Author: Peggy Schael | Salesforce Trainer | WeLearnSalesforce
Your LinkedIn Profile page is the go-to page for many recruiters and potential employers. There are two ways they will look at it:
- They find your profile page through their search keywords because your profile contains the relevant job roles, certificates or other criteria they are looking for
- You share your profile with them directly
This means you want to make sure your LinkedIn Profile contains all relevant details, AND…leaves a positive impression for the recruiter or potential employer wanting to contact you.
In this article, we will not only look at how you can add your Salesforce skills and experiences but also how you can improve some other aspects at the same time. Altogether, it will only take 8 steps in just a few minutes to spice up your LinkedIn profile.
Let’s go through each step and start from the top of your LinkedIn Profile page:
STEP #1 – Choose Professional PROFILE Image
Your profile image is the first impression a recruiter or potential employer will get of you. Therefore, you want to keep it authentic and professional.
I’d recommend one of two options:
- Use something which represents the job, maybe a Salesforce Administrator, you are aiming for. This can be something like sitting at a desk or doing a presentation similar to what a Salesforce Consultant might do etc.
- Alternatively use a professional image wearing an outfit you would wear at work, maybe a suit or dress
While no one should judge you by your appearance, most recruiters and future employers though will see this as a sign of respect and professional attitude. You can certainly choose a more casual image. In any case, ensure that your face is clearly visible (and it’s your face only) and the composition represents your personality. What matters most is you being you, meaning being authentic.
Here’s an example:
By the way, LinkedIn even provides some basic editing tools to make your image look even better:
STEP #2 – Add A BACKGROUND Image & Include Your Salesforce Certificate
Similar to your profile, your background image will draw attention too. It’s there for a reason, so make use of it. 🤓
If you are looking for a Salesforce job, you can absolutely use something Salesforce specific or cloud computing related to show your passion for Salesforce and/or the industry. This may be a display of your Salesforce Certificates or a more generic cloud computing image or similar.
Now one thing to keep in mind: Always consider copyright. There are lots of royalty-free image platforms like unplash.com where you can find something suitable. Otherwise, I’d recommend creating your own, using tools like PowerPoint or Canva. 🧑🎨
STEP #3 – Create A Crisp HEADLINE
This is what appears right below your name. It should be a crisp one-liner that doesn’t have to be a job title, especially if you are currently unemployed or not working for other reasons. You may use something like ‘Helping customers to build tailored Salesforce business solutions” or “Aspiring Salesforce Administrator”. You can get creative here as long as you keep it real.
For example, like this:
STEP #4 – Tell Everyone ABOUT Your Skills and Experiences, including Salesforce
This part is often neglected but really shouldn’t be. It’s where you tell your story and it’s where you can truly leave an impression.
It is very much like what you add to a typical resume where you summarize your key skills and experiences. Make sure to include your Salesforce qualifications. In case you don’t have a Salesforce Certification yet, then list the most relevant Trailhead Modules, Projects or SuperBadges for sure. Recruiters can already see that you are not lazy. 🧑💻
🌶 DON’T FORGET: Add your Trailblazer.ID link to make sure recruiters or hiring managers can look at your Trailblazer.Me Profile too.
Here’s an example of what the “About” section may look like:
STEP #5 – Showcase Your Work EXPERIENCE
This is where you list your current and previous work history, just like in a classic resume. Double-check that the companies you work or worked for are linked correctly. When you see a company logo not appear correctly, re-link it again.
If you don’t have a current job, don’t sweat it. Many of us are going through periods of either unemployment or career development phases at some point in our lives. And this may include your time spend on Trailhead to upskill your Salesforce experience. Recruiters will recognize this.
🌶 Beware though: Your time spent on Trailhead belongs in the Education section of your LinkedIn profile. “Trailhead by Salesforce” is a recognized school and will be understood as such.
STEP #6 – Share your EDUCATION Path
Add the most recent schools or universities you have attended. You don’t have to list everything all the way back to Primary School (or adequate to your first school entry in your country). The more recent ones are sufficient.
🌶 Now, one thing which is important here is your Trailhead education. As mentioned above, this section is perfect to add your Trailhead hands-on practice. Use “Trailhead by Salesforce” as the school, then list your most recent or most significant Modules, Projects and Badges you have already completed or you are currently working on.
STEP #7 – List Your LICENSES and Salesforce CERTIFICATIONS
This is where you can shine a light on your hard-earned certifications, including your Salesforce Certifications. Make sure to add them as soon as you’ve completed them.
🌶 Did you know you can even add your Trailhead Superbadges as well? YES, you can and you should! However, in case you got dozens of Suberbadges, choose the ones which are most relevant for the job you are applying for.
This may look like this:
STEP #8 – Show Your INTERESTS And Active Community Engagement
Recruiters also look for your interests to see how you are engaging yourself and what else you are interested in. This shows them that you are a human being and not a one-trick Salesforce-pony.
Here, recruiters can see which groups you are a member of, like Salesforce-related groups, or companies you follow, maybe Salesforce.com, Mulesoft.com, and others.
🌶 Be reasonable though how many groups you join and how many companies you follow. Focus on those that you are truly interested in or engaged in. It may not look very authentic if you are a member of hundreds of groups just to pretend you are being active.
Always keep things real!
As you can see, updating your LinkedIn Profile and including your Salesforce skills doesn’t take much time. So get right to it and spice up your profile to get found by recruiters and potential future employers.
These are just some of the key edits you can do, in particular, to highlight your Salesforce talent. There’s certainly more you can improve like your job descriptions.
Therefore, let me know in the comments if you have any further ideas about what you have done and what you’ve seen others do. I’d love to hear from you.
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