Getting the most from your LinkedIn profile

Every network has its thing: Twitter with its 140 characters limit is best for updates and to the point statements or opinions; Facebook is for sharing your life with your neighbour, family member, friend etc and LinkedIn is, well , neither of these things. Your LinkedIn profile is your professional/work summary and outlines your education, skills, training, experience etc. This profile establishes what you have done, and is your calling card when it comes to seeking new positions, advancing your career or just building your network. LinkedIn is the largest professional network out there; it’s the place to not only find others but also to be found. First impressions always count and your LinkedIn Summary is the first opportunity a potential employer or recruiter has to find out who you are beyond a photo and a job title. And that is why you need a profile that not only helps you get found but also will entice others to contact you once they view your profile.

As an avid and highly active user of LinkedIn (as many of you know) and as a recruiter I see enough profiles to know what works and what doesn’t. I find it frustrating to see capable people making fundamental mistakes that are I am sure proving to be detrimental to them. Data shows that LinkedIn is especially helpful when it comes to landing higher paying jobs so whether you are hunting for a new job, making the most of the one you have or just looking to learn about professional possibilities you need to make the most of your LinkedIn space…..spend some time and thought and get it right…it will be worth it.

With this in mind, I have created an easy to understand list of a few helpful pointers. These things are really fundamental to your success and so I really want to drive home their importance……..

Use the Headline:  This section is a godsend, it’s the sentence that appears next to your photo and it should state what you do in a nutshell as it’s the first thing people will read. This is where you will want to ensure your value proposition (not your employment status) stands out and you will want to display a clear promise of value while alluding to (but not directly stating) your job search. Bullet points work well and you can also list relevant website URLs to ensure they are not missed. You can also end by listing all the things you are really good at and want highlighted as you simply cannot rely on people having the time to scour through your profile. You might well know what you’re good at but others don’t, so don’t make them search for the good stuff because the chances are they won’t. It’s also worth noting that your headline is displayed in nearly every interaction that you will have on the site and is the #1 most heavily weighted field in LinkedIn’s indexing scheme.

 Your Summary:  Just like your headline the summary can be used to deliver a direct message to employers – ideally referring back to your value proposition made in your headline. In your summary you can be more detailed in getting your point across. A lot of people will just read the headline, summary and glance at your present and last jobs so make sure everything you want people to know is in here. Your summary could include a list of career highlights, as well as a statement of intent based on those highlights and should include as many keywords as is relevant to your target audience. Numbers and statistics are memorable and work well – keep to the facts without compromising the organisations you have worked for. Obviously don’t include a skill set that you don’t want to use in your next career move. It’s worth taking some time to get this right as it’s highly important.

Profile Photo:  Get your photo right. It’s very important. What your profile picture should be is a simple head shot, with ideally a sensible, smiley face. Some people choose not to display one at all and this is an absolute no in my opinion but there is worst that could be done. Your profile picture should definitely not be: Caricatures or cartoon avatars, An old photo, Pixelated, With other people (including spouses, parents, children, babies or animal), display distracting backgrounds and objects, Company Logos, No Photo at all, an inappropriate photo – the hot bikini/swimwear/six pack shot is misplaced here.

Don’t waste your career history:  I see so many people who’ve spent years at a company and then either just promote that company in the info box, or just write out their job description, or write virtually nothing at all about what they did there! You probably left previous jobs because you didn’t want to be there any more so make sure you wring out every last drop of what you contributed and make that job pay for the time you spent there. Another very important point is to make sure that your LinkedIn profile is a true reflection of your CV. Once an employer receives your CV he/she will view your LinkedIn profile therefore it must be sending out the same messages.

Keyword Optimization:  Use all characters available. If you do not take advantage of this opportunity to write about yourself and your achievements you are missing out on essential keyword optimization. It’s worth noting the most important spots for keywords are in your Headline, Specialties and Job Titles and your summary section counts too. Load it up with keywords that the next recruiter or hiring manager will be searching for, they are after all on-line shoppers now so you need to bear that in mind when building an on-line brand.

Duplicate Work Summary:  Many people do more than one job. Freelancers almost always have multiple contracts going on at any one time. Or you might be doing different contracts in the same company so you could have multiple entries for the same time period if the work is different. The mistake I am talking about here is pasting the same summary over and over again just to make your work summary look longer. The quality of your profile is more important that its length, it should be keyword rich but it should not be fake or meaningless in any way.

Typos or Grammatical Errors:  Many people on LinkedIn are actively looking for a job and most are open to accepting new offers. Almost any job requires you to be fluent in language and proficient in its use. So typos or grammatical errors have no place on your LinkedIn profile, proofing or editing your LinkedIn profile is a crucial step. Get someone else to proof read it as it’s always difficult to spot your own mistakes.

 Using the default connection request:  Don’t use the standard connection request. People think LinkedIn is like Twitter where it’s about quantity over quality but you are supposed to be building valuable professional relationships to leverage into career opportunities. Taylor your message for each approach, it will give you more credibility and will make you stand out. People using LinkedIn correctly like to connect with people who make them look “relevant” and it has been known for employers to hire someone because of who they know in their network as it is likely they will be able to get things done.

Privacy Settings:  LinkedIn does have privacy settings. When you are out looking for a job whilst engaged in a job obviously you need to be discreet. A tell-tale sign to an employer is that you overhaul your profile, connect with recruiters and have an influx of people. You can tailor your settings so that your boss doesn’t see that you are looking for opportunities. The privacy settings are easy to find: just sign and then select settings from the drop down menu, where the name appears in the upper right hand corner.

 Get recommendations:  LinkedIn allows people to write recommendations for each other and many recruiters place great emphasis on these recommendations. Therefore you should ask your contacts to write them for you or, if you are not comfortable just coming out asking, just write recommendations for other people without being asked. Many of them will reciprocate.

 Groups:  You can join up to 50 groups – research them before you join – become active in them, not by asking for a job but by making relevant comments. LinkedIn is a networking site and the only way to make it successful for you is to build relationships carefully, both with organisations and relevant recruiters, connect in a positive way to start knocking on doors and always keep it relevant to your profile.

 Skipping the Status:  Facebook and Twitter are good for updating social updates but LinkedIn is the place for sharing professional accomplishments and updates. Every few days put something new in your status to keep it fresh and up to date. This could include a new work achievement, a new team member or sharing a professional article you have recently found interesting.

 In Summary:  LinkedIn is increasingly becoming an essential tool for professional and executive-level job seekers. It provides an opportunity to research and network with people in your target companies as well as view vacancies listed by organisations. Also increasingly LinkedIn is marketing their database to recruiters and this gives you an excellent opportunity to raise your profile and get in front of the right people. It’s completely free to join (although there is the option to upgrade to a paid version) and it’s the largest professional networking site on the internet. Finally as I mentioned earlier LinkedIn ranks highly on search engines. This means that when hirers or recruiters search for your name on the web, your LinkedIn profile is one of the first things they are likely to find. So for these reasons if you don’t have a profile, go set one up now and if you have one already, check you have followed my advise above, and make changes where necessary. Good Luck!!