5 ways to improve your LinkedIn profile

Fast summary

• Use the headline to share a bit about how you see your role, why you do what you do and what excites you
• A quality profile picture (recent, clear and an accurate reflection of how you show up for work) is one of the first steps to building trust online
• Bring to life why your capabilities are important to the people you work with

Optimise your LinkedIn profile to make a great impression online.

Many professionals, especially sales and marketing, invest lots of time and resources into building brands but how often are these skills applied to strengthening one’s own image?

Tip 1: Nail your headline

With over 930 million users on LinkedIn (and growing), it’s a go-to platform for recruiters, hiring managers and professionals looking for potential candidates. When your name is searched via LinkedIn Recruiter, the first detail that appears under your name is your headline; it’s a recruiter’s first introduction to you and your experience.

To optimise this, make your headline more than a job title. Use the headline field to share a bit about how you see your role, why you do what you do and what excites you, e.g. “Empowering B2B leaders with AI-driven insights.”

Tip 2: Remember the crucibles of trust

It’s no secret people skim read your profile and assess you in mere seconds.

So, ensure the crucibles of trust are there:

• Start with a good profile picture – A quality profile picture (recent, clear and an accurate reflection of how you show up for work) is one of the first steps to building trust online.
• Flesh it out with a banner – A profile banner can offer further visual context for what you do or care about. It doesn’t need to be a company banner; it could be a motto that inspires your outlook on leadership or a high-quality landscape image of the city where you reside. Whatever you choose, it needs to express something about you (think conversation starter).
• Request recommendations – A drop-down menu in the Recommendations section of your profile makes it easy to contact specific people and ask for recommendations. Contact people you’ve previously worked with, mentored, been managed by or studied with at university (or similar). Recommendations are personal testimonies written to reveal the experience of working with you.

Tip 3: Make your ‘About’ section human

This isn’t a place to just list your skills and job titles. Bring to life why your capabilities are important to the people you work with.

Because people only have so much time to screen candidates, it’s best to keep it concise – two to three paragraphs is enough. It’s also recommended to avoid generic buzzwords such as results-driven, strategy-oriented and trailblazer; peppering your “About” with overused phrases doesn’t make you stand out nor does it authentically communicate who you are as a professional.

Tip 4: Add rich media and results

Demonstrate your skills and accomplishments beyond a record of job positions. LinkedIn allows you to embed posts, articles, publications and PDFs to your profile. Taking advantage of this adds dimension to your page while also reflecting passion and commitment.

Tip 5: Customise your LinkedIn website link

Don’t overlook this simple yet powerful way to elevate your online presence. Clean links (without the default trail of numbers) are easier to share on your resume, business cards, email signature and other material. It also helps improve your profile’s visibility in search engines, allowing you to be found organically.

How to customise your LinkedIn website link:

1. Locate the “Edit public profile & URL” section on your profile (top right-hand side).
2. Click the pencil icon next to your current LinkedIn website link, where you can enter your desired custom link (provided it’s available and satisfies LinkedIn’s criteria: 3-100 characters, no spaces or special characters).
3. Save your changes.

This is essential for professional branding as it shows you are a detail-oriented, tech savvy individual, which furthers professional credibility.

Remember, a personal brand isn’t a one stitch fix. It needs to evolve as much as you (and the platform itself!). So, keep your eyes and ears open; it will help you put your best foot forward so you can make quality, lasting connections.

You don’t need to tackle this alone. Our team at MySocial.ai can provide ongoing recommendations on how to enhance your profile as well as create content that builds upon your professional image.

Find out how it works today.

Photo by Swello on Unsplash