Remember that LinkedIn is a professional network, there is a lot of serious business networking that happens from there and it is essential to look and be professional on this network. So just having a LinkedIn profile is not going to get you anywhere, you need to have a professional profile. Remember that HR executives of almost all major companies look up your LinkedIn profile before even thinking of hiring you, so the profile is sacrosanct and has to be prepared, maintained and updated with care and a lot of thought. Let us talk about this today.
Here are a few steps to ensure that your profile looks professional on LinkedIn
- Have a proper profile photo: It is ok if you are someone who works in shorts and T-shirts every day, but ensure that your LinkedIn profile picture is a neat and dapper looking photo of you, DO NOT put your logo or your pets photo there, that is the first sign that you are not a pro. Ensure that you are not sitting in a pub with a drink in hand in your profile photo. Also avoid National Flags or Political signs in your profile photo
- Create a correct Headline: The headline is the next thing that people see after they see your picture and name, take time to write it in such a way that it shows both who you are and what you do. Never say things like “Engineer with 8.4 years of experience and a killer attitudeâ€, better to say “ An Experienced Engineer with proven record of performance under pressureâ€. Your headline is the tag line for your brand. Remember that and think it out clearly
- Choose the right category: This is important, when a potential client or employer searches for you, the category is what comes first as a parameter, so pick the right one and be specific.
- Edit the description of your websites: Write things like My Blog, My portfolio or My Projects, just a website will just not cut it with folks viewing your profile, remember that
- Write a correct Summary: The summary is not about your current job, it is about you, the professional! So take time and write it. This is where you think of yourself as a brand and sell it. It has to be crisp, catchy and exhaustive at the same time!
- List all positions: List them in the right order and mention your achievements while you were there, that makes a whole lot of difference in the way your profile looks
- Use the Projects Option: This option let you go deep into your professional achievements and explain them exhaustively, you can even add team mates to the projects to increase its credibility and value
- Recommend and Get Recommended: A well written and clear recommendation from a colleague or your boss is worth its weight in gold. Also don’t forget to write recos for others too, this shows your professionalism and communication skills
- Add Skills: These are highly searchable and lightly customizable. Make sure you pick those that represent you well.
- Get skills endorsed: This is another form of professional acknowledgement of your capabilities and these numbers heavily influence hiring decisions
- Post the right updates: Remember to post relevant, crisp and properly written updates on your profile, this also goes to enhance credibility to the viewer of your profile
That’s our list! Let us know if you have anything to add to this list! Cheers!