Why? LinkedIn has millions of users meaning more opportunities to connect. It is the go-to place for those who want to raise their professional profiles in order to attain their goal, whether it is for a career move, searching for a new job or looking for new business opportunities. In a two part blog series we will look at how to optimise your linked in profile.
Before you start on your profile ask yourself these questions
– With so many professionals in one place, how can you make your profile have prominence?
– In times of uncertainty and some relative instability, how do you ensure your LinkedIn profile is at an optimum level?
– How can you be sure that your profile reflects your true skills, abilities and show your personality too?
Here are some basic principles that we believe will help answer the questions.
Completeness is the Key
Complete as much of your profile as you can. LinkedIn offers a “profile strength” tool which shows how filled out your profile is. To view this, go to your profile and the profile strength meter will be under your main information.
First impressions count
When you’re looking through profiles on LinkedIn what do you notice first? The profile photos and the headline. These should catch your attention for the right reason by giving the right first impression.
It may seem obvious, but a professional-looking photo is a must. Make sure that it is a recent, clear close-up photograph.
Aesthetics matter
Once you have an appropriate photo in place, start on your background. Make sure that your background banner is well designed, grabs attention and ties in with your brand identity. The background can either be in brand colours or display your logo.
Behind the headline
The wording that accompanies your name on your profile should help to make you stand out to those looking to connect. This is your opportunity to state what you do and what you’re about. You can be creative and use wording depicting what you can do for prospective clients or why they need your services. This is where word choice matters as you only have 120 characters to express yourself.
All about you
In this summary section, you can state why you are in your particular area of expertise and what your future plans are. This is a great place to sell yourself clearly and concisely.
It’s important that you keep this section up to date with changes to your career or your future aspirations.
You can keep this summary fresh and interesting with media like videos, podcasts, and articles. These various mediums of communication will help to position you as an expert.
Experience and education
It goes without saying that your experience and education should be listed chronologically.
If you have any gaps in employment or unaccounted periods, just make sure than you highlight all the relevant experience and achievements that you do have.
Endorsement and recommendations
Ask former work colleagues and current clients for endorsements and recommendations. When you do, make sure that they are specific to your niche. Don’t forget to reciprocate the gesture as this can help you grow your network.
Building your network
Another way to build your network is by writing and publishing articles. Like with the videos and podcasts, well-written, informative articles also help to establish you as an expert in your field.
Engagement on any platform is key and sharing and commenting on LinkedIn works in the same way in that interacting gets you noticed and hopefully exposes you to relevant connections.
Finally…
You can never have too much advice when it comes to optimising your profile. We would encourage you to use the information in this guide as well as all the wealth of knowledge that is available on LinkedIn.
We believe that spending time on your LinkedIn profile will be an investment that will reap dividends in the long run.
