There’s a lot of noise out there about LinkedIn profiles – whether to have one or not, to what to include and what not to.

Having a profile is a good thing. It shows you dabble in social media and value networking. If you do not have one, human resources professionals and recruiters may wonder why not, and it could hurt you.

Make your profile work for you. Create one and populate it.

Create a killer profile that will get you found and contacted:

Make it look professional – do not state your current job title or company name. Use your Name and Photo to speak to the value you offer right off the bat. If you’re searching for a new job, put it in the context of where you want to go next.

Photos are important. Recruiters rarely (if ever) look at profiles without photos.

Your summary – a few short paragraphs.

Make it personal by referring to why you like what you do and why you are good at it.
Describe a few challenges you can solve for an employer.
Include your greatest accomplishments,
any awards and/or relevant current studies here…