10 Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile
As the world’s largest professional networking platform, LinkedIn is the perfect place to take your professional persona to the next level. With the ability to connect to potential employers, network with industry colleagues, showcase your resume and apply to the perfect job positions, a perfect profile is almost imperative for anyone’s professional brand.
Spanning over 200 countries and territories worldwide, there are over 750 million LinkedIn users. While this could be intimidating, there are a few minor improvements any user could make to help their profile stand out amongst the rest. Here are 10 simple ways to improve a LinkedIn Profile.
Add a profile picture
A profile picture on LinkedIn serves as the first impression that an employer will have of you, which means picking the right profile picture is extremely important. A profile picture should be a recent high-resolution headshot that depicts your professional brand.
Adding a background banner
When an employer comes to your LinkedIn page, the second thing that they will notice visually is your background banner. This offers a great opportunity to grab someone’s attention and set the tone for the rest of your profile. LinkedIn background banners allow you to showcase who you are in a few words or pictures.
Create an eye-catching headline
The headline associated with your profile changes every time you update your job title and it does not describe who you are. Creating a customized eye-catching headline will help attract potential employers to your profile.
Add a summary
The summary is an opportunity for you to go beyond your work experience. This is the section that you use to tell your story. Don’t simply list the skills and job titles that you have had, use this space to expand on them. A summary allows you to pitch yourself to a potential employer or company by describing how all of the skills that you have learned overtime built you into the working professional you are today.
Highlight your experience
LinkedIn is a virtual resume. It is imperative that you really highlight your work experience by including quantifiable data. Show how the tasks that you did in your position improved things for that company. Show the direct effect of your responsibilities in the position.
Customize URL
If you have the problem of your name pulling up hundreds of search results, then this LinkedIn feature is for you. A customized URL makes it easier for people to find your profile. By following three simple steps, you could change the ending of your URL making it easy for people to find you.
Request a Recommendation
A recommendation from a former employer, a current colleague or anyone who knows your work ethic and could speak about it is the perfect addition to your profile. These are first-hand testimonials from people who you have worked with or who have seen your work. Recommendations on LinkedIn takes your profile one step further by showcasing personal testimonials about your professional life.
Build your network
The main purpose of LinkedIn is to build your network and connect with people in your profession. It is a platform that allows you to build your professional connections and brand. Use that to your advantage! Follow the LinkedIn profile for your dream job or connect with the person currently in your dream position. Use LinkedIn to assist in fostering your professional relationships.
Share content
Being active and consistently sharing related subject matter on your LinkedIn feed could help bring potential network connections to your LinkedIn page. Sharing content that creates conversations could help foster a genuine relationship between the network that you have created on LinkedIn.
Update Contact Information
After spending all of this time improving your profile to represent you in the best professional light, people will definitely view your profile. Making sure your contact information is updated makes it easier for potential employers to contact you.