Your LinkedIn profile is your opportunity to show your network who you are, and what you do. But what do you include? How much information do you share? What do you write?
When someone clicks on your name on LinkedIn, they are taken to your LinkedIn profile.
If you imagine LinkedIn as similar to being at an in-person networking event, your headline and profile photo are your name badge.
Someone comes over to you at the networking event – this is when they notice your name/headline. When someone starts to talk to you – this is the equivalent of reading your profile.
So we want to attract and keep the attention of our ideal customers or clients. This is why it is so important to have a good LinkedIn profile.
Lets’ start at the top.
Your Profile Photo
Top tips for your LinkedIn profile photo:
- It should be a clean head and shoulders photo of you.
- There shouldn’t be anyone else in your photo.
- No sunglasses, no hats.
- Aim for a professional looking photo. Ideally a recent one!
This is NOT a good look for LinkedIn.
Credit @BHoogenboom
Your Headline
These are the words that accompany your name. There are a few options on how to write this. You want someone to read it, and want to reach out to connect with you. If you are working with a particular group or region, include it. If you are a specialist in your industry, make sure that is outlined.
For more information on writing your headline, check https://louisebrogan.com/how-to-write-a-good-headline-for-linkedin/
Your Cover Photo
A lot of people neglect this space on LinkedIn. I suggest you use all the available options that LinkedIn give! Use the cover photo to highlight aspects of your business e.g. the local networking group in the above photo.
I change this area regularly. You can upload a photo, or create a graphic that includes your logo. The image should be 1594 x 396 pixels wide
Your About Section
Once someone has clicked on your profile due to the headline, or after you send them a connection request, the next section that matters, is your About Section.
In here, you should outline why someone would want to work with you. Write this section in the first person. Share a way to connect with you. In my own About Section, I outline the ways that someone can work with me.
Your Experience
This is a much neglected area of LinkedIn profiles. Add in your relevant work experience – make sure to include different roles you have had in the one organisation. Write more than your job title!
Education
For this section, if you attended a college or university, include it here. Add in your qualifications. IF you did not attend university, then this section can be left out. All of the sections can be added or excluded from your profile.
You can add a direct link to your university if they have a LinkedIn Page:
This will allow the ‘badge’ of your school/university to appear on your profile 😁
Skills and Endorsements
You can add up to 50 skills to your profile. LinkedIn will suggest skills based on your profile so far. It is easy to add relevant skills. You have the option to pin your top three skills to your profile. Your network are then able to endorse you.
Endorsements on LinkedIn profiles are easy to give – someone who has never worked with you can still endorse you.
How to endorse someone:
Go to the person’s LinkedIn profile
Scroll down to the Skills Section.
Choose which skills to endorse.
Recommendations
Your Recommendations section is an excellent resource on LinkedIn. The beauty of this section is that you cannot write it yourself. You send a request to someone whom you have worked with, and they write the recommendation. You then get the opportunity to review the recommendation before you publish it to your profile.
I recommend (!) you try to get a recommendation from each person you have worked with, if possible.
Interests
Interests appear at the bottom of your profile. These are the influencers, companies, groups and schools that you follow. The posts from the organisations you are following will appear in your newsfeed alongside your connections posts.
Conclusion
There are a lot of moving parts in your LinkedIn Profile. Having a fully optimised profile DOES make a difference to how many people find you on LinkedIn, and what action they take when they come across your name/activity.
Ready to update your profile but you haven’t got the time to do it? Let me help.
