BEST WAYS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE

BEST WAYS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE
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LinkedIn is a great professional platform and there are many reasons for millions of people using it every day. Some of the things LinkedIn is widely used for are professional networking, Job Search, seeing what’s up in the global economy, connecting with professionals/ potential employers, as well as applying to jobs.

The Key to LinkedIn is all about personal branding. You need to ensure that your online presence conveys a message about your skills, to all the people in your network.

Are you wondering how to make LinkedIn work for you? LinkedIn is one of the easiest ways you can create your personal brand. In this post, I’m going to share useful tips about how to make the most out of your LinkedIn profile?

10 Tips to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile and Raise Visibility

You can spend hours interacting in the LinkedIn discussion groups and connecting with different individuals but if you don’t have an awesome profile, all your efforts are wasted.

It’s kind of like going on an interview without preparation. As preparing for an interview you need to make sure that you are dressed to impress and all set to make your mark!

YOU MIGHT LIKE TO READ ABOUT: TIPS FOR POST INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED BY CANDIDATES

With LinkedIn, you don’t want to start networking and searching for opportunities without dressing up your profile to impress the people that you meet. So Let’s see how we can prepare for the first impression:

1.  POWER PACKED PROFILE HEADLINE

Most people type their current position in the line that is placed right below the user’s name. It is not a bad idea but one could use this space more effectively.

Why not mention your exclusive skills or educational information in your headline and catch their attention?

For example, one could mention a tagline under your profile “ïnterested in networking with healthcare workers” if you are a healthcare professional. These lines will target your networking and promote your profile more than cliché phrases.

2. YOUR SUMMARY IS THE FIRST IMPRESSION

The summary section is the top section where you should briefly introduce yourself. It is an important section to introduce yourself to the person who is visiting your profile.

It is also a place to make the first impression, so make sure your profile summary is well written without any typos. Give your career a snapshot and make it interesting by sharing your vision and your core qualities. 

3. LINKEDIN PROFILE PHOTO IS NOT A VACATION MEMORY

Nothing promotes you better than a great profile picture. A great photo on LinkedIn is definitely a must-have and not a nice-to-have. It is proven that people are rarely clicking on profiles without photos. Linkedin is a professional networking website, so your picture has to be professional too.

Below are some things to consider:

  • Your face should take about 60% of the picture
  • You need a professional headshot. One that shows your face clearly.
  • The background has to be a light color. 
  • The attire has to be business formals like something you would wear to work. 
  • Avoid poorly cropped photos or dark, poor quality images. 
  • Don’t put a selfie as your profile photo. No matter how well you edit, it will be noticed that it is a selfie and will not give a professional impression. 
  • Professional photo means no family or holiday pictures.

4. MASTER THE RIGHT KEYWORDS

The keywords on LinkedIn are the same things as search words on Google. These are the words that help others (recruiters, hiring managers, etc.) to find you on LinkedIn.

For example, if a recruiter is looking for a Sales Manager with experience in the retail industry, He/ She will type the exact words and search on LinkedIn. If your profile has those keywords, it will rank your profile (high) on the LinkedIn search result. 

Make sure that your LinkedIn profile has the right keywords that match the job you are looking for. Those keywords have to be used all over your profile including your headline, summary, and experience sections.

5. PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING ON LINKEDIN

There’s no need to be on a networking spree while you are on LinkedIn. Although you might be keen to grow/build your network, sending invitations to everyone is not a good idea. Give more attention to quality rather than quantity when making network connections. The more relevant connections you have, the better it is.

Review a profile carefully before accepting an invitation from another person. This will help you avoid disorganization unless your ONLY focus is on growing your audience. 

Here’s a quick video link about how to approach a Recruiter on LinkedIn.

6. POSTING ON LINKEDIN

Sharing posts on LinkedIn increases your profile’s visibility. High-quality content is the best way to promote your profile. Share your thoughts with your network about things that matter professionally. The whole idea is to provide your network with the information that matches their interests.

Keep your post concise and informative. Avoid sharing any jokes or quizzes on Linkedin as it does not look professional. To stay visible to your network it is important to like and comment on the posts of your connections. But it doesn’t mean, you are liking commenting on most of the posts in your you see in LinkedIn feed. Be selective.

7. JOIN DIFFERENT GROUPS BASED ON YOUR INTEREST

Search for LinkedIn groups that are related to your profession and join them. It is a good way to communicate with like-minded people and add them to your network. It makes networking easier as it gives you a reason to message the group members directly for any questions.

Participating in groups will help you in a better understanding of different topics relevant to your profession. 

8. YOUR PROFILE IS NOT YOUR CV

Your LinkedIn profile must not look like a copy of your resume. Be precise by mentioning only useful employment information. If you are using LinkedIn to look for a job, read my blog about how to make your job search more effective?

Add your skills to show what exactly you do and present your portfolio. One must add any certifications, videos, or presentations as your achievements. Focus more on creating high-value content for your profile rather than promoting yourself. Work on your LinkedIn profile regularly as you grow in your career.

9. YOUR SKILLS PORTRAY THAT YOU ARE INCHARGE

Make sure to add your skills properly on your Linkedin. It is so important because based on your skills people can endorse you.

Did you know that you can add professional skills that you want to be rated on? Team management, Leadership, recruitment, etc. Once you have endorsements, reorder your skills.

It really matters how they are presented on your profile. Not only will this give you extra credibility but also demonstrate how others see you.

10. GET RECOMMENDED

When you are looking to work somewhere, what do you look for? The answer is simple – Recommendations and testimonials. 

Recommendations build trust and provide independent feedback about professionals. If you are job searching, it is very common for recruiters or potential employers to review profiles.

Displaying work-related feedback from colleagues or managers demonstrates how great you are, and how amazing you could be at what you do.

It helps build your professional reputation. It does not take long for someone to do it for you. In fact, you may have professionals in your network who are willing to recommend you, all you have to do is to Ask.

Did you get a recommendation yet?

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Now that you’ve completed these 10 steps and your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date, what’s next? Well, if you are looking for a new job, take a look at the jobs posted by location or keyword. You can also check my blog about things to do while looking for a job to make it productive. If you are happy with the job you have, sit back, relax and pin this post for later.

Remember to log in periodically to add a new skill or connect with new people. You’ll be surprised at who you find. 

Do you have any LinkedIn tips and tricks that you want to share with me? Let me know, what tips you’re excited about from the above list! I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

For more career advancement / Linkedin strategies, visit my official consulting website CareerVues. Through my consulting services, I can help you with great career resources to land in your dream job and achieve career happiness. To start with check out these amazing career tools in my free resources library.

Happy networking!

Naina

A wanderlust follower who believes travel broadens your horizons. I love to explore new places & beauty of nature as it fuels life into my soul.

5 thoughts on “BEST WAYS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE

  1. This is a great post! I’m graduating this year so we’re all encouraged to use LinkedIn as much as possible so we had a few classes on it but I still think there’s a lot that I can learn!

    1. Thanks Alice, appreciate your positive comments, keep sharing your experience as you grow and evolve in your career.
      Hope you enjoy come back for reading more of career advice that I share on this website.

      All the best!!

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