Hey {{first name | there}}. Everyone tells you to list your job responsibilities in your LinkedIn About section. I deleted mine and started with the outcome instead.
In today’s career notes:
Why strangers decide to trust you before reading a single word
The four LinkedIn profile fixes that beat an "Ex-Google" badge
The About-section rewrite that gets you believed, not skimmed
🧗THE EDGE: You don't need "Ex-Google" to be believed
Someone lands on your LinkedIn profile.
Maybe they saw your comment on a post. Maybe a colleague mentioned you. Maybe your name came up in a hiring channel. However they got there, they're now doing one thing before they read a single word you've written:
Deciding whether to trust you.
It is easier for people to trust you if you have F(M)AANG or big tech on your profile; that’s why people swear by Ex Meta, Ex Google. Ex Open AI, on their profile, but not everyone is an Ex “big name”.
So how can you make your profile build trust in the seconds?
Step 1: Fix your Intro Section (the first screen)
Add a banner: Your banner is the biggest piece of real estate on your profile. Use it to show what you're all about. For me, I use it to talk about this newsletter. You can talk about your recent achievements.
Add logos for credibility: If you have certifications like me, your banner is a great place to showcase them.
Clear headshot: This I would say, is compulsory, because it helps people recognize you in person. Several times, people have recognized me on the street at conferences, and it has built connections. Don’t put a meme, please 😅
Descriptive headline: You have a job, you have achieved some things, you speak 3 languages, let people know!!
Here are some great profile intros. You can copy their approach:
And any other person you find interesting.
Step 2: Tell your story in your About section
A wall of job responsibilities builds no trust because nobody reads it, and lists don't make anyone believe in you anyway.
Mine opens with the outcome (100M+ impressions across blogs, newsletters, conferences and LinkedIn), then goes back to the start:
In 2018, I wrote my first ever technical article on the internet…
Where you started, what you learned, where you are now. A story earns trust because the reader can see the path, and see themselves somewhere on it.
Facts get skimmed. A story gets believed.
Step 3: Show proof in your Featured section
Most people don’t know LinkedIn has this section. Don't leave it empty.
You said a lot of things in your intro and about the section. Now is the time to show proof.
Pin the things that make a stranger think, okay, this person is legit: your best post (a job announcement or conference picture), a resource they can actually use, a talk, your newsletter.
Proof they can see without having to trust you first. You're not asking them to believe you. You're showing them.
Important note: For each job you list, don't forget to write in detail your responsibilities and accomplishments. Add links, add photos etc.
✅ACTION ITEMS FOR YOU
You don't have to fix everything tonight.
Find the section that's currently losing you trust:
The default banner, the missing headshot, the job-title headline, and fix that one before you close this email.
Every stranger who visits is running the trust test, whether you've prepared for it or not.
P.S. Reply and tell me which section you're fixing first. I read every response.
🔭VISIBILITY STACK
How LinkedIn Helped Me Land a DevOps Engineer Role! – Bryant Witcher talks about the power of using LinkedIn to build relationships and a network to help you land your next opportunity! Old, but I think Gold
ICYMI last week's issue: no error log for irrelevance – The one rule that got me through 6 brutal years of figuring things out
Stay sharp. Stay visible.
Divine Odazie
CEO, EverythingDevOps
