Date: 4th November 2020
Peer Reviewer: Syed Waqar Ahmed
Author: Richard Chen
Title of document under review: Richard Chen’s LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-c-chen/
Hello Richard,
I was pleased to review the provided LinkedIn profile. It is very well organized with all relevant sections well-populated with the requisite information. Comments and suggestions for improvement are provided below.
First Impressions
The profile is complete and presents a comprehensive and cogent picture of the candidate’s academic achievements, work history and future career goals. The URL is customized making it easy to remember. The professionalism and completeness of the profile sheds a favorable light on the applicant and fully services the role of promoting them to companies and recruiters. The high number of connections give the profile added legitimacy and value.
Profile Photo
The profile photo is professionally-taken and of high quality. The applicant is smiling which projects a friendly and approachable demeanor. However, the photo is taken from a distance. Cropping the photo so the face of the applicant occupies 60% of the available area is recommended.
Title
The title describes the current occupation of the candidate as a full time BSc (second-degree) student. Including keywords suggesting the nature of the candidate’s previous degree in business and desire to work at the nexus of both business and computer science would draw immediate attention to the unique skills of the applicant.
About Me ‘Summary’
The provided summary encapsulates the candidates past work experiences and future goals. There is space available for the applicant to add more elements to the summary. This can be a good place for the applicant to explain his passion for the field and explain the reasons for his career switch. Using a hook to grab the reader’s attention at the start and using more keywords to describe the languages and frameworks the student has learned can be beneficial.
Connections
The candidate has 212 connections which is a very good number. Requesting relevant connections, past employers or current supervisors or professions, for an endorsement or a letter of recommendation can be leveraged to add further credibility to the profile.
Work Experience
All relevant work experience is described in the right chronological order. There is enough detail provided to describe the role and responsibilities. Categories within each work experience provide details on the progression of positions and job responsibilities. Any achievements at work, such as an ‘increase in sales’ or ‘efficiency’ can be recorded here. Further, recommendations by former colleagues or supervisors can be a very powerful endorsement of work experiences.
Education
The educational information is correctly entered in the correct chronological order. The GPA in the previous degree might be listed if the candidate considers it to be an asset.
Licenses and certifications
Licenses from Udemy are listed in the profile along with their verification IDs. Providing additional detail about these certifications are for would be helpful to readers who might not be familiar with their specific names.
Volunteer experience
The volunteer experience added is in consonance with the work experiences. They include both accounting and IT work highlighting the applicant’s passion for both the fields that the applicant is integrating in their professional brand. This is an excellent way to reinforce the narrative of this of the profile.
Skills and endorsements
The candidate has listed an array of relevant skills. Seeking endorsement of these skills can further solidify this section.
Accomplishments and Courses
This is a very strong section of the profile. The candidate has highlighted a number of academic accolades and scholarships won. Importantly, the necessary detail to understand the significance and criteria of the scholarships has been provided.
Interests
The candidate has listed companies and organizations that are relevant to their professional field further reinforcing a cogent theme for their profile.
Grammar and Expression
No grammatical issues were found. More creative expression can be used in the summary. More use of active language that speaks directly to the reader and use of bold expression that grab the reader’s attention can be used.
Concluding remarks and suggested edits:
This is a very well-made professional profile that is cogent and effectively conveys the professional, work and educational credentials of the candidate to recruiters and colleagues. Some suggested edits are:
- Cropping the photo so the face occupies 60% of the picture area.
- Including the business/accounting credentials in the title.
- Revamping the summary so it is more compelling for e.g. through use of more active language, more relevant keywords and consider using a hook.
- Requesting endorsements and recommendations from connections.
- Including any achievements at work into the work experience listings.
- Incliudng the GPA for the previous degree if considered an asset.
- Providing further detail about the Udemy credentials listed.
The candidate has already made an effective LinkedIn profile. Addressing some of the issues highlighted above can further improve an already compelling profile. If you would like to follow-up on any of the suggested edits, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you.
Link to Richard Chen’s profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-c-chen/
Link to linkedin template.
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