Your LinkedIn profile is much more than an online CV. It is useful from the time you begin your studies. It helps you break into the business world by making contact with professionals to whom you would not otherwise have access. Make sure yours highlights your potential.
It is best to create your master CV before working on your LinkedIn profile. See the pages
Modify your master CV to fit your objectives
These pages are full of helpful tips for this stage of the game.
Next, fill your LinkedIn profile with the major highlights of your CV that you deem important (e.g. job titles, achievements and responsibilities). The most important highlights are those that serve your career objective.
Use the CAR technique (Context, Action, Result). Learn how by going to the page Highlight your achievements.
The Internet is full of tutorials that teach how to create a LinkedIn profile. Feel free to take inspiration from them.
LinkedIn allows you to create a profile in French and in English through its “Create a profile in another language” feature.
If you want a career in the management field in Quebec, it is recommended to create a profile in both languages. This will show potential employers that you are bilingual.
Please note! Your profile is not automatically translated. You need to add or translate your own content.
Don’t get caught making common mistakes. They hurt your credibility and weaken your profile. They may cause you to miss opportunities to make useful connections and could even keep you from getting hired.
Fine-tune your profile, whether you’re on LinkedIn to explore careers or find a job. It’s important and useful.
So make sure to complete each section properly. Specifically, avoid language mistakes, strong opinions and publications that don’t reflect well on you.
A LinkedIn profile functions much like a CV, except that instead of being adapted to a job offer, it is adapted to your career objective. This is the objective that you will place in your title and your summary, and that will be reflected throughout your profile.
When you apply to a company, there is a strong chance that the recruiter will be checking your LinkedIn profile. Make sure that your profile covers your various objectives and does not contradict any information on your CV.
No photo in your profile? You run the risk of the visitor thinking that your profile is incomplete and weak. This could work against you.
Professionals who view your profile want to be able to put a face to a name. This is what they expect:
Make sure your About section is polished—its your preview. In addition, recruiters are much more likely to read a profile when there is an About section to give them an idea if the person is a good candidate.
The following are some examples of what to write in your About section:
Are you just starting your career or looking for a new direction? It is crucial indicate your career objective in your title rather than the position you currently hold.
Please note! Complete the “Title” section. If you do not, by default LinkedIn will display your current student job, which may not reflect your career objective.
If you are looking for a specific position, say so. If you do not yet have experience in this job, use the terms “future” or “aspiring,” for example:
Focus on what sets you apart, for example:
Don't want to limit yourself to a single type of position? Interested in a range of positions in a particular field? Name the specific field.
Do not include information that is obvious or already stated in your profile:
Passionate about analysis and business strategy, I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in management (MSc), with specialization in strategy at HEC Montréal. My fields of expertise include change management, mobilization through objectives and organizational diagnosis. I'm also honing my data science skills to facilitate decision-making and innovation.
My major successes (academic projects, competitions and achievements) include:
I am also recognized for my leadership skills and my ability to implement good management practices.
If you would like to get in touch with me, please send me a message with your invitation.
Starting at my very first job, my supervisors have always noticed me. They promoted me to head lifeguard and then to environment manager at the water park.
As the head of a 20-person team, I developed a strong ability to manage priorities and unexpected situations. These are key skills in supply chain management.
Knowledge gained through a bachelor’s degree earned at HEC Montréal in Business Administration with a specialization in Operations and Logistics Management:
I am a logistics professional with a strong background in process improvement, transport, contract negotiation and inventory management.
My leadership skills and innovative spirit have been strong assets to all the companies I have worked for.
I have carried out several job redesigns that cut delivery times by 25%.
I spearheaded implementation of integrated IT systems, significantly improving productivity and generating savings of 20%.
I helped implement ISO standard X, resulting in a 15% improvement in product quality and winning the company three new international contracts.
Your skills and recommendations are key components of your profile. They emphasize and enhance your credibility. Ask for recommendations from your colleagues, managers, partners or professors.
A recommendation has a great deal of value in and of itself.
Your skills must recognized by many other people if they are to hold any value.
Some people have a hyphenated name or more than one first or middle name. This can result in their names not appearing exactly the same on each tool. which can hinder a search for their profile. If this applies to you, make sure to use exactly the same name in every tool (CV, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, business card).
When you are creating your profile, deactivate the “Notify your network” feature. Otherwise you may annoy your contacts with unnecessary notifications.
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Career Management Services offers personalized consultations to help you perfect your LinkedIn profile.
LinkedIn profile revision clinic (undergraduate level) (in French only)
LinkedIn profile and cover letter revision clinic (graduate level)
