Why is it important to optimise your LinkedIn profile?
With over 950 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network that is not only used by 94% of recruiters to find potential candidates but also for professionals to connect and share educational content.
So, with LinkedIn’s growing network of professionals, it’s essential to stand out in the crowd. Whilst filling in all the gaps can optimise your visibility, we have compiled a list of some handy tips to help optimise your LinkedIn profile.
TLDR; everything to know now
Choose the right imagery
Choosing the right photo is your first impression to everyone in the network and will impact whether someone interacts with your profile.
Profile photo
First impressions are important; your profile picture will be the initial draw card for people visiting your LinkedIn profile, and choosing a recent photo of yourself and an image that looks like you is essential because nobody likes a catfish.
Choosing the right profile picture can reflect your credibility, so here are a few more tips to pick the right photo:
- Use a high-resolution photo – The optimal size for your profile photo on Linkedin is 400 x 400 pixels.
- Choose a recent image.
- Make sure you can see your face in the photo – your face should take up 60% of your profile picture.
- Dress to impress. Dress in your photo how you would dress for work.
- Be the only person in the photo.
- Have a simple background.
- Have the right expression that you want to convey your brand.
Background photo
Your background photo is your second visual engagement tool. Changing your background photo from the generic LinkedIn background image makes you stand out from other profiles and lets the viewer get to know you a little more.
Get creative with your headline
Your LinkedIn description is probably just your current job title, right? While this is common on LinkedIn, there’s no reason that you can’t make better use of his key real estate on your LinkedIn page.
Instead of simply showing off your job title, try using the headline area to:
- Let people know more about your role.
- Expand on what exactly you do and why you do it.
- Give people an insight into what makes you you.
Try looking at examples from people in your network and see the creative ways they use their headline section.
Nail your summary
The summary (your “About” section) is your chance to tell your story so people can dig deeper into who you are. So, make sure your summary is punchy and enough for people to want to carry on viewing your LinkedIn profile.
There’s plenty of room on your profile to list your job titles and skills, so use this field wisely and consider how you can convey your personality and work ethic through this personal piece.
Choose your words carefully and avoid being cliche with commonly used buzzwords on Linkedin because you risk getting lost in the crowd.
Here’s what you should focus on in your summary:
- Your story. Don’t worry about simply listing your skills here.
- Tell people why your skills and experiences matter.
- Let people know how your skills help and impact the people you work with.
Spend the time it takes. Your summary is a personal section of your LinkedIn page, so give it the time it deserves.
Add your relevant experience
Listing relevant experience will make your profile more cohesive and add credibility to your summary. Making a long list of experiences is a quick way to lose the viewer’s attention, so highlight your skills and knowledge relevant to the roles you are interested in. So, if it’s no longer relevant, don’t add it!
Highlight (and monitor) your skills
Like on your resume, listing your relevant skills is an important part of creating a strong LinkedIn profile. However, while having a detailed list of your skills is essential, it’s equally important to ensure the skills you’re listing are relevant to what you’re currently doing or looking for.
Pro tip: occasionally, take the time to clean up your list of skills. It will help people better understand what you offer as a professional.
Create a custom URL
Making it easier for people to find your profile is always a win, and creating a custom URL does just that.
Doing this boosts your credibility and differentiates your profile from others, especially when you want to share your profile with a website address.
The automatically assigned address on LinkedIn isn’t easy on the eye. It was filled with letters and numbers and not memorable for the average person.
Network, network, network
Grow your network! They say that you are connected with the entire world through the six degrees of separation theory.
Connecting with others is important to give your profile a chance to be seen and for people to want to connect with you. Every person in your timeline is labelled with a degree of separation, and it’s more likely someone will connect with you if you have someone in common within your network.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when networking on LinkedIn:
- Connection requests require your permission, allowing you to double-check who you’re connecting with.
- If you have an in-person meeting, follow up with a request to connect on LinkedIn.
- Syncing LinkedIn with your email address allows the platform to make suggestions for people you should connect with (make sure you check with your company’s IT department beforehand, as this could potentially violate your security protocols)
Endorsements & recommendations
Endorsements and recommendations are a great way to add weight and credibility to your skills and experience, so don’t be afraid to ask for them!
Don’t forget to share the love and endorse the skills of your colleagues, clients and business contacts.
Share relevant content
Being active on LinkedIn is highly regarded, especially when you share content that adds value to them. We are already cluttered with so much information on multiple platforms daily, so it’s vital to ensure that the content you share on the world’s largest professional network is relevant and that you genuinely find interesting. The content you share on LinkedIn can generate an impression of your branding.
Make your profile meaningful and a true reflection of who you are to stand out from the crowd. This platform is the stage for you to present yourself professionally.
Enjoyed this article? Enter your email below for social media tips & tricks delivered to your inbox every Monday morning.
