LinkedIn for New Technicians

Create the best profile you can to set yourself up for success.

In my last blog post, “ Growing your Professional Persona”, for New-ish to Newbies: Navigating DevOps Together, I discussed the importance of LinkedIn. However, I felt that there was more to say about LinkedIn, so I have decided to focus this post on your LinkedIn profile and how it can help you as a new IT technician. The post is focused on helping new technicians, but many of the tips can also help more experienced technicians.

I have spoken with several IT recruiters, and many more responded to a questionnaire I sent to gather the information I wrote about in this post. This information comes directly from the individuals who will review your profile and decide whether to proceed with you for their available positions. All the recruiters work with technicians in Sweden, but some also recruit for companies outside the country.

We will look at these different parts of the profile and what to think about:

• Headline
• About
• Experience
• Projects
• Skills
• Recommendations

I will outline the key points that recruiters emphasized in each section, as well as common mistakes to avoid.

I will then provide a summary of the key points.

On some of the questions, the recruiter had very divided standings, and I will be sure to add that when writing their answers.

Headline Section

Key points recruiters find attractive in LinkedIn Headlines

• Mention your area of expertise or specialization (e.g., “Java Developer,” “Azure Architect,” or “Senior DevOps Engineer”).
• Avoid overly generic or broad titles (e.g., refrain from using “IT Engineer” or “Consultant” without providing context).
• Use job titles that directly match or closely align with the roles you want to be found for. Recruiters often search using specific skills or job titles.
• Indicate seniority when applicable (e.g., “Senior DevOps Engineer,” “Chief Cloud Architect”).
• It’s beneficial if you reflect genuine enthusiasm or career goals in your headline (e.g., “Aspiring DevOps Professional” or “DevOps Specialist with Love for Automation”).

Common mistakes to avoid

• Avoid overstating or exaggerating your seniority or expertise. Don’t claim advanced titles like “Cloud Architect” if your experience doesn’t match.
• Headlines that include too many certifications or details appear cluttered. Keep it succinct and easy to read.
• Don’t use overly broad or vague titles (“Consultant” without clear context can confuse recruiters).
• Ensure your title accurately represents your role and responsibilities.
• Avoid explicitly mentioning “Junior” in the title. Instead, position internships or entry-level roles in a professional and appealing way.

Asking recruiters to rate different headlines

I gave the recruiters four different headlines I had seen on LinkedIn and asked them to rate them from 1 to 5.

“CloudOps Engineer | AWS Certified (5x) | Terraform Certified | Focus on Secure Automation” — 4.25

“CloudOps Engineer @ Company” — 3.88

“CloudOps Engineer” — 3.25

“Creating the future for digital work” — 1.38

Summary

A concise and clear headline is most attractive.

Ensure your job title is clear and specific, matching the position you are seeking. Specify your area of expertise, but do not exaggerate your seniority or expertise level.

About Section

Compelling Details & Themes Recruiters Look For

• Clearly state your current role, primary responsibilities, and technical expertise.
• Clearly state what motivates you professionally and your career aspirations.
• Share your passion or enthusiasm for specific technologies or areas within the tech industry.
• Briefly describe your significant accomplishments and how you personally contributed to them.
• Recruiters highly value soft skills — qualities such as teamwork, problem-solving, communication, and adaptability.
• Include personal touches to stand out, but keep them relevant and meaningful (avoid clichés like “coffee lover”).

Recommended Length & Detail Level

• Keep it direct, clear, and easy to read.
• Approximately 3–5 lines or a short, focused paragraph is ideal.
• Avoid “fluff” — every detail included should add genuine value or insight.
• Provide enough detail to distinguish yourself from peers, especially for new technicians with limited experience.

Common Pitfalls & Clichés to Avoid

• Avoid overly polished AI-written bios; recruiters can easily identify inauthentic content.
• Utilize AI tools for support, but ensure the content accurately reflects your genuine personality and professional identity.
• Write in the first person to maintain authenticity and engagement.
• Avoid extensive personal hobbies or childhood anecdotes that don’t directly relate to your professional skills.
• Steer clear of clichés such as “building computers since childhood” or vague statements like “I want to join a company to develop my skills.”
• Avoid begging language; emphasize what value you bring rather than what you seek.
• Don’t leave the “About” section empty or overly vague; it’s a key opportunity to highlight your distinct professional profile.

Summary

Where the headline makes the recruiter click on your profile, the About section will make them start to know you.

Keep it clear and easy to read. Do not write a book and avoid fluff.

Clearly state your current role, expertise, and what motivates you. Do not forget about your soft skills.

Only the first three lines are shown unless you expand the section. So make sure the most important is there.

Experience Section

Duration & Job Stability

• How long you’ve worked at each job to assess stability and progression.
• Identifying a clear career progression or “red thread.”

Job Titles & Keywords

• A quick scan of your job titles to see immediate alignment with roles they’re recruiting for.
• Relevant technical keywords and specific technologies used (e.g., AWS, Azure, Terraform, programming languages).
• Some recruiters interpret skill order as an indicator of proficiency, so list your most relevant skills prominently.

Responsibilities are generally preferred overall, but accomplishments are valuable as well

• Recruiters strongly prefer to see a clear summary of your role’s primary responsibilities outlined.
• Responsibilities provide immediate insight into what you have done regularly and can quickly show alignment with a new role.
• Specific projects or achievements demonstrate the tangible value you’ve provided in your roles.
• Ideal descriptions blend both but emphasize your daily responsibilities clearly.

