LinkedIn Profile Best Practices
LinkedIn profile advice to set you apart
LinkedIn isn’t just another social media platform, and your LinkedIn profile isn’t just another social media profile. The world’s largest professional network on the internet, LinkedIn can be used to find a job, internship, make connections, strengthen professional relationships, learn, share thought leadership and exchange ideas, and showcase your expertise and skill set.
If a future employer or client were to look at your LinkedIn profile, would they see the information they need and want to know whether or not you’re the right professional for the job?
This blog will help walk you through a few LinkedIn profile best practices to more concisely share your story, expertise, and connect with potential employers and collaborators.
Why Bother with My LinkedIn Profile?
Especially when searching for a new career or job, your LinkedIn profile is one of the first places recruiters and hiring personnel will go to determine whether or not you’re the right candidate for the job and fit for their company.
Your LinkedIn profile is an opportunity to create a personal brand on the LinkedIn platform. They encourage you to share your skills, story, and what makes you unique! Ensuring that your LinkedIn profile is aligned with best practices is key to avoiding being passed over or dismissed as unprofessional. Let’s take a potential employer’s perspective and take a look at your LinkedIn Profile together, shall we?
LinkedIn Profile Best Practices:
Headline
Your headline isn’t just your job title or job description, it’s a clear concise summary of your professional identity. Highlight your skills, expertise, or expand on what you do. You have around 450 characters, so don’t be shy! You may use other people’s LinkedIn profiles that you admire to get ideas.
Visuals and Imagery
You have two opportunities to shine visually on your LinkedIn profile. You have a banner image, which goes across the top of the screen when someone comes to visit your profile, and you have your headshot which is, at the time of publishing this blog, to the bottom left. You can use both of these to your advantage and as a foundation of your personal brand!
Let’s start with your headshot. Your headshot should be professional and a photo of you by yourself. I know, you wanted to include your dog, or a picture of your kids and you at the beach, but save those for your Facebook or Instagram profiles, and stick to a photo of you by yourself on your LinkedIn. Your headshot should show your face clearly and exude the feeling you want people to get from you. It doesn’t need to be done by a professional photographer! You can ask a friend, spouse, or coworker to help you take a great headshot with a little help from Google and a quality phone camera. Don’t leave the headshot section blank! It may appear as though your profile is inactive.
You may also want to put some thought into your banner image. Again, this shouldn’t be a photo of you dog, kids, you on the dance floor at a wedding, but something poignant and professional. Some people like to use a tagline or branding that’s reflective of them in their banner as well. You can create these in Canva, and LinkedIn has some options to choose from as well.
Content
Moving down the LinkedIn profile is the content section. This is where you can feature blogs, articles, and other various achievements you want to pop and stand out. LinkedIn also shows profile visitors a preview of recent content you’ve shared. I recommend you share content that highlights your expertise, engages in conversation, and shares thought leadership. Avoid political, religious and otherwise polarizing content that could be off putting or misaligned with a company’s values or views. Make sure you’re posting on a semi-regular basis or engaging in other’s content.
The About Section: Your Time to Shine
The About Section is your opportunity to tie in the brief information in your headline and expand on it. You can make this conversational or more professional in tone, but do tell your story in a clear, clean, and concise way. You want to give an overview of your professional background, skills, and aspirations. Share your unique value proposition and what sets you apart from others looking for the same roles. Put yourself in the onlooker’s shoes and use this section to answer the question, “What can this person do for me?”
Your Network
Another thing that people are checking is how many connections and followers you have. The purpose of LinkedIn is to network! Work on expanding your network and actively seeking to connect with people you know, so your profile doesn’t just sit stagnant with 40 connections or less.
Recommendations
The best way to get recommendations is to give recommendations! LinkedIn recommendations are the social proof that many future employers and clients need to ensure you’re the right fit. They can often see glimpses into your work style, character, and personality through what others write. It’s more than OK to ask for a recommendation when you’ve collaborated or worked with someone, so don’t be shy! When applicable, you can always offer a recommendation in exchange for theirs for a win-win.
When you’re looking for a job, working with clients, or open to possibilities and collaborations, remember that what you put online matters. It’s your personal brand and it often doesn’t go away. Be sure what you’re sharing online impacts your professional image positively and is representative of who you truly are.
Additional Guidance
Be sure to book a call and take the steps to start improving your profile by implementing these LinkedIn Profile Best Practices for yourself. If you want more guidance and 1:1 support as you navigate this challenging and overwhelming landscape, let’s connect! I’d love to help coach you through this process and set you up for success!
