LinkedIn Profile Review Project

General

Criteria Meet Specification

Overall, profile is professional, has no errors, and is easy to read and digest

  • A custom URL has been created
  • Spelling and grammar are correct
  • Acronyms or language are likely to be known to recruiters or includes explanation
  • Does not include negative language
  • Language is correct and consistent: present tense for current duties, past tense for prior duties and accomplishments

Top Section

Criteria Meet Specification

Profile picture is professional

  • Profile includes a clear picture of student's face
  • Picture needs to look professional, but does not have to be a professional portrait

Headline is professional

  • Headline uses only positive language (eg. not “seeking employment” which conveys a lack of employment)
  • Headline avoids use of slashes (ie: "data analyst/data scientist")

Network

Criteria Meet Specification

Student has enough connections to show up in searches

  • Has over 50 connections

Student uses LinkedIn as a networking tool by joining relevant groups

  • Is a member of 2+ relevant groups to goal position/industry

Correct companies and educational institutions are correctly linked

  • Educational institutions and company pages are correctly linked

Summary

Criteria Meet Specification

Summary is brief and memorable

  • Summary briefly describes work experience, applicable knowledge, and builds a narrative
  • Written in first person
  • Stays professional throughout the entire narrative
  • Length is about 1-4 sentences

Projects

Criteria Meet Specification

Includes 2-3 projects that demonstrate skill

  • Only most relevant projects are listed; can include personal, academic or work projects
  • Only includes about 2-3 projects
  • Projects have links leading to the code or the project itself

Bullet points are concise and focus on individual actions and project results

  • Maximum 2-3 bullet points per project
  • At least 1 bullet point demonstrates individual contribution
  • At least 1 bullet point communicates project result (success metrics, findings)

Experience

Criteria Meet Specification

Includes at least 1 work experience

  • Experiences note company/organization, title of role, start and end date (month & year), location
  • Includes unpaid or part-time work, if applicable, but omits the words “part-time” and “unpaid”

Bullet points are concise and focus on individual actions and results, and does not summarize job description

  • Maximum 3-4 bullet points
  • No sub-bullet points
  • Bullet points start with action verbs
  • Correct tense is used in bullet points: past tense for previous, current tense for ongoing
  • Within each job listing:
    • At least 1 bullet point communicates how candidate benefited company or cause
    • At least 1 bullet point provides concrete, numerical evidence such as projects completed, money made, people managed, accomplishments (eg. % increase)
  • Bullet points are one sentence maximum, not longer than one and a half lines

Education

Criteria Meet Specification

Includes relevant education, such as but not limited to community college courses, online courses, bootcamps, etc.

  • Education is listed in reverse chronological order
  • Nanodegree is listed as either Education OR Certification, but not both

Skills

Criteria Meet Specification

Skills listed are relevant to past experience and goal job

  • Skills listed can include both technical skills (ie: programming languages) and others, such as "project management"
  • Skills section should not include commonly-used technologies such as Microsoft Word or PowerPoint
  • Skills section should not include common soft skills like "communication" or "attention to detail"