- Whether you're looking for a job or networking,
it's common knowledge,
your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important tools
you can have.
So why do most of us leave them looking so dull and boring?
Hmm.
I guess you could see it as an opportunity.
With a little work,
your profile could stand out from the rest.
Stick around, and I'll show you how to take your profile
from this to this in no time at all.
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Hi, I'm Miya, and I'm a talent acquisition partner at Canva.
In this video, I'm gonna teach you
how to jazz up the graphic components
of your LinkedIn profile,
so they grab all the right sort of attention.
We'll look at better profile pics, unique banners,
and images that encourage people to get in touch.
Before we get started, make sure you subscribe
so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming videos.
We're releasing one a week and I don't want you to miss out.
I've been a recruitment consultant for a long time.
And let me tell you a secret, we use LinkedIn a lot.
It's often the first place we go
when we start hiring for a role.
It's a proven fact that completed profiles
with all the visuals are more searchable and grab attention.
According to LinkedIn, members with visual profiles
receive far more engagement,
21x more views and 9x more connection requests.
It's time to start approaching your LinkedIn profile
like an expert, showing your connections
you're serious about your career and ready to connect.
As you know,
LinkedIn is filled with thousands of profile photos,
so the trick will be getting yours noticed
and not lost in a sea of faces.
Let me show you an option
to turn your headshot into something more vibrant,
memorable, and professional.
Grab a photo that looks friendly, approachable,
and has a high resolution.
Aim for at least 400 x 400.
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There's a little trick photographers often use
to get a natural shot.
Start by looking down, look up at the camera,
relax your shoulders, and smile.
Don't worry too much about your background,
because we're gonna make you the star of this show.
And edit out everything we don't need.
You can even take the photo in your bathroom
if there's good natural light.
(upbeat music)
Now it's worth mentioning this next tool
is only available to Pro and Teams users,
although you can get a free trial for 30 days
and it's so worth it.
Select Edit image and go to the background remover.
As you can see, it's made the background transparent.
If some parts of the background didn't make the cut,
select Erase and brush them out.
Or if the background remover got too excited
and took out a chunk of your hair or shirt,
you can hit Restore and bring it back.
It's pretty simple.
Some LinkedIn users like the sleek look
of a black and white photo.
Jump back into Edit image
and you'll find filters like Grayscale and Street
to convert your photo.
(upbeat music)
Now we're gonna have some fun
in filling the empty background with color
by selecting the background
and choosing this color tile here.
I'd recommend choosing something simple and eye-catching
like delightful yellow or calming blue.
There's no need to limit yourself to one color,
but make it look subtle.
In order for this to stand out,
we can't have too much going on.
Congratulations.
You've learned how to create your very first LinkedIn asset.
Okay, now the header.
This will be the first thing a recruiter sees
when they visit your page.
It's right at the top, perfect for setting the scene.
Begin by typing in LinkedIn Banner to the search field.
This will bring up thousands of templates ready to use.
A lot of them have a photo in them already and that's fine.
Just make sure it's not the same as your profile pic.
Alternatively, you could explore elements
and search for imagery that matches your industry.
That's what I'm gonna go for.
I'll select this template and customize it
for branding and graphic design career.
I'll replace these images with ones that suit design more.
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Choose images that show work that you want to do,
not just what you're currently doing.
Be aspirational and show your goal.
That's much more exciting.
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Okay, this is looking pretty good.
I'll change the font into something a bit more graphic.
I'll just use a color that is more attention grabbing.
It fits for this type of career.
With that, your LinkedIn profile is coming together.
What do you think about the color I chose?
Is that what you would've done?
Let me know in the comments.
Next, I'll teach you how to create a graphic
you can publish alongside written content.
This will make the post or article look more enticing,
subtly persuading the visitor to click on it.
First, you'll consider the message.
Is it a post about a newsletter you've launched,
a review of an event, a how-to article?
Knowing what you wanna communicate is key
to how it's gonna look.
The second thing is to consider style.
If you're after a uniform approach,
color-match with your banner.
You could even select the same fonts to go with it.
Go back to homepage,
and this time we're putting in LinkedIn post.
Again, you'll see lots of templates ready to use.
I like this one.
I'm gonna adjust it to match the style
I've created in the banner.
Color, I do like the orange.
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Text.
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And it's done, ready to go with the article I'm writing.
It's really that simple.
What about if you wanna promote a special achievement
like the first anniversary of a small design business?
That sounds like something
that should be celebrated and promoted.
I'll choose this color for my background
because it matches the banner
so that we're keeping it consistent
and starting to develop a brand.
(upbeat music)
Then I'll insert the drawcard, the anniversary graphic.
I'm choosing this illustration
then adding some elements such as streamers and stars.
(upbeat music)
When I'm finished,
I'll click Share and download the rectangle graphic,
ready to upload a alongside my featured content.
Or I could click Share on social
and click LinkedIn Profile to post directly.
That's all we have time for in this video.
And speaking of videos,
let me know if you wanna do another tutorial
that shows you how to create an ad video clips
to your LinkedIn profile.
Motion and moving image really is the next level.
(upbeat music)
Thanks for sticking around.
I hope your mind is buzzing
with all the ways you could update
and improve your LinkedIn profile to make it more graphic.
And don't forget to subscribe to our channel
to be notified each time a new video like this drops.
See you next time.