Did you know that you can move many of the sections within your LinkedIn profile and even the components within some of the sections?

Whether you’re looking for a job, seeking to grow your business, or simply wanting to showcase yourself in the best possible way, you likely have a preferred format or order of presentation.

That format is likely not the one provided by the template LinkedIn provides.

To relocate a section, click on the icon of two arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down, at the top right corner of the section. Then you can drag that section to the position in the profile where you want it to appear.

Adjust the Order of the Sections of Your Profile

• Although you can move the Summary from its default position near the top of your profile, I would recommend leaving it right where it sits. Approach this section as if you were writing a personal vision statement. Use a conceptual approach to describing yourself and how you can serve others. Don’t make it a linear recitation of your past work and achievements.
• If you have quite a few endorsements in the Skills and Endorsements section, consider moving that section below the Summary. (By quite a few, I mean a total of 30-40 endorsements for each of the 10 skills that display at the top of this section.) Having endorsements for the skills you list provides the proof or validation of what you just said about yourself in your Summary section.
• Put the Additional Information section either right after the Summary or after Skills and Endorsements if you put that right below the Summary. In this section, you can share your personal interests as well as offer advice for people regarding contacting you. By including this personalized information, you improve the odds of people reaching out to find out about your business or take a second look at your resume.
• Move the Certification section to just after the Experience section if you have a license or a certificate that helps people be more confident in using your services or giving you an interview.
• If you have published an article or a book, move the Publications section higher than where it falls in the template. The same goes for the Project section if leading projects is an important part of what you do in your business life.

Move the Components within a Section

• In the Experience section, the order of the positions listed goes from current (or most recent) to oldest. Sometimes you want to tweak the order of your current positions. Let’s say that you recently got a part-time job that you want to list. But you want to be better known for the business you operate, and you started that business before you started your job. You want that business to appear at the top of the list of positions in your Experience section.
• By taking your cursor and hovering to the left of any position in this section, you will see a gray shaded area. Click on that and drag your position as a business owner to the top of the section.
• Please note that you can only move the positions that you CURRENTLY hold, not the ones you once held. Those formerly held positions will remain in chronological order.
• Other sections where you can move the separate components within them include Education, Certification, Organizations, Publications, Projects, and Recommendations.

FYI, you can only make the changes described above while on a computer, not while on a mobile device. Also, your customized ordering of the sections will not necessarily appear that way when you profile is viewed on a mobile device, and not all the sections in the profile will display.

 

How About You?

Have you adjusted the format of your LinkedIn profile? What sections have you moved higher (or lower) than found in the template? What other changes have you made?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.