It’s always a good time to dust off an old hobby, set new goals, and refresh your online image. Follow our LinkedIn profile recommendations, and you could find yourself in an exciting new legal technology role.
1. Start with the basics:
Sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest impact. According to LinkedIn, members with photos receive 21 times more profile views, and 35 times more messages than those without a photo. Your photo should be professional-looking with good lighting and a professional smile. Ideally, you should use a solo shot showing you from the shoulders up, and your attire should match your profession and industry. For legal technology professionals, we recommend business casual attire.
Customizing your URL is simple, and makes it easier to share on a resume, business card, or email signature. It’s free and simple to do and can be edited in the contact info section of your profile page. If you’re looking to be contacted by recruiters or employers, you’ll also want to include your email address and potentially your phone number.
2. Identify and promote your brand:
Think beyond your job title and identify what you bring to the table. What value do you offer to a law firm? How do you help the team internally or externally? The headline and about section of your LinkedIn profile provide an opportunity for you to sell yourself to technical recruiters and internal HR professionals.
In your headline, use dividers like the vertical slash or bullet to say more than just your job title. For example:
User Support Specialist | Provide White Glove Service to Legal Executives
IT Security Engineer | Innovative Leader and Security Compliance Expert
Bring depth to your brand in the About section of your profile. Write 3-5 sentences that highlight your skill set and experience, show your personality, and demonstrate your ability to help your employers. You may want to include tangible examples or keywords in this section, but don’t overstuff it. You want this to be an easy and short summary for a recruiter or HR professional to read and gain insight into your professional experience and brand.
3. Optimize to be found:
Don’t leave the rest of your profile blank. Just as you would on your resume, use each job listing as an opportunity to highlight your skills, accomplishments, and keywords that match the kind of job you’re looking for. While you don’t want to have to constantly customize and update your profile, if you’re looking for a new legal technology job—or are at least interested in hearing about law firm technology job opportunities—it’s a good idea to review a few job postings in order to identify the keywords and skills that law firm employers are looking for in their technology team. Then you can be sure to include these skills and keywords within your job listings, your About section, and in the skills section of your LinkedIn profile. Listing a keyword or skill multiple times throughout your profile will help you rank higher in a recruiter or HR professional’s search. You can display up to 50 skills, and “pin” your most valuable three. Similarly, listing your location and industry can help your profile show up when recruiters are searching LinkedIn because they might be targeting specific areas in their search.
Another way to rank higher in searches and help your profile stand out is through recommendations. We recommend seeking out at least three recommendations for your profile—these could be from a former supervisor or colleague if you’re actively employed.
Joining groups and increasing your connections are also valuable ways to boost the chances of your profile showing up in a search and having a recruiter or HR professional reach out. These actions not only show that you’re active on LinkedIn but can also help demonstrate your expertise and involvement within the legal technology community.
Pro tip: If you’re currently employed, you may want to make changes to your profile gradually rather than all at once, and/or you might turn off “Share profile updates with your network.” This can be found under Me -> Settings & Privacy -> Visibility -> Visibility of your LinkedIn Activity. Both strategies should help limit sparking suspicion with your current colleagues or boss.
LinkedIn is no longer just an online resume, your profile is an opportunity to showcase your professional brand, share your accomplishments, and build an online community of like-minded professionals. Whether you’re ready to take the next step in your legal technology career, or just thinking about it, making a few changes on your LinkedIn profile can help you stand out and be found by recruiters and employers alike.
Ready to start a conversation with a legal IT recruiter?
