Tidying up your LinkedIn profile and online portfolio so recruiters can find you
After reading your CV, many recruiters will look you up on LinkedIn or a search engine. They want to check that your work history is consistent, see examples of your work, or simply get a sense of how you communicate. An empty profile, or one that differs from your CV, can raise questions.
Resmi.ID Team · 4 min read ·
Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash
The good news: you don't need to be a LinkedIn “influencer”. A complete, honest, and consistent profile already puts you ahead of many other applicants.
The LinkedIn sections people look at most
- 1Profile photoClear face, enough light, plain background; it needn't be a studio shot.
- 2HeadlineState your role and skills, e.g. “Accounting Staff | Tax & Financial Reports | Accurate, Excel”.
- 3About3–5 sentences on your field, key skills, and the kind of work you're looking for.
- 4ExperienceTitle, company, dates, and 2–4 result-focused bullets as on your CV.
- 5SkillsChoose those relevant to your target job, not everything you've ever tried.
The headline is the most visible part, because it shows up in search results and next to every comment you make. Don't leave it as just “Student” or “Looking for work”. Write what you can do.
About the “Open to Work” status
LinkedIn lets you signal that you're open to new jobs. If you're not currently working, a public signal can help recruiters find you. If you're still employed, consider the setting that is visible only to recruiters, while remembering that no setting fully guarantees confidentiality.
Portfolio: show, don't just tell
Portfolios aren't only for designers. Almost every field has some proof of work you can show, as long as it doesn't reveal company secrets or customer data.
- 1Design and contentLinks to Behance, Dribbble, or a tidy Google Drive folder of your best work.
- 2Programming and dataGitHub repositories with a README explaining the problem, the solution, and how to run it.
- 3MarketingShort campaign case studies covering the goal, steps, and results, with figures anonymised if needed.
- 4Administration and financeSample report templates or Excel dashboards you built, using dummy data.
- 5Technicians and field workPhotos of completed work, competency certificates, and a list of projects handled.
Choose quality over quantity. Three to five well-explained best examples are more useful than twenty pieces without context. For each one, write a paragraph: what the problem was, what your role was, and what the result was.
Be active enough, no need to go viral
A living profile is more trustworthy than one last updated five years ago. You don't need to post every day. One post a month about something you learned, a finished project, or a new certificate is enough to show that you're growing.
When sending a connection request to someone you don't know, add a short note: who you are and why you want to connect. For example: “Hi Budi, I'm a logistics officer in Surabaya and enjoyed your posts on warehouse management. Glad to connect.” Avoid asking for a job in your first message.
Tidy up the rest of your digital footprint
- Search your name and see what appears on the first page.
- Set personal social media accounts to private if you'd rather a future manager didn't see them.
- Use a professional email address, e.g. full.name@…, not an old nickname.
- Make sure the portfolio links on your CV open without having to request access.
Protect your personal data
A public profile shouldn't include your ID card (KTP) number, full home address, or full date of birth. That information can be misused, including by scammers posing as recruiters. Your city and email are enough. A serious recruiter will ask for additional details through official channels once you reach a later stage, for example when signing a contract.
By comparison, on KarirResmi applicants' contact details are hidden from companies until you pass the CV screening stage, so your phone number and email aren't spread to every advertiser. A complete KarirResmi profile also unlocks the AI CV review once it reaches 70% completeness.
