Remember the day you first signed up for LinkedIn? You were probably filled with enthusiasm and motivation. But, right now, you haven’t gotten the reaction you expected from the site.
You know that your LinkedIn profile could use some improvement, and you know you need to work on expanding your connection, but you’re not sure where to start. Improving your profile actually isn’t that hard. A few changes, some that only take a minute or two, can have a dramatic impact!
Influence
by Robert Cialdini
⏱ 14 minutes reading time
🎧 Audio version available
Make Your Profile Look Complete
First up, we’re going to make your profile the most eye-catching, captivating, and professional profile LinkedIn has ever seen! It’s easier than you think, we promise.
We’re going to start with the images you select. It goes without saying that your profile should be professional and sleek. While most people already have that part down, it’s the cover image that people either get wrong or ignore altogether, which is downright criminal, to be honest. A cover image goes a long way in making your profile look complete.
How easy is it to choose a cover image? Super easy! Pick a free stock image of whatever that catches your fancy. It could be a neutral background; it could be your city’s skyline, or if you want a personal touch, make it the picture of your office.
Have a Way With Words
Your profile is more than just your picture and background image. The first glimpse a potential employer or colleague is going to get of your personality, skills, and professionalism lies in your words– specifically, your description and job title.
This is why we’re going to revamp your headline. Now, automatically, LinkedIn makes your headline your job title. Some people settle for that, but are you ready to take things a step further? Your profile will be so much more impressive if you add a brief, but outstanding, summary of your professional persona.
The purpose of this is to show a polished glimpse of who you are and what you do. LinkedIn experts state that using dividers and breaking your headline cover into multiple sections makes it look sleeker.
Let’s take an example of someone who only lists their title– let’s say a manager somewhere. They don’t have their summary filled out, and every other section is blank. What do you see when you look at such an empty profile? It’s the bare minimum. You have no idea what their duties are. You have no idea what their education is. You have barely any idea of what their past experience is like. In short, why would you want to connect with them?
There is no actual rule that says your profile page description should include a job title. You have 220 characters to fill! When you write this description of yourself, make sure to always use keywords and phrases that will come up in a search. Talk a little about why you do what you do, how you view your role, et cetera.
Are you struggling with your summary? A lot of people forgo writing a summary because they don’t know what to write. The answer is simple. You just have to write two sentences. That’s it.
You’ll find that you only need two sentences to quickly summarize what you do and your experience. In turn, this makes all the difference in the way your profile looks– and how often it appears in search results.
Okay, so the first sentence. It should be about who you are– you’re an engineer, a freelancer, a graphic designer, etc. This should be followed by the second sentence, which details your experience and skills. Do you have experience working with small businesses, for example? Which software programs are you familiar with? If you want, your summary is your opportunity to express yourself, so use it for more than just talking about your job title and skills.
The best summaries are longer than a line, but it’s better to have a short one than nothing. It’s an easy way to dramatically improve the quality of your profile. Write a few drafts, invest a little time, and check out the summaries of your favorite business people.
Engage With Others
You’ll never grow your network without stepping out of your comfort zone a little. It might seem a little daunting, but we’re going to guide you!
The first step in learning how to navigate the world of LinkedIn is to make sure you follow the right people. LinkedIn is a two-way street. It’s not just a way for people to reach you. The platform allows you to reach people in relevant fields and in your industry, as well as the inspiring, successful people you look up to.
When you follow these leaders, you’re always going to find your newsfeed overflowing with relevant information and advice.
Now that you’ve followed all the right people, you need to connect. Depending on where you work and the size of your company or previous employment, you can use LinkedIn to your advantage. It allows you to keep up with those you know from the office, and also with people from other departments, and even the people they know.
Connecting with people you don’t know well may make you hesitant, but again, we’re looking to expand and grow your network. If you’re hesitant, here is how you can break the ice.
Stop being a silent fan or a lurker on people’s profiles. Take the time to like recent posts that pop up on your newsfeed instead of just scrolling past them. Whenever you like a post, you show your connection that you appreciate their effort. Add a comment saying so too. Sharing the posts that really speak to you is another fantastic way to build connections.
This does two things: you’re making sure that your name appears on a regular, consistent basis in your connections’ own newsfeed, so they become familiar with your profile. Secondly, you’re taking advantage of LinkedIn’s algorithm. See, when you’re active, LinkedIn shows people who visit your profile your activity and interest in others’ work. So, when people come to your profile and see the section with your activity, they’ll see the recent, exciting updates.
Sync Your Profile With Your Email Address Book
This tip will help you build your network. One of the easiest ways to grow your LinkedIn is syncing your profile with your email address book.
LinkedIn does the rest of the work for you. It starts suggesting people you could connect with. So many relevant people you can reach are going to pop up. And this also allows you to approve and vet any potential connections that come your way.
And speaking of connections, let’s take a moment to talk about groups. Do you remember when you first signed up for LinkedIn? There was a group section that you– along with most people– probably ignored. Or on the contrary, you may have joined every group you found.
In both cases, you need to take a look at these groups and reconsider them. If you’re already in several, browse through them again and delete any that aren’t relevant to you. Make sure that the groups you do join are interesting enough that you’re eager to read them every once in a while.
Publish Your Own Content
Ready to take the ultimate step to raise your LinkedIn profile to the next level?
We just talked about interacting with others’ posts, such as liking, commenting, and sharing their content. The more you do so, the more you establish your own expertise. Now, publishing your own posts is a natural step up from that.
If you don’t know where to start, check the posts you’ve already shared and the comments and shares on those. Which type of posts and subjects gain the most attention? Which ones are more relevant to your network?
After posting, make sure to be ready for new conversations to start. Be ready to respond to, and interact with, people.
The best thing about LinkedIn is that, while it is an indispensable platform, it’s not one that consumes hours of your time. Whatever you want to post, you’ll find that you’re able to progress fairly quickly. When you’re publishing your own content, make sure to time it correctly so you’ll receive the most traffic to your profile. That means avoiding publishing around midnight when everyone’s probably asleep. And there you go! It’s amazing how dramatic a difference an improved LinkedIn profile can make for you, your career, and your business.
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