Balanced Approach

• The best practice is to combine responsibilities (primary) and accomplishments/projects (secondary but significant) to convey comprehensive professional value clearly.

Commonly Overlooked Details & Pitfalls:

• Avoid overly vague descriptions (e.g., “I worked as a Java developer” alone isn’t sufficient).
• Not clearly stating specific tasks, tools, and technologies used.
• Essential skills and accomplishments should appear at the beginning of the description. Recruiters often skim-read quickly and may miss details placed later in the text.
• Avoid descriptions that merely state what the company does. Recruiters want to know what you did specifically, how you did it, and why it matters professionally.
• Ensure descriptions directly relate to the job roles you want to attract, as irrelevant experiences dilute the profile’s focus.

Summary

Be specific when describing your responsibilities and the tasks you performed in the position and the technologies you worked with.

While it can be hard as a Junior Technician to have a clear career progression in IT, try to focus on the skills in the jobs where you have worked that closely align with the requirements for the career you are looking for. An earlier job might not have required the technical skills needed, but many of the soft skills or management skills you developed can be “translated” to a new career.

Projects Section

The importance of projects was split among the recruiters. Some saw them as important, while others didn't see the importance of them, especially if they were not directly relevant to the role they were looking for.

Importance of Personal/Open-source Projects:

• Average importance rating: 5 out of 10 (mixed opinions)
• High importance: Some recruiters value these projects highly (ratings: 7, 8, 9) as indicators of initiative, skill, and passion.
• Low importance: Others view them as less impactful (ratings: 1, 3) unless directly relevant to the role.

Most Relevant Project Details Recruiters Look For

• Purpose/Problem: Clearly describe what problem the project aims to solve.
• Role/Responsibility: Specifically outline your individual contributions and responsibilities.
• Tech Stack: Clearly state the technologies/tools used and justify their choice.
• Results/Impact: Summarize what was achieved or the current status of the project.
• Relevance: Explain how the project aligns with your career goals or targeted roles.

Recruiters prefer clarity and specificity in these details to better assess your capabilities and independence in handling tasks relevant to potential roles.

• It’s beneficial to include links to GitHub, websites, or demos if they clearly showcase relevant, updated, and high-quality work.
• Avoid linking if your profiles or projects are outdated, incomplete, or do not positively enhance your overall professional image.

Summary

While some recruiters do not see the Projects as that important, some do. And when you specify your project, be sure to clearly explain what the project does and how you solved it. Include links. Think about the fact that many recruiters are not technicians themselves, so the explanations need to be clear for non-technicians.

Skills Section

Importance of Listing Skills

• Average importance rating: 8.6 out of 10

Most recruiters strongly emphasize the importance of explicitly listing skills due to:

• Enhanced visibility through searchability (keywords).
• Immediate clarity of your primary technical competencies.

Recruiter Perception of Skill Endorsements

Moderate Impact:

• Skill endorsements have some influence but are not decisive.

Positive Impact:

• Endorsements by relevant colleagues or credible sources strengthen perceived credibility.
• High endorsements in key skills can make candidates more attractive initially.

Limited Impact:

• Recruiters generally don’t rely heavily on endorsements, especially if the profile clearly outlines skills elsewhere.
• Generic endorsements or those from non-technical contacts have minimal value.

Summary

Listing your skills is important, especially for recruiters searching for specific skills. It also clarifies the technical competencies you possess.

Endorsement of skill can have some influence, but it also needs to come from colleagues or credible sources.

Recommendations Section

The importance of recommendations was also a point of contention, with recruiters divided on the issue.

Do Recruiters Read Recommendations?

• Most recruiters rarely or occasionally glance at recommendations, but they’re generally not decisive.
• Some recruiters read them, but often after already making an initial decision on whether to contact the candidate or not.

Impact of Recommendations:

• Average impact rating: 5.5 out of 10 (varied significantly from very low to very high importance)
• Some recruiters rate them highly impactful (8–10), while others see minimal influence (2–6).

Should Technicians Actively Seek Recommendations?

Yes, but selectively.

• Recommendations from well-respected individuals or those known in the tech community lend credibility.

Prioritize obtaining recommendations from:

• Technical colleagues or peers with direct experience of your skills.
• Managers who can describe both technical and soft skills, though technical endorsements typically carry more weight.
• Recent, relevant recommendations (avoid outdated ones).

What Makes a Recommendation Credible and Impactful?

• Specific and skill-focused: Clearly describes the candidate’s technical skills, strengths, and the value they brought to projects.
• Positive yet authentic: Uniformly positive recommendations make candidates appealing, but they must feel genuine and specific rather than generic praise.
• Tech-focused descriptions: Recommendations emphasizing direct technical contributions or problem-solving abilities are most impactful.

Summary

Recommendations can be impactful with the correct recruiter, but will probably not prompt them to reach out to you if your profile to this point has not piqued their interest. However, if it has, it can help you get the whole way.

Ensure your recommendations are recent and from individuals with relevant experience in your field.

Final Thoughts

I hope this will help some of you on your IT journey. It became a lot more text then I had anticipated but after compilling all the answers from the questionnaire (with help from AI) I didnt want to edit to much away as the recruiter had a lot to say about the different sections.

Two important notes that the recruiters made that I want to share as the final points are:

Ensure your LinkedIn profile aligns with your CV, and make it personal. The LinkedIn profile is about you.