<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Denis De O: Career-growth]]></title><description><![CDATA[QA is more than writing tests. It’s how you think, communicate, and position yourself.

In this section, I share lessons from years in the field — interviews, mistakes, decisions, and what actually helped me grow.

If you want to move from “just doing tasks” to being someone teams rely on, this is for you.]]></description><link>https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/s/career-growth</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8GJg!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F569668de-b6b1-47f6-bc84-b3229c2b261f_1024x1024.png</url><title>Denis De O: Career-growth</title><link>https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/s/career-growth</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2026 14:32:51 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Denis De O]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[denisdeoqa@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[denisdeoqa@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Denis De O]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Denis De O]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[denisdeoqa@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[denisdeoqa@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Denis De O]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Your LinkedIn Profile Is Not a Resume]]></title><description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s your most important career asset and most people are using it wrong]]></description><link>https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/p/your-linkedin-profile-is-not-a-resume-98b</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/p/your-linkedin-profile-is-not-a-resume-98b</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Denis De O]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 19:08:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3466125,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/i/192345041?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oz7c!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F975e8138-e8ba-4639-9ccf-041046f128ec_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Most people treat LinkedIn like a place to store their experience.</p><p>They update it when they change jobs.<br>They add a few bullet points.<br>Maybe upload a profile picture.</p><p>And then they forget about it.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>That&#8217;s the mistake</strong></h2><p>Your LinkedIn profile is not a document.</p><p>It&#8217;s a <strong>tool</strong>.</p><p>A tool that can:</p><ul><li><p>Attract recruiters</p></li><li><p>Generate opportunities</p></li><li><p>Build credibility</p></li><li><p>Open doors you didn&#8217;t even know existed</p></li></ul><p>But only if it&#8217;s optimized.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>Think of LinkedIn as a first impression at scale</strong></h2><p>Before anyone talks to you, they check your profile.</p><p>And they decide &#8212; very quickly:</p><ul><li><p>Do you look relevant?</p></li><li><p>Do you look credible?</p></li><li><p>Do you look interesting?</p></li></ul><p>You don&#8217;t get 10 minutes.</p><p>You get <strong>5&#8211;10 seconds</strong>.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>1. Clarity beats complexity</strong></h2><p>The biggest mistake people make?</p><p>Trying to sound impressive instead of being clear.</p><div><hr></div><h3>&#10060; Weak profile:</h3><blockquote><p>Experienced professional with a strong background in multiple areas...</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><h3>&#9989; Strong profile:</h3><blockquote><p>QA Engineer focused on automation, API testing, and improving product quality</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p>&#128161; If someone can&#8217;t understand what you do instantly, they move on.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>2. Your headline is your hook</strong></h2><p>This is the most important line in your entire profile.</p><p>It follows you everywhere:</p><ul><li><p>Search results</p></li><li><p>Comments</p></li><li><p>Messages</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h3>Instead of:</h3><blockquote><p>Software Engineer at Company</p></blockquote><h3>Try:</h3><blockquote><p>Software Engineer | Backend APIs | Python | Cloud Systems</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p>&#128073; Use keywords. Be specific. Be searchable.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>3. Your About section should feel human</strong></h2><p>Most &#8220;About&#8221; sections sound like a corporate brochure.</p><p>People don&#8217;t connect with that.</p><div><hr></div><p>Instead:</p><ul><li><p>Write like you speak</p></li><li><p>Be simple</p></li><li><p>Be direct</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h3>A simple structure that works:</h3><ul><li><p>What you do</p></li><li><p>What you&#8217;re good at</p></li><li><p>How you think about your work</p></li><li><p>What you&#8217;re looking for</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>People don&#8217;t just hire skills.</p><p>They hire <strong>how you think</strong>.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>4. Experience is not a task list</strong></h2><p>This is where most profiles lose impact.</p><div><hr></div><h3>&#10060; Weak:</h3><ul><li><p>Responsible for testing</p></li><li><p>Worked with tools</p></li><li><p>Participated in projects</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h3>&#9989; Strong:</h3><ul><li><p>Improved test coverage and reduced production issues</p></li><li><p>Designed testing strategies for critical features</p></li><li><p>Collaborated with teams to improve release quality</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>&#128073; Focus on <strong>impact</strong>, not activity.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>5. Your profile is being scanned, not read</strong></h2><p>People don&#8217;t read profiles line by line.</p><p>They scan.</p><p>So make it easy:</p><ul><li><p>Short paragraphs</p></li><li><p>Clear bullet points</p></li><li><p>Strong first lines</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>If it looks heavy&#8230; it gets ignored.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>6. Activity matters more than you think</strong></h2><p>Even a perfect profile is not enough today.</p><p>If you never post, you stay invisible.</p><div><hr></div><p>You don&#8217;t need to be an influencer.</p><p>Just start sharing:</p><ul><li><p>Lessons from your work</p></li><li><p>Things you&#8217;re learning</p></li><li><p>Simple insights</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p>Consistency &gt; perfection.</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>7. Optimize, don&#8217;t set and forget</strong></h2><p>Your LinkedIn profile should evolve.</p><p>Just like your career.</p><div><hr></div><p>Every few months, ask:</p><ul><li><p>Does this reflect where I am today?</p></li><li><p>Does it match where I want to go?</p></li><li><p>Would someone contact me based on this?</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2><strong>Final thought</strong></h2><p>Opportunities don&#8217;t just come from experience.</p><p>They come from <strong>visibility</strong>.</p><div><hr></div><p>And LinkedIn is one of the few places where you control that.</p><div><hr></div><h3>So don&#8217;t treat it like a resume.</h3><p>Treat it like something that works for you &#8212; every day.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/p/your-linkedin-profile-is-not-a-resume-98b?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://denisdeoqa.substack.com/p/your-linkedin-profile-is-not-a-resume-98b?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>