LinkedIn Video Cover Story: Guide for Entry Level Job Seekers

LinkedIn's looking to help users share more of their personal story and bring their profile to life.

And they're doing it in today's trending medium: video. Their newest feature allows you to create a 30 second video cover story that will live on your LinkedIn profile where your profile picture is.

Here's everything you need to know about the new video cover story feature, what to say, how to say it, and how to record it.

LinkedIn Video Cover Story Facts

Duration: 30 seconds

How you can make one: Mobile app only in portrait mode

Where it’s displayed: Where your profile picture is on mobile and desktop. You’ll get an orange ring around your profile photo

How it’s played: Your profile viewers will automatically be shown a 3sec preview of your video cover story when they see your profile

Who can see it: You have the choice to make it available to either connections only or to the public

Why LinkedIn Created this Feature

LinkedIn references a recent U.S. survey citing “nearly 80% (76%) of hiring managers believe seeing a pre-recorded video of a job seeker would be useful.”  

Video has been a highly trending medium accelerated by the pandemic. This video allows you to humanize yourself and better connect with your profile viewers. 

Should You Create a LinkedIn Video Cover Story?

Using this new feature can help define you as an innovator, especially early adopters.

It shows that you’re comfortable with new technologies, well-informed on important digital trends, and excited to be on the forefront of new developments. The video cover story helps you stand out and offers you a competitive edge because most will be too timid to utilize the new feature.

They can also help dispel biases for younger, entry-level workers by giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your maturity and commitment to your professional brand. LinkedIn’s career cover video is an excellent opportunity to define your brand value.

LinkedIn’s new video cover story feature favors the confident extrovert so if that doesn’t sound like you, extreme care will be needed. Here’s how to do it right:

How to do it Right

People judge a book by its cover. Here, recruiters and hiring managers will be judging you by your cover story video.

They’ll make judgements on how you appear and communicate in this video. You want your video to best represent who you are and the value you can bring.

Use your video cover story to connect with the viewer. How we say it is just as important as what we say.

What to say:

• No selfish intro, get straight to the point. Let them know how you can help them from the start. Hook them in by letting the viewer know how you can solve their problem. After you catch their attention, then  you can let them know who you are
• Share what’s unique about you that differentiates you as a job seeker or employee.
• Make it about them and how you can add value and contribute to the person viewing your profile.
• Make it personal by being your authentic self and speaking as if you were talking to a friend. This is your chance to humanize yourself and not just be judged by what’s on paper.
• Being direct because you can only fit 35-45 words into a 20 second video. If you’re looking for a job, say that. Be specific and make every word count.

Example Sentences:

Here are some example sentences you can string together to form your LinkedIn video cover story. Feel break them down or tear them apart. Starting with a blank page is hard, so these hopefully will spark some inspiration for your video cover story.

Video Structure: Start with a strong intro to hook in the viewer, say a few words about you, your passions, and/or your goals, then close it out with a clear call to action.

Intro

• I’m a [type of professional] known for my commitment to [career mission].
• Hi, I’m [your name] and I’m looking for my dream job in [industry].
• Hey, I’m a [type of professional] looking for [what you’re seeking]
• Hi, I’m [your name] and I’m known for leveraging my strengths in [strengths 1] and [strength 2] to help [solve a common employer pain point in your industry].

Body

• Outside of [passion/interest #1], I’m passionate about [passion/interest #2] and [passion/interest #3]
• I have experience in [experience #1] and [experience #2] and am looking for a role in that space.
• I’m known for my [strength #1] and [strength #2]
• My experience in [your experience] has made me an expert in [your area of expertise].

CTA

• Check out my profile and shoot me a message so we can chat about what we can do together
• I love chatting about [your specialty or industry] and if you do too, feel free to connect! 

How to say it:

• Speak slowly and clearly so you’re easy to understand and are best showcasing your communication skills. The video is only 20 seconds so it’s easy to feel like you need to cram in a bunch of information, but slow down and remember that less is more.
• Demonstrate confidence by making eye-contact with the camera and speaking with conviction. Rehearsing what you’re going to say a few times so you don’t stutter or stumble through it.
• Smile and speak with passion to show how committed you are to your career and express your positivity authentically

How to record it:

• Maximize light in front of you and minimize light behind of you
• No earbuds unless they’re AirPods and can’t be seen in your video
• Dress for work, not a Netflix binge
• Prop your phone up on something to avoid shaky hands
• Fill the screen with your face and upper body to eliminate white space. Just don’t get too close and cut off the top of your head
• Add text and stickers if you feel it would add value to your video cover and/or demonstrate your creativity
• Double check who can view it and make sure it's viewable to the public, like in the image above 

Conclusion

Don't miss out on this opportunity to stand out on LinkedIn and make an impeccable impression to those how view your profile by taking advantage of LinkedIn's new video cover story feature. Don't overthink what you're going to say, just say it with confidence and your video will turn out great!