Which language should I use? 🌎
Follow these 3 steps
Did you know that the language you choose can significantly impact the opportunities you find on LinkedIn? 🗣️
👉🏻 Which language do you think is best for Software Engineers?
When you ask yourself this question, you basically need to choose between:
English
Your locale language
...unless you’re already a native English speaker! 😁
1️⃣ English or Local Language? It depends on your goals
If you’re sure you want to work only in your home country (for example, in Italy for Italian companies), it makes sense to write your profile in your native language.
But if you work in fields like tech, where English is the global standard, my advice is clear: write your profile in English.
🤔 Why?
Accessibility: Many international companies and recruiters use English. If they can’t understand your profile, it’s unlikely they’ll reach out.
Wider Network: With an English profile, you can connect with people from around the world.
Meetups and conferences: they are often conducted in English, even locally. Writing your profile in English positions you to connect with peers and organizers from these events, building a stronger professional network.
New Opportunities: An international profile increases your chances of finding remote work 🏠 or even relocating ✈️.
Useful Practice: Writing in English helps you improve your language skills, which is valuable in any career.
2️⃣ Why not both?
Sometimes, you just want to appeal both local and global audiences.
In that case no problem: LinkedIn supports multilingual profiles!
You can write your profile in multiple languages and choose a primary one. That way, a recruiter will see your profile in their preferred language, because sections get translated.
💡 Practical tips for multilingual profiles:
Write in English as your primary language.
Add your native language to attract local recruiters.
Avoid using more than two languages: it’s hard to manage and update.
As of now, there are a few specific sections where LinkedIn curiously doesn’t support multiple languages 🤷🏻♂️. While this will likely be addressed in the future, my general approach for these sections is to include both variants, like follows:
Content in English
Content in your mother tongue3️⃣ Your activity matters as much as your profile
Once you start sharing content on LinkedIn, it’s important to adjust how you interact with the platform. Here are some key behaviors to adopt:
Prioritize engagement in English: Interact with posts in English, comment in English, and minimize reactions or comments in your local language.
Expand your network: Connect not only with locals but also with English speakers.
Maintain attention and curiosity: Your network sees your activity, including your reactions and comments. If they frequently notice updates in a language they don’t understand, it might create distance or reduce their interest.
Instead, aim to keep your followers engaged by interacting in English. By doing so, you’ll maintain their attention and may even intrigue them to join the conversations you’re part of.
💡 Pro Tip: If you manage to join conversations in English, and push your connections to reply, you not only keep your audience closer but also signal to LinkedIn’s algorithm that your profile generates valuable engagement. This increases your visibility and makes your activity more impactful. 🔥
(25% of my profile visits come from comments left!)
Now it’s your turn: take a look at your LinkedIn profile and start optimizing it!