Building Your LinkedIn Profile
You’re looking for a new job and you want to network on LinkedIn with former colleagues, business partners and customers. Is your profile ready?
First, let’s do an analogy. If I throw a party (Pre-COVID), I prepare my house before people arrive. Here’s a short list of what that could include:
Clean. I’ll even take care of rooms I don’t expect people to see, just in case.
Provide directions and parking instructions.
Make it easy to find the house. That might be balloons outside or a sign on the door. I want people to be sure they are ringing the right doorbell.
Decorate based on the theme or occasion.
Plan food, beverages and an atmosphere (music) that will keep people interested.
Plan the traffic flow and determine where I want people to eat, gather, etc.
Anticipate questions ahead of time and address any concerns or issues.
Before you start networking to land your next job, your profile needs to be prepared for visitors, the same way you would prepare your home for a party.
Steps to make your profile stronger
Parts of your LinkedIn profile can be viewed by everyone, even before they click on your profile.
Profile Image: Your network needs to be sure they have landed on the right page. Include a professional headshot for your profile photo. Make sure you have turned on the settings so your photo is viewable, even to people not in your network.
Banner Image: Have you ignored this graphic? Don’t! You have the opportunity to build your personal brand and gain extra attention. Leaving this to the LinkedIn default is the equivalent of buying frames and displaying them in your home without putting in your own photos.
Headline: LinkedIn will automatically default your headline to your current job. Even worse are the use of vague, useless phrases such as “currently seeking job opportunities.” You can do better! Write a headline that is keyword-optimized and grabs the reader’s attention. (120 Characters allowed.)
After you’ve updated these three elements, make sure your network is welcomed into a profile that gives them a reason to read and react.
About/Summary: When someone clicks into your profile, this is most likely the first piece they will read. Many copy and paste their resume summary but that’s a missed opportunity to engage the reader. You have 2,600 characters to use but I generally try to keep it in the 2,000 character range.
Job Descriptions: If there is any section that can be a copy and paste from your resume, this is the one. Assuming of course that your resume is well written. However, with 2,000 characters, you can also expand on accomplishments, skills gained or special projects. You can also link to websites or upload media to demonstrate your work. Emphasize the experience that is most important to your career goals.
Education: Include colleges, degrees and majors. Include the year you graduated if you’re applying to jobs through LinkedIn. There is a balance because including the dates could potentially hurt you if it shows your age. Weigh the pros and cons of both.
Skills: Take the time to select skills related to your goal position and pin the three most relevant skills to be at the top. LinkedIn will default to the three skills that have the highest number of endorsements.
User-friendly URL: It might not be noticeable when they’re on your profile but when you need to link to your profile, you’ll want and need a user-friendly URL. Follow these easy instructions.
Is that it?
No, there is a lot more you can do to build and optimize your profile. But taking care of the eight steps above is a great start and once those are done, you can start networking and inviting people to view your profile.
