven't already done that.

If it's not synced, how will you check?

On the right-hand side, you will see the option

to 'manage synced contacts'.

When you click on it, then you’ll get to know

what things are already synced.

Like mine, everything is synced here.

By doing this, you will get suggestions.

It will not automatically send requests to those people,

but you will get a list of people you may have

connected with via phone or email addresses.

And that will make it easier for you to send requests

and also get connected to them, which will help you

in building connections for jobs or other purposes.

The next component as you scroll

will be your experience, meaning work experience,

followed by education.

Now, when you add your jobs here, along with that,

you can also use keywords that

you used in your summary section and include them

in your previous organization's experience.

After that comes our certifications section,

meaning if you have pursued any courses for which

you have a shareable certificate, you can add it here.

One thing to remember is that LinkedIn has its own

learning platform called LinkedIn Learning.

If you take courses on it,

you can directly add their certificates here.

The interesting thing is that

LinkedIn regularly releases many free courses.

Otherwise, they are paid.

A premium subscription is required for that.

But recently, they have announced that in 2024,

they will offer 250 AI-based courses

for free until a certain duration.

The next section is about skills.

There have been a few major changes in the skills.

According to a report, 40 percent of recruiters note

down the skills section while selecting someone.

Please also note that, as I mentioned earlier,

now there will be AI-based search,

so most of the recruiters are going to specify

which skills they are looking for.

And LinkedIn's algorithm, which will use AI,

will mainly focus on mapping out those skills that

you have mentioned in your profile with the skills

that those recruiters are looking for.

So you have to update the section.

That's why LinkedIn has now introduced an option

to add 100 skills instead of 50 skills.

This is the major change that has happened.

So what do we need to do?

First, we need to update our skills list.

And then, we need to request other people

to endorse us for these skills.

The more relevant your endorsements are, the better.

Endorsing means that a person is verifying

or vouching for you, saying that

they know you are good at that skill.

For example, my most important skill is marketing,

and among the endorsements I have received,

the biggest endorsement is from people with whom

I worked in the organization called Vskills.

So if those whom I worked with are endorsing me

for that skill, it is going to help me a lot.

The next component we will talk about is content.

Today, LinkedIn's biggest objective has become that

besides creators, other people also create content.

And the more information you share,

the more data LinkedIn accumulates about

which topics and skills you talk about.

Make sure that whatever keywords you are focusing on,

you create genuine, authentic content on them,

which inspires people and connects with them,

leaving an impact.

Like if I show you my notifications,

here I have written many posts myself.

But I also receive many comments

where someone has tagged me.

In that case, my chances of replying to them increase,

and those posts start appearing to many of my

connections, which also increases their interaction.

The next thing is a custom button.

This is a premium feature, but still, let me explain.

If you wish, you can enable this button,

through which you can redirect any person to your

profile, website, social media accounts, or blog.

For example, I have LinkedIn Premium,

so I have linked my website.

If you visit my profile, you will see a 'Visit my website'

button where I have written content.

If you click on it, my website will open where I have

launched a course on MBA interview preparation.

The next thing is 'Open to work'.

When you go to your profile, there is an option called

'Open to', where you click on 'Finding a job'.

If you scroll down, you will see the option to choose

who you want to make 'open to work' visible to.

There are two options: first is 'Recruiters only', and

second is 'All LinkedIn members'.

If you enable this button & click on 'Recruiters only',

only recruiters on LinkedIn will know that

you are open to work.

According to a LinkedIn update,

this will also become a very strong indicator that

you are looking for a certain type of job.

The LinkedIn recruiters are going to get the match to

you based on whether you have enabled this or not.

So, that is another thing that you should do

if you are looking for jobs.

Apart from this, another post has come out in which

LinkedIn has revealed that within 2024,

what kind of jobs are on the rise,

along with that what kind of skills are required.

How you can build those skills.

What it entails to work in that role.

And many other details.

So what I will do is I will link this particular blog post

in the description of this video so that

when you click on it, you will also get the link

to the job profiles under any role.

Click on it, and you will get to see all the

opportunities for that particular role in your area.

So with this, now you have an updated advanced

guide to prepare your own LinkedIn profile in 2024.

If you have any questions about this video or

anything else, just put it down in the comments.

Thank you for watching this, guys.

And see you the next time!