Is your personal LinkedIn profile in tip-top shape? LinkedIn is a professional social networking platform that allows you to put your best foot forward in the online business world. Double-check that you are doing just that with these 10 tips.
- Fill it out completely
Do not leave any part of your LinkedIn profile empty. Make sure to include your email address, your current job title, past positions and employers, skills, etc.
- Add a professional, updated profile picture
Your profile picture should be professional, preferably a headshot. Make sure it isn’t out of date, either. Some even recommend making sure your shoulders are pointed in toward the page rather than away to give off the notion that you are supporting your content.
- Customize Your URL
Create a custom URL so that it is easy to remember and does not have all of those numbers at the end. Of course, it is best to choose a URL that contains your name (if it isn’t already taken).
- Have your own personal website? Add a LinkedIn badge
Promote your LinkedIn page on your personal website by adding one of these LinkedIn badges.
- Optimize for keywords
SEO matters! Optimize for keywords such as your skills and your company name so that people can find your LinkedIn page in search engines.
- Add, remove, and rearrange sections of your profile
You can rearrange the sections on your profile to have your most important items at the top. You can also remove items that you do not deem important. There are also additional sections you can add to your site. You can find these by hovering over “Profile” and clicking on “Edit Profile.” In the “Recommended for You” section on the right you will see a list of additional sections.
Consider adding the following:- Add Organizations
- Add Honors and Awards
- Add Volunteering and Causes
- Get endorsed for skills
Endorse others and they will be more likely to endorse you. However, make sure your endorsements are honest because they will reflect on you as well. Also, ensure your page depicts the skills you want to be endorsed for by including them in your bio and skills section.
- Ask for recommendations
Reach out to those you work with or have worked with in the past to ask for recommendations and provide them with one in return. Many employers look to these recommendations when researching potential new hires.
- Join and participate in groups
Search for groups you are interested in as well as groups relevant to your company. Here you can engage with others and share your company’s updates.
- While making major updates, turn off your activity broadcasts
If you’re making a lot of updates, your connections are getting notifications for each one. Temporarily turn off your activity broadcasts until you are done making the updates.
You can turn off your activity broadcasts by going to your “Account Settings,” clicking on “Profile” and choosing “Turn on/off your activity broadcasts.”
Of course, there is a lot more that you can do on your LinkedIn page, but we hope these 10 tips will help you to get up and running. Remember that your LinkedIn page is a professional social media site and should be treated as such. If you need assistance with social media management, please feel free to contact Informatics Inc.
