Introduction
Whether you’re looking for a new job or just trying to make connections, the professional social network LinkedIn can be a valuable tool. But one of the biggest mistakes people make on LinkedIn is not taking their own profiles seriously. If you want to get noticed and grow your network, it’s essential that your profile looks professional and conveys why people should want to connect with you in the first place. Here are five ways to turn your LinkedIn profile into a powerful networking tool:
Pick the right photo
- Pick the right photo. Don’t use a photo of you in a bathing suit. It’s not professional and it doesn’t represent your best self. Also, don’t use a selfie or group shot; these photos make it hard for others to see your face clearly. And if you’re including a headshot, make sure it doesn’t look like your picture was taken with an old cell phone camera!
- Make sure the image is clear and crisp by taking care when selecting images from social media sites like Facebook or Instagram. The same goes for using stock photos—they might be free but they don’t always look great when blown up to full size on LinkedIn!
Write a strong headline
You’ve probably noticed that a lot of professionals have the same headings on their profile—something like, “Professional Profile for Accounting Specialist” or “Professional Profile for Executive Assistant.” While these are helpful in giving people an idea of what you do, they aren’t particularly interesting or compelling. Instead, consider coming up with a headline that will make you stand out and grab someone’s attention.
One way to ensure your headline is strong enough is by making sure it includes keywords related to your industry (for example: “Financial Services Professional with Experience in Wealth Management). This way when people search LinkedIn for these terms, they’ll be able to find you right away.
Make your summary brief and compelling
Your summary is the most important part of your profile because it’s the first thing people will read. Make sure to use action verbs and concrete language that conveys what you’ve accomplished in a way that inspires action. Instead of using vague terms like “helped” or “managed,” be specific about what you did by using action verbs such as “implemented” or “reduced.” And don’t forget to back up your claims with numbers and statistics whenever possible.
If the length of your summary feels overwhelming, remember that LinkedIn allows for up to six sentences (or 500 characters) for your summary. If this is still not enough room for all of the information you want to share, consider breaking down each section into bullet points and short descriptions instead—and still include at least two sentences explaining how they relate back to each other!
Pick an easy-to-remember URL
- Pick an easy-to-remember URL. Your first step should be to select a URL for your profile, but what makes it easy to remember? As with many things in life, we tend to gravitate toward the simplest solution. If you’re not sure where to start, try using your surname (or some variation of it). For example:
- Jane Doe’s profile would be https://www.linkedin.com/in/janedoe/, while John Smith’s would be https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsmith/.
- You can also use the bitly shortener tool if you want something more memorable than those standard URLs above or if you don’t have a preference as far as “easy” goes; just remember that shorter is better when it comes to creating polite URLs! Shortened links look something like this: https://bit.ly/3UaKFfF
Make sure your profile is complete
The first step to building a professional LinkedIn profile is making sure it’s complete. That means listing all your skills and experiences, including classes, internships and extracurricular activities you’ve taken part in; listing all of your past employers; even listing any volunteer work or publications you’ve written. Adding this information will help recruiters find you when they’re looking for candidates with a specific skill set. Your education won’t be relevant for every job search (some companies prefer candidates who have more experience than others), but definitely list it if it’s relevant to the position at hand.
A professional LinkedIn profile can help you make connections that will help you succeed.
- Use LinkedIn to find new opportunities. One of the most common ways people use LinkedIn is to look for new job opportunities or work with a recruiter, but there are other options available as well. If you’re looking for funding for a project, try posting it on the platform and reaching out to potential investors directly. Or if you have an idea for an app, reach out to developers who might be interested in joining forces and working together on the project.
- Link your website, blog, and social media profiles to your profile page so that people can easily find more information about who they’re working with (or hiring). Whether it’s an article featuring advice from one of your articles or an interview with someone within your company—people want honest reviews from professionals they trust; they don’t want vague answers that don’t tell them anything useful!
If you want to build a professional LinkedIn profile that will help you make connections and succeed, then we hope these tips can be helpful to you. We’ve covered five key areas: picking the right photo, writing a strong headline and summary, choosing an easy-to-remember URL for your profile (e.g. [email protected]), making sure your profile is complete by filling in all fields and updating regularly, and finally selecting a compelling image from your own website or social media feeds (instead of using stock photos).
