Are you a UX/UI designer looking to stand out on LinkedIn? On a platform seemingly oversaturated by users, it’s important to differentiate yourself and utilize the site to showcase your distinct skills and professional successes. Whether you’re interested in attracting new clients, connecting with peers in the industry, or showing off your work, we have a few ideas on how you can craft the perfect profile.
Why Use LinkedIn?
Let’s take a look at some of the key benefits of LinkedIn and why you might want to wield the platform to your advantage:
Networking: LinkedIn, like other social networks, boasts millions of users. It provides an organized way to find and connect with others in the industry, including recruiters, hiring managers, and other UX/UI designers. In addition, LinkedIn could potentially connect you to new mentors, grow your awareness of industry trends, or highlight events that could help advance your career.
Visibility: LinkedIn profiles function as digital resumes, making it easy for interested recruiters or potential employers to evaluate your qualifications and notice your distinct skills. In creating a unique and comprehensive profile, you allow your individual value to be easily seen by others in the industry.
Job Listings: LinkedIn provides users with a robust job search component that can connect you with job openings that match your skills and experience. The site allows you to set up job alerts to help you stay informed on new opportunities in real time.
Insights: LinkedIn collects information about companies themselves, giving you insight into their industry, size, and location. This information can be very helpful for users looking to tailor their job search to align with their expertise and career goals.
Helpful Hints for All LinkedIn Profiles
Now that you’ve seen some of LinkedIn’s potential benefits, let’s begin crafting a profile that will help you stand out (in a good way!). For anyone on LinkedIn, having a strong profile picture and headline is a priority for making a positive first impression.
Profile picture
More often than not, your profile picture is the first thing viewers will notice on your LinkedIn, and it’s important to choose a photo that reflects your professional image. This could be a headshot, a photo of you at work, or a photo of you doing something related to the field. In addition, LinkedIn also allows users to upload a header picture; choose a photo that reflects your unique eye and gives a sense of your professional brand.
In general, follow these tips for a strong profile photos:
Choose a high-quality photo where your face is clearly visible. Avoid using filters or distracting backgrounds.
Make sure the photo reflects your individuality as a designer; if possible, include the UX/UI design setting.
Avoid photos that take place in non-work spaces or that would be inappropriate to show to a potential employer.
Headline
The headline is a short, 220 character tagline that follows your name, and is an essential piece of your profile. It shows up in several places on the site, including in search results and when you leave comments on other posts. The headline should include key words about your title, what you do, and what kind of employers or clients would want to come to you.
Create a concise and effective headline using these guidelines:
State your current title or position (this can be broad and speak to your versatility)
Follow your title with a description of the value you provide and the range of the work that you can do
Capture reader attention with compelling language that accurately describes your skills
Avoid overly-technical jargon
Avoid common adjectives or descriptions that feel stale
The Perfect Profile for a UX/UI Designer
Conscious use of LinkedIn’s features can help you be noticed by UX/UI product design recruiters, companies, and clients to further expand your career. Let’s review some of LinkedIn’s features to set you up for success on the site.
The “About” section: define your story, skills, and niche as a UX/UI designer
With 2600 characters to use as you see fit, LinkedIn’s “About” section gives you the space to clearly narrate your journey working in the field, define the services and value you provide, and identify the type of clients that need your expertise. This section should be concise and straightforward, but also highlight your distinctive story and excitement about what you do. Touch upon these points when writing your “About” section:
How did you come to be a UX/UI designer, and what are you currently seeking in your career?
Guide us through the story of your career and explain the type of opportunities that you’re looking for. Did you make a career transition into tech? Did you have an experience that inspired you to enroll in a UI/UX Design Bootcamp? Use language to explain in a way that your resume cannot; this section helps readers form a personal connection to your journey and see how your ambitions might match up.
What value or service do you provide as a UX/UI designer and to whom do you provide it for?
In order to attract the right kind of opportunities, it’s very important to clearly define the type of work that you do and the clients that you serve best. Are you well-versed in improving functionality in payment systems? Or designing blog features for healthcare organizations? Explaining your individual specialties can help potential clients see how you can provide solutions to them or their company.
A successful “About” section might include responses to the following points:
Briefly recount your entry into the UX/UI industry (inspiration to join the field, a transition in your career, and/or your journey to this point)
Share more about the significance of your education/certifications and/or your quantifiable experience
Elaborate on the type of UX/UI design that you focus on
Describe the kind of clients or companies to whom you best provide solutions
Tell about a specific achievement or award that you have received
Explain an ambition or goal that you have around the field of UX/UI Design
Showcasing your skills and work
LinkedIn provides users with several ways to list skills and provide examples of your work. Here are a few facets of the profile to focus on as a UX/UI designer:
Experience: the experience section should be used to display actual work that you were hired to do for individual clients or companies, such as long-term employment or individual contracted projects.
Tip: for every job, LinkedIn allows 2000 characters for you to further elaborate. Use this space to explain the kind of work you did, and if possible, include quantifiable data that backs up your impact.
Education: share your educational achievements, such as diplomas.
Tip: choose one of the accredited schools that exist within the LinkedIn system.
Licenses and certificates: list any active licenses you possess or certificates that you have received from courses.
Tip: if you’ve recently completed a certification or license, consider posting about it! LinkedIn no longer notifies your connections about updates to this section automatically.
Courses: include design bootcamp certifications such as Ironhack, or other tech-related education you have completed.
Tip: expand on training hours, the hard skills you obtained, and your big takeaways that inform your design practice today.
Skills: show off any technical skills related to specific software or design skills pertaining to the field of UX/UI design.
Tip: these skills will show up on your profile, and you can invite your LinkedIIn connections to “endorse” these skills by clicking on them, which is a great way to verify your credibility.
Projects: show off the work you have created independently, collaborative projects, or even incomplete ideas. Use this section to speak to your individuality as a designer, and showcase any passion-projects related to UX/UI design.
Tip: LinkedIn allows you to add connections as collaborators to these projects; show potential employers that you work well with others and are connected within your network.
Looking for other ways to utilize LinkedIn as a UX/UI designer? Let’s check it out:
Join groups: become more closely connected with other designers and to stay up to date on specific areas of UX/UI design by joining groups associated with your industry.
Tip: join groups specific to your expertise, like mobile app design or user research, and remain informed on new tools and technology in real time.
Featuring posts: showcase specific work achievements, projects, or collaborations by pinning highlights to the top of your profile. Simply select “Feature on top of profile” from the three dot drop-down menu on any post.
Tip: curating your featured content allows clients and connections to see achievements you value with a simple glance at your profile.
Stay active on LinkedIn: it’s a given, but staying active on the site can help build your personal brand and establish yourself as a knowledgeable and skilled designer.
Tip: post comments on others’ posts and participate (professionally!) in discussions within the industry. This increases your visibility and potential for new connections.
Now that you’ve polished your LinkedIn profile, it’s time to nail that job interview! Read our post on straightforward steps to ace your interview and check-out the Ironhack Blog for more tech-industry insights.
