With the recent waves of layoffs in the tech industry, having an optimized LinkedIn profile is now more critical than ever for job seekers. An optimized social media profile gives you an edge in standing out and attracting potential employers. Optimizing your LinkedIn can lead to new opportunities even as an employed professional.
But creating a stellar LinkedIn profile takes time and effort. This is where AI tools like ChatGPT can help streamline the process and generate impressive initial results to work from. In this article, I'll share practical tips on leveraging ChatGPT to optimize key sections of your LinkedIn profile.
How To Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile With ChatGPT
Your LinkedIn profile is a standard online resume. So before we get started, list the job roles you're interested in and get a copy of your current resume as guidance. Then create a ChatGPT account if you haven't already done so. And once you're good, it's time to initiate conversations to optimize your profile with ChatGPT in the following ways.
Find Relevant Industry Keywords
When employers search for candidates, they use specific keywords. To get found, incorporate relevant keywords naturally throughout your profile. Rather than manually analyzing job posts, have ChatGPT quickly suggest relevant keywords based on your background and target roles. Refine the list to align with your skills and experience.
First, give the AI a quick intro about yourself to get started. Write an introduction that covers your educational background, job experiences, and achievements, if any. In response, ChatGPT will give positive feedback and ask if it could assist with anything.
Paste this prompt after the following:
Prompt: I am applying for <insert job title> in <insert industry> in <insert location>. Give me SEO-friendly keywords for my LinkedIn profile relevant to my skills, experience, and career aspirations.
Like the example in the image, ChatGPT will suggest relevant keywords. Select the ones that align best with your profile and incorporate them naturally into your profile to improve your visibility.
Write a Standout Headline
Your LinkedIn headline is your one-liner that hooks your viewers and gives them a reason to look further. People don't have the luxury of time to go over multiple profiles, so making the first contact impressive is your best shot.
That said, your headline should state your value proposition—think of it as your mini-pitch that says, "This is who I am" and "This is what I do." Here are some frameworks you can adopt:
● I help [audience] do [thing]| [position] at [company]
● Unique Value Proposition | Job Title | Industry
● [Niche + what you do] for clients like [your top clients for social proof]| Service 1| Service 2 | Service 3
To get started, use this prompt in ChatGPT:
Create multiple variations of attention-grabbing LinkedIn headlines that showcase my skills, experience, and professional brand using this [framework].
Here’s my resume: [paste resume]
My target job is [mention role]
Remember to stick to the Linkedin character Limit.
Didn't get results close to what you need? You can always prompt the AI with a different framework or regenerate multiple versions till you get a better outcome.
Use ChatGPT to Write an Engaging About Section
The About section is your chance to showcase your personality. ChatGPT can provide a solid starting point, but add your flair. Lead with an exciting story and end with a solid call to action. Remember to keep it focused on the value you offer. You also want your viewers to see what makes you different from other professionals. You have max 2000 characters, and I'll advise you to lead with a story instead of a summary that reads like a resume.
Here’s a prompt to use:
Write a search optimized About section for my LinkedIn profile representative of my brand in 300 words. Open with a hook in the first paragraph, use a narrative tone, and end with a call to action.
The target job is <Insert role>
Here is my resume <paste resume>
From the example, ChatGPT gives a tailored result that lacks personality. So I suggest you take it as a first draft and modify it to read more engaging with a personal touch.
Use ChatGPT to Write Your Experience Section
Well-written experience summaries attract more profile views and connections. ChatGPT can produce initial drafts based on your target role and resume details. Take its content as a baseline and refine it to tell your authentic story. People neglect the experience session or even fill it out like a resume and wonder why their profile views are at all-time lows. Nikita Gupta, a technical recruiter at Uber, has this to say:
"While searching candidates on LinkedIn, the parts of LinkedIn Profiles that I pay most attention to are the Headline, the About section, and, of course, the Experience section."
What does that tell you? The experience section is equally important. And when done right, adding work experience can lead to 8x time profile views and more connection requests on Linkedin.
Here’s the prompt to use:
Craft a search-optimized work history in the first-person narrative for the experience section of my LinkedIn profile based on my target job and resume.
Target role is: <insert Job role>
Here is my resume <paste resume>
Remember to finetune and add your personal touch to the output. "Your career story is more authentic when you tell it." - LinkedIn.
Update Your LinkedIn Skill Section With ChatGPT
The vast majority of recruiters use Linkedin. And if you don't have the right listed skills, you won't turn up in recruiters' searches. Fortunately, you can add up to 50 skills in the 'Key Skills' section. But not any skill will do; you have to choose the skills in most demand and relevant to your industry.
Have ChatGPT recommend relevant hard and soft skills to add, tailored to your industry and goals. Vet the list carefully to ensure accuracy.
Here’s a prompt you can use:
Prompt: Can you suggest 50 relevant skills for the 'Skills and Endorsements' section of my LinkedIn profile? I am looking for <insert target job title> roles in <specific industry> industry
Here are some examples of my target jobs: <paste relevant job descriptions>
Once the output is ready, review the skills and ensure they align with your skill sets. One caution, though, is to make sure you have the skills you're listing. Lying on your LinkedIn profile is a no-no.
Ethical Considerations
You best write your story. While ChatGPT can help streamline the process, it can replace the magic of the human touch in writing. Neither does it understand the context of your experience, so it may sometimes generate inaccurate content. Also, Chat GPt knowledge is cut off from 2021, so you may have to fact-check and update the output it spits out. After all, you don't want to pose as unprofessional. ChatGPT is an excellent tool for optimization, but it should use with caution.
Set Yourself Up For Future Success
Optimizing your LinkedIn account is vital to staying on the radar of hiring managers and clients. ChatGPT is a powerful asset that can help you achieve that. It can generate content that can serve as a jumping-off point, which you can refine by infusing your unique personality and perspective. The human touch is irreplaceable, so edit its suggestions to highlight what makes you stand out.