One of the most frequent questions I receive when I speak to groups about LinkedIn is,
“How do I add bullets to my LinkedIn profile?”
It’s a question I have answered many times here on my blog but it is time to revisit it. Especially because I have NEW bullets to share with you!
So buckle up, kids! I am going to show you how to add bullets to your LinkedIn profile to increase it’s visual appeal!
Getting Bullets on Your LinkedIn Profile
I hate to say this but there is no “bullet button” within LinkedIn. In fact, you can’t even bold, italicize or underline text. You see, your LinkedIn profile is pure text without formatting. Talk about dull.
All is not lost!
There are more characters available to us than what we see on our keyboard. Text is more than just numbers and letters. There are symbols available to us that we can use like bullets.
The simplest way to use these symbols is to copy and paste.
Watch this video to learn how:
Bullets & Symbols to Spice up Your LinkedIn Profile
In order to use these symbols, all you have to do is copy and paste them.
1. Highlight the symbol you want to use.
2. Once it’s highlighted, COPY it. You can copy it by clicking Ctrl-C or right mouse clicking on the highlighted symbol and choosing COPY from the right mouse menu. If you use a Mac, you can click Apple+C.
Your symbol is now copied and ready to be pasted.
3. Open up LinkedIn and login. Click Profile > Edit Profile. Get yourself to where you want the bullet placed.
4. Paste it by clicking Ctrl-V or right mouse clicking and choosing PASTE from the right mouse menu. If you use a Mac, you can click Apple+V.
Here are some symbols that work great as bullets:
Stars:
★ ✪ ✯ ✰
Arrows:
☛ ☚ ☜ 
☞ ☟ ⇨ ► ◄ ► »
Traditional bullets:
■ 
◆ ●
Ticks:
✘ ☐ 
☒
But wait, there’s more! You can include symbols as visual clues.
Email:
✎ 
✑ 
Phone:
✆ 
☏
Creating Horizontal Lines in your LinkedIn Profile
You can even create horizontal lines by repeating the symbol:
☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲☲
▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
▓▒░▓▒░▓▒░▓▒░▓▒░▓▒░
Illustrating Your Point
You can illustrate your profession using symbols. I have written LinkedIn profiles for musicians in which I used music notes to highlight certain passages: ♬♪♫. I once wrote a LinkedIn profile for an exterminator and I used this symbol, Ѫ, as a bullet because I thought it looked like a bug.
More Fun Bullets
Here are some fun characters that you can use to make people smile:
☊ ☗ ♘ ♝ 
Have Fun but Don’t Get Carried Away
It’s important to add visual appeal to your LinkedIn profile and it’s certainly addictive adding fun symbols. I must caution you to use these symbols SPARINGLY! Using too many symbols will make your profile look busy and unprofessional. I suggest using 1 or 2 symbols for your LinkedIn profile. Remember, LESS IS MORE!
Further Reading
I have also published: How To Create Bullets in LinkedIn AND How Do I Add Bullets to My LinkedIn Profile.
For more symbols, visit Wikipedia’s page on Miscellaneous Computer Symbols.
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment! I’d LOVE to hear from you!
The post LinkedIn Bullets & Symbols, Making Your Profile Shine! appeared first on LinkedIn Makeover: LinkedIn Profile Optimization.