As we practice social distancing, it’s a good time to evaluate your online presence and revamp your LinkedIn profile. John Nykolaiszn, director of the Office of Business Career Management at FIU Business, shares tips on how to make the most of your virtual “first impression” on potential employers:

Over the years, recruiters and career experts have share and re-shared the whole “Have an updated LinkedIn profile” piece of advice. You know what? They’re not wrong. Traditionally, your LinkedIn profile is a critical part of your job search toolkit, along with a decent resume and interview skills.

While we are all experiencing some form of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have a rare moment to heed the advice to get our profiles up-to-date. You’ll see with an upcoming greater reliance on technology, especially in the hiring process, having an updated LinkedIn profile is an important step in the right direction on your future career path. Here’s what we’d like you to start doing to get started:

1. Update your photo: Is it a professional one or a “cut & paste” job done on the fly? You need that professional photo.
2. Review your summary: Why is your summary making me drowsy? Your summary is the first chance to show me why you’re awesome, get me excited about your skills.
3. Tell me a story: Did you accomplish something that let you grow professionally? Tell me. Make it interesting, not a bunch of sleep-inducing keywords.
4. Review/add skills: Share some of the new things you’ve learned. Reorder your skills so new ones top the list.
5. Clean out the groups/check the group settings: Do you belong to groups that aren’t active? Then it’s time to leave the group.
6. Follow some new companies: Are you interested in arbitrage? There are over 700 companies that list arbitrage in their profile. Engage with them.
7. Catchy Headline: With 120 characters of prime real estate, you can instantly showcase your awesome skills to recruiters and hiring managers.
8. Customize the URL: Nothing says “I don’t care” louder than a system generated URL. A custom URL shows you get it. Example: linkedin.com/yourname.
9. Use a dedicated email address: Get a dedicated email address for your profile. Lots of free options, and always keep it professional.
10. Connect your other accounts: Don’t forget to connect your Twitter, Gmail, and other accounts. This will help automatically expand your network.
11. Let them find you: Remember we’re networking here, there’s no room to be shy. Connect, engage, network!
12. LinkedIn is a great tool: But it’s only the first step. Nothing will replace real human interaction. Strive to eventually connect in real life.

While you’re logged on, like the FIU Alumni Association and FIU College of Business LinkedIn pages!