10 things successful people do to perfect their LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn is the new black book for professionals. An estimated 58% of the UK’s working population use it as a place to connect, reconnect and foster business relationships.
Deals have been struck, new talent has been headhunted and partnerships have been forged thanks to this 20 million strong professional network. However, it’s growing importance and popularity means it’s essential to perfect your LinkedIn profile to stand out from the masses.
Here are the 10 things successful people do to perfect their LinkedIn profile:
1. Add a professional profile picture
Profile pictures should be professional-looking head and shoulders shots. Make sure your face is clearly visible as people like to see who they are working with.
2. Write a compelling headline about yourself
People used to write their job title in their LinkedIn profile headline. The problem with this was that job titles can be very industry specific. Write a headline for your profile that describes what you do or your specialism. Are you a problem-solver, an award-winner or an industry leader? Be creative to capture peoples’ imaginations.
3. Complete your full profile
Make sure you complete all sections of your profile. After your profile headline, your summary is the next thing people will read about you. Make sure it tells a compelling story about your experience, achievements and skills. Fill out your employment history with lots of information about what you did, your responsibilities and achievements in each role. Add project links and upload case studies of your work.
4. Be searchable
Ensure each section of your profile is completed with keywords in mind. What search words might people use to find someone like you? Think about your industry, expertise and range of skills, and include these in your headline, summary and different employments.
5. Get recommended for your work
If you’ve enjoyed working with someone encourage them to recommend you. Ask them to include what you did for them, what it was like to work with you, and why they would recommend you to other people. You can do the same for them.
6. Show off your skills and get endorsed
Add your skills to your profile. This is helpful to people who want to see at a glance what you are good at. Your contacts can also endorse you for your skills, making you more visible on LinkedIn based on your talents.
7. Make connections
Send invites to connect with your existing business contacts. This will help you keep in touch with what’s happening in their careers and build your potential network by allowing you to see their connections. Knowing you have mutual contacts is also a good opener when you want to make a new business connection.
8. Balance your timeline posts
Don’t spend too much time singing your own praises or sharing your own content when you post updates to your timeline. Balance this with interesting articles from elsewhere on the internet or share other people’s posts.
9. Engage
Give likes and comments to interesting posts that pop up in your timeline. This will help to build your credibility, draw attention to your profile, and strengthen your network by encouraging people to repay the favour.
10. Promote your profile
The final thing successful people do to perfect their LinkedIn profile is to let people know they are there. They do this by mentioning it on their website, email signature and business cards.
If you have any questions about how to perfect your LinkedIn Personal Profile or would like to find out more about how you can use this and other social media to grow your business, get in touch. We offer social media packages and training.