LinkedIn adds new features on a regular basis to expand its possibilities as a personal marketing platform and provide you with additional opportunities to communicate your talents and motivations.
If you haven’t looked at your profile page in a while, you might be surprised to learn about new methods and features that can help you enhance your personal brand.
In case you’ve recently asked yourself – “How do I make my LinkedIn profile impressive?” Keep reading!
These are the 14 aspects of your profile that you should review and possibly change.
Some of them are immediate wins, while others may take a little longer – but they’re still well worth it. They’ll assist you in creating the LinkedIn profile and personal brand you deserve.
1. Select a suitable LinkedIn profile image
Your LinkedIn profile image is your calling card; it’s how people are introduced to you, and you can rest assured that it will shape their first impressions.
There are a lot of effective guides on how to choose the proper LinkedIn profile image, but here are a few simple recommendations to get you started:
- make sure the photo is current and looks like you;
- your face should cover 60% of it (long-distance images don’t stand out);
- wear what you’d want to wear to work;
- smile with your eyes
2. Add a background photo
The second visual element at the top of your profile page is your background photo. It catches people’s attention, establishes the setting, and reveals a bit more about what you care about.
The correct background photo, more than anything, makes your page stand out, engage attention, and remain remembered.
3. Make your headline stand out
There’s no law that says the top of your profile page description needs to be just a job title. Use the headline section to explain how you perceive your job, why you do what you do, and what motivates you.
Take a peek at the headlines on your company’s profile pages for ideas if you have salespeople who are on top of social selling. They’ll probably definitely provide more than just their work titles.
4. Turn the summary into your story
The first thing to mention about your LinkedIn profile summary is that it should exist! If you don’t have one, make it now.
When building their LinkedIn profile, it’s astounding how many folks leave this area blank, which is a huge mistake.
Don’t just mention your talents or previous work titles in your description; it’s your time to express your own narrative.
Try to explain why such talents are important – and how they can benefit the individuals you work with. Don’t be afraid to put in some effort, try a few different revisions, and run your summary by several friends.
This is the most personal piece of content marketing you’ll ever create, and it’s well worth the time and effort.
5. Don’t use buzzwords
Buzzwords are a type of adjective that is used so frequently in LinkedIn headlines and summaries that it has practically lost all significance.
‘Specialized’, ‘certified’, ‘leadership’, ‘focused’, ‘experienced’, ‘strategic’, ‘experienced’, ‘passionate’, ‘expert’, ‘creative’, and ‘innovation’, are among the most overused keywords in our regular rankings.
Now, I’m not implying that you can’t identify with these characteristics – or that they don’t matter. However, simply saying these phrases will not persuade others that you possess these traits.
You have to include more evidence that you actually are all those things and that they’re not just empty words.
6. Grow your network
Syncing your LinkedIn profile with your email address book is one of the simplest and most effective methods to expand your LinkedIn network.
This allows LinkedIn to provide recommendations for individuals you might want to connect with. It’s incredible how successful this can be in surfacing relevant people for you to contact – yet no connection requests are issued without your approval, allowing you full control to assess all possible connections.
Beyond that, make it a practice to send LinkedIn connection requests after meetings and talks – it’s a terrific way to keep your network active and current.
7. List your skills
It’s one of LinkedIn’s fastest wins: just read through the list of talents and choose the ones that apply to you.
This helps to support the description in your Headline and Summary, as well as giving others a place to recommend you.
The trick, though, is to keep current. A big list of abilities that aren’t vital to who you are and what you do might become cumbersome. Every now and again, do a spring cleaning of your abilities list.
8. Highlight the services you offer
Services is a new LinkedIn feature that allows consultants, freelancers, and small company owners to highlight the services they provide.
Filling up your profile’s Services section will help you rank higher in search results.
9. Share media and marketing materials
The marketing materials you create for your company might also help you raise your personal profile.
Sharing case studies, white papers, and other brand content may help people understand what your company is all about and what makes you stick out. It also exhibits devotion and enthusiasm.
10. Use keywords
Use relevant and targeted keywords to boost the visibility of your profile.
Consider keywords to be terms and phrases that a recruiter could look for, as well as any modifications you believe might work. One of the simplest methods to locate important keywords is to go through job advertisements.
In both the job descriptions and the criteria, take notice of the unique, work-specific terminology as well as the most often used keywords. Employers and recruiters are most likely using such keywords to identify qualified job prospects.
To enhance visitor traffic to your LinkedIn profile, use these keywords in your Job Titles, Headlines, Skills, and Summary sections.
11. Customize your own unique LinkedIn URL
To quickly share your LinkedIn profile and promote yourself, create your own customized LinkedIn profile URL instead of a string of randomized digits and alphabets.
Your own personalized LinkedIn profile helps you to stand out among the other LinkedIn users, particularly those with the same name as you.
12. Manage Your Endorsements
Endorsements are a great method to show off your abilities – as long as your profile doesn’t have too many of them. Keeping your talents up to date is the key to making them work for you:
Drop old abilities from your profile and add the ones you actually want to be recognized for when you migrate between jobs, develop new skills, or take on new responsibilities.
When people come to your page, they’ll only see the abilities that are most relevant to them.
13. Request recommendations
Endorsements show individuals who are looking at your profile what you’re regarded for in a quick and visual way.
Recommendations go a step farther than suggestions. They are written as personal testimonials to demonstrate the value of working with you.
In the Suggestions area of your profile, there’s a handy drop-down option that makes it simple to contact particular connections and seek recommendations.
Consider who you would most appreciate a referral from, then tailor your request accordingly.
It’s worthwhile to put forth the extra effort.
14. Don’t Go Overboard
It’s easy to get carried away with all the bells and whistles LinkedIn has to offer.
While details are useful, there is such a thing as too much.
Take a step back and look at your profile from the outside to see how it seems. Is it enticing or obnoxious? Make the necessary changes.
What should you NOT put on your LinkedIn profile?
It is important to know what to put on your profile, but knowing what not to put is perhaps even more important. Here’s a list of things you should never include on your LinkedIn account:
- Criticism directed towards any individual, organization, entity, or group.
- Photos or videos that are inappropriate, raunchy, or provocative. (Don’t include these in your LinkedIn blog entries, either!).
- Rants about politics or religion.
- A LinkedIn profile photo that is taken in an unprofessional context or that portrays you as less than mature and businesslike.
- Errors in spelling, use, and grammar (all of which are rampant on LinkedIn).
- Information that is confidential.
- Personal information about yourself or others on your LinkedIn profile.
- Your grievances against your present or past employer, coworkers, or organization.
I know what you’re thinking and you’re right – this list does seem long, but you have to remember that LinkedIn is different from most other social media networks.
It’s all about being professional rather than sharing photos of the salad you had for lunch.
Conclusion
A well-organized, structured LinkedIn profile that offers just enough useful information without being overwhelming can go a long way.
When you think about it, it is what helps recruiters, prospects, and your colleagues form an initial opinion about you, so why not do all you can to make it a positive one?