Unleashing the Power of LinkedIn’s ProFinder

Guest blog by the LinkedIn Careers Team

Interested in entrepreneurship? LinkedIn ProFinder connects top quality freelance or independent professionals with new clients and leads.

 

The ProFinder Marketplace consists of over 70,000 vetted professionals

 

Getting Started

 

Having a complete profile is the most important piece to getting opportunities, as it's one of the first things potential clients will see.

 

There are five main pieces to consider when building a successful profile:

 

• Profile photo - A professional picture is the key to making a good first impression. This image should be clear, warm, and memorable.
   

• Headline - It's important to make sure that your headline matches the services that you originally selected on ProFinder, otherwise your specialties become unclear.
   

• Summary - Your summary is a great place to highlight your passions and accomplishments in your own words. This is a valuable section that helps you stand out.
   

Recommendations 


Recommendations are essential, as they can be the difference in whether you're hired or ignored. Please bear in mind that it's quality before quantity. A great recommendation has three parts:

• Clearly defines your role in the project and its completion.
• References the skills utilized.
• Includes a date.
   

<iframe width='560' height='315' src='https://www.lynda.com/player/embed/599585?fs=3&w=560&h=315&ps=paused&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=embed+video&utm_campaign=ldc-website&utm_content=vid-599585' mozallowfullscreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' allowfullscreen='true' frameborder='0'></iframe><div style="margin-bottom:10px"><strong><a href="https://www.lynda.com/LinkedIn-tutorials/Learning-LinkedIn/595944-2.html" title="Discover how to get the most out of using LinkedIn. Learn how to construct a stellar profile, find and add connections, share content, and more.">Learning LinkedIn</a></strong> by <a href="https://www.lynda.com/author/4243611">Oliver Schinkten</a></div>

 

Published Articles

 

The quickest way to build your brand is with LinkedIn's publishing platform. You can write about anything from industry trends to career accomplishments. It's important to write about what you know. This will help establish yourself as an industry expert, since your content will be displayed on your ProFinder profile and available to all LinkedIn users (not just your connections).

 

Relevant Experience

It may seem like an obvious statement, but it’s easier to get the job if you have done it before! Maintaining a portfolio of your previous work will demonstrate that you have the skillset to be successful. By keeping your profile up-to-date, future clients will be able to see what you’ve done and how you can help them.

With LinkedIn’s ProFinder, you can be a part of the ~35% of freelancers in the workforce. Start picking up leads in no time with a well-crafted profile, a little bit of experience, and some help from previous customers. Remember that the early bird gets the worm, so respond to your requests for proposal as soon as you can!