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Written by
Giuseppe Gurrieri

4 Powerful Steps LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Developers

Publisched on
27th March 2021

So you’re a new developer on LinkedIn, and you barely know your way around the platform.

But one of the reasons you joined is because of what you’ve heard over time concerning how LinkedIn helps newbies like you like gain their ground.

For starters, we will like to say you heard right! And the next thing we will like to say is that you’ve come to the right source because, in this article, we will share basic tips that will help you optimize your profile as a new developer on LinkedIn.

 The beauty of LinkedIn is that it does not deny anyone the opportunity to excel.

So, whether you switched from an old career to something more techie (web development), what you need to keep at your fingertips at all times is that you need a strong online presence before you get noticed in your field of choice. 

Why is this necessary?

The reason is that research has shown that at least 94% of employers use LinkedIn to find suitable candidates for a position. And do you know the percentage of the employers that are on LinkedIn?

Over 97% of them! But despite this high probability of getting employed through LinkedIn, only about 36% of the people that seek a job on LinkedIn have an active profile.

Of what benefit is this piece of information to you as a new developer?

Well, it means you can join the list of active users and reap its benefits.

Or you can sign up, create an account and let it be a part of millions of other user accounts that are dormant on LinkedIn. It’s your call. 

So, the big question here now is, “how do you go about this process”?

To achieve this, you must learn to fully optimize your LinkedIn profile, and below are some steps that will guide you through the process. 

Four Powerful Steps to your LinkedIn Profile Optimization as a Developer

STEP 1

Ensure your profile is 100% complete.

Why is it crucial for your profile to become an all-star profile (that is, to score up to 100%) on LinkedIn?

It’s because a complete profile has over a 40% chance of receiving opportunities through LinkedIn than one that’s incomplete.

It’s important to have a complete profile because it will rank higher in LinkedIn’s internal algorithm, which will make your profile more discoverable by recruiters. 

In this aspect, LinkedIn works similar to Google’s search engine that relies on discoverability to display results.

Now, what are those things that you need to consider if you want your new developer profile to rank well on LinkedIn?

They are as follows; your profile photo, location and industry, experience, skill, education, certification, and at least 50 established LinkedIn connections. 

LinkedIn will always drop hints of the things you can do to achieve a profile that is 100% complete. But we will briefly talk about some of the factors mentioned above. 

Profile picture

This is the first thing anyone who comes across your new developer profile on LinkedIn will notice.

And to make a good impression, you need to ensure it’s as professional as possible.

Else, you stand the risk of losing connections with the right employers.

Look straight to the camera when taking the professional photograph, and ensure you’re not wearing headgears, smoking, or holding a drink in your hand as it tends to disqualify you instantly. 

Location and Industry

Endeavor to include the town, city, or area where you stay on LinkedIn.

If you can’t find the exact location, choose one nearest to it as it will help make things easier for recruiters who are hiring close to you to discover your profile.

It’s also crucial that you add the industry that you serve for further clarification.  

Include your level of experience

Whether you’re a veteran in web development or you just finished your tertiary education and joined LinkedIn.

You need to indicate that in the experience category.

While some recruiters may seek web developers who are highly knowledgeable in the field, others may seek newbies to train and pay lesser than the veterans. 

Skill

Most recruiters pay close attention to this, so ensure you include whatever web development skill or expertise you’ve learned over the years.

Make this section as short and as detailed as you can.

The reason is that it may help convince whoever is looking at your profile to give you an offer. 

Education 

Here, try to enlist the institutions that you have graduated from over the years for LinkedIn Profile Optimization.

Certification 

Whatever certification you may have obtained over the years as a web developer needs to be specified in this category.

Even as a newbie in the industry, if you don’t have any professional certification, you can scan or upload any certification you have acquired during your time as an intern.

It’s better than leaving the area blank. 

A solid network

If you aim to achieve 100% profile completion, then you should have at least 50 LinkedIn connections on your profile.

It will give LinkedIn’s algorithm a boost in making your profile more discoverable. 

STEP 2

Include Keywords to Your LinkedIn Profile

Keywords are another thing to give due consideration when trying to optimize your developer profile on LinkedIn.

It is also one tool that top managers of different brands use to source and locate capable hands. 

To ensure that LinkedIn’s algorithm sends the right recruiters your way, add keywords relevant to your industry.

Again, you could try to explain what language and frameworks that you prefer using.

For example, R, Python, Ruby on Rails, Angular.js, Sass, WordPress, etc. 

You can equally remove whatever skill and technology that you may not want to work with.

Let’s say you worked as a social media manager in a company, but the career path you’re following is not in any way related to social media.

You need to limit social media keywords in different sections in your profile, such as the summary section, skills, and experience, or completely remove them.

Else, recruiters may decide to contact you as a social media manager rather than a web developer. 

STEP 3

Take Advantage of The LinkedIn Summary Section

The LinkedIn summary section is the only place where you’re allowed to freely tell your story and what motivates you.

But this doesn’t mean you should pounce on it and bore your readers with irrelevant information.

You will only be shooting yourself in the foot if you do so.

Again, while telling your story, avoid using the word ‘motivate’ because it is one of the most overused words in all industries.

Rather, what you should do is to show examples of how you’re motivated, e.g. you could say something like, “After I discovered that web development is where my passion lies, it was almost like I went haywire in web designs.

I created websites for almost everyone around me at that time.

I created for my friends, family, and the local business where I interned.

It didn’t stop there as I hired myself out as a freelancer to get maximum satisfaction.”

Another thing you need to note when writing your summary on LinkedIn is writing in the first person.

It simply means you should write like you’re talking directly to your reader while explaining what you do as a web developer.

It’s equally important that you use your voice when writing, so you will sound natural.

Remember not to go overboard when using keywords because LinkedIn’s algorithm system can detect when you’re trying to game it.

STEP 4

Place the Spotlight on Your Transferable Skills

Ensure you highlight the skills and experiences you have acquired over the years as a developer that are transferable on your LinkedIn profile. 

Also, rather than list them, provide examples and pieces of evidence where you applied them. Some transferable skills that are appreciated in all niches include:

Communication skills

Most recruiters pay tremendous attention to this skill set because it’s one of the bases that will determine how efficient you will be to them.

And these communication skills include writing, presenting, teaching, negotiating, mentoring, and so on. 

Collaborative skills

Teamwork is also a priority on every recruiter’s list.

If they eventually decide to employ you in their organization, can you work peacefully with other staff, or will you be indifferent to them?

This area is important to business owners because they are constantly seeking ways to reach their goals.

So it would be best if you made references to how you’ve worked with previous clients, developers and teams. 

Organizational skills

This skill entails how organized your thoughts, communication, and workflow are.

You can display them in your profile by showing some of the processes you’ve developed over time.

Organizational skill is equally meant to show how well you can handle multiple responsibilities without breaking down.

Discipline is the watchword when it comes down to this skillset. 

CONCLUSION

There is no better way to showcase those web development skills you have gotten over the years than on your LinkedIn profile.

When listing down all that you’ve learned, hold nothing back because you can’t tell what programming language or certification will get you your dream job. 

Finally, always include a call to action at the end of whatever section you deem fit.

But the best place to do this is in your summary section. It will help people find out more about you within and outside of LinkedIn when you complete LinkedIn Profile Optimization. 

 

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