No matter if you're new to LinkedIn, a seasoned pro, or you dip your toe in LinkedIn waters occasionally, there's no denying it's THE platform for networking, employer branding and jobseeking and it's likely you're not getting the most out of it 🤓

Luckily, here at Lightning Travel Recruitment, we've got our very own LinkedIn Whizz, with 16K organic followers and a top Linkedin LGBTQ+ voice to boot, in Thea Bardot. We've also just relaunched Lightning, which is now powered by Cape Consulting HR, to become the only travel recruitment firm to cover HR & Recruitment needs, so it's the perfect time to say hi 👋

Here's Thea's top 5 tips below on how to level up your LinkedIn profile:

1. Your LinkedIn picture

This is your very first chance to stand out in searches and have people click on your profile when they see you've left a comment. We all spend lots of time curating the perfect image for Instagram or even dating profiles, but when it comes to LinkedIn that personal brand expertise leaves the room for some people.

Our best advice is to make sure you can clearly see your face and the image is of good quality with a one colour background. You can turn a regular image into a standout one by utilising sites like Canva, just like Thea has to make sure her profile image stands out with this Lightning yellow.

2. Your bio - doesn't have to just be your job title 🤯

As you'll see from Thea's profile, she has Talent consultant under her jobs section (her actual job title), but has also added keywords to her main profile bio, by clicking the edit icon in the main profile section. You don't have to include your job title there, and if you're jobseeking you can even use it to type keywords of the roles you're looking for, or if you're networking add those keywords into your bio too! It's such a simple edit, but one that makes your profile stand out - oh and MORE EMOJI'S please. 

3. Jobseekers only - Open to work - either privately or publicly

There's lots of debate around using the open to work banner and honestly do what feels right for you. What we will say though is it will increase recruiter clicks to your profile and could signal to someone in your existing network to reach out for a conversation - it's a tool in your jobseeking arsenal so don't be afraid to use it. We've also written a cv masterclass blog here too!

We recognise though that if you're in a role and don't want your toxic boss / colleagues to know you're mentally on gardening leave then there is a setting under the jobs section where you can show recruiters that you are open to work (recruiters use specialist software to see this on LinkedIn) but to the public eye you'll be living your best life in your current role. And if you're not sure if you are ready to leave? Check out our blog on 5 signs you're ready to quit your job here.

4. Your LinkedIn Banner

Again, Canva is your friend here and they have a specific section for LinkedIn banners that fit perfectly on your LinkedIn profiles, so you can design one that fits your brand. For that, you need to know your personal brand, but don't worry, we can help you with that too - check out our personal brand blog here.

The LinkedIn banner, when done right is just another way to showcase who you are to your peers or to hiring managers, and help you stand out in the crowd.

5. Jobseekers only - Location  

If you've put a wee town / your EXACT location that isn't a flurry of opportunities and are finding limited success when searching for roles, then we'd suggest putting the closest big city that you would willingly commute to if hired. This means you will show up in more search results and have a higher success rate.

This isn't us condoning lying about where you are based we promise 😉 but being smarter with this feature can really yield results in your job search.

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For 1:1 tips with Thea herself, we have relaunched our Lightning Lounge where everyday Thea sits virtually with candidates in a safe and confidential space to give career coaching / personal brand / jobseeking advice and ensure y'all have a place to come to chat. It's a £5 donation to a trans gofundme to join, and sessions are daily from 12-1pm. We hope to see some of you there!