Struggling to connect with prospective employers or get the attention of recruiters? LinkedIn is the best and most popular option these days to professionally network (with like-minded solicitors and those that share an interest in your chosen sectors) and to further your career horizons. If you already have a profile, well, congratulations. Now, you only have to complete for the spotlight with 500 million other users! Let CarterJay inform you on how to be present, stand out, and most importantly, land the solicitor role you deserve and want.
Tips on How to Enhance your LinkedIn Profile:
Header
The header is the first impression that recruiters notice when they either search your name or click on your profile so yes, we stress that it is very important. Your header should not only, and obviously, include your name,
but it should also state your current title whether you are a senior solicitor, manager, or associate, as well as the law firm you are presently employed at. If you are currently unemployed or on the job hunt, creating a header such as, “Previous Senior Solicitor at [insert your appropriate previous employer] , Seeking New Opportunities” would suffice or if you don’t wish to state your previous employer in the header, “Legal Professional Seeking New Opportunities” works just as well too. Keep in mind that the first impression could either lure a recruiter to pursue a conversation with you, or just encourage them to keep clicking and look elsewhere.
Previous Employment & Experience
If, in fact, a recruiter is interested in you and digs deeper into your profile, they will immediately scroll down to your “Experience” section in order to see which previous law firms employed you, and whether or not your skill set will line up with what they’re looking for. It is crucial that you list your experience in chronological order, so the first company and role listed on your profile should be the most recent one, and the last one should be the first professional law role that you undertook. Your experience content should essentially be an outline of your CV. Each legal firm and role should be clearly listed with bullet points that go into depth about your career background and what you achieved at each firm. This is your time to show the recruiter what you’re capable of and what you have to bring to the table, so don’t hold back!
Professional Photo
Having a photo on your LinkedIn profile makes you more approachable and personable, but let’s not forget that LinkedIn is a professional social media website, therefore you should have a professional photo on your page. There’s no need to get carried away with an obnoxious picture, so don’t get too creative. It should be a simple, cropped photograph of your face, preferably a head shot. By no means does it need to be taken on an expensive camera, a phone camera will do just fine. Just have a simple background with your face, so the recruiter gets an idea of what you look like. Having a photograph on your LinkedIn profile page will multiply your chances of getting noticed by 7! So, use this free bee to look sharp and presentable to your next employer.
Join Groups
Joining groups on LinkedIn shows recruiters that you are engaging and active on your profile. Networking and getting involved in discussions with other companies gives users more insight on who you are, what you do, and what you believe in. Joining relevant groups will also expand your network and personal brand which is essentially what you’re trying to accomplish with a LinkedIn profile. Not only will you meet more people, but you will also be involved in news postings, discussion boards, updates, Q&A, so you can learn a thing or two too!
Contact Information
Last but certainly not least, your contact information should be listed on your profile so that recruiters can get touch with you accordingly. Your professional emailand/or phone number should be listed depending on what you’re comfortable with, and you should be on the road to legal success in no time.
Get Noticed Today!
At CarterJay, we want to help you get noticed and point you in the direction of the best possible roles the market has to offer. Creating a LinkedIn profile if you don’t already have one, is step 1 of expanding your network and creating a professional, legal brand for yourself. It’s completely free, but will take some time and work, so follow the tips we gave you and we guarantee that you will be on the right path to your future law firm! CarterJay Legal is a boutique legal recruitment agency based in London. We specialize in private practice roles with a large variety of law firms, catering for associates and partners alike.Call us on 07834 436775 to find out more.