In a few minutes, your LinkedIn profile could be enhanced significantly for better job search visibility and network friendliness.
By now, you probably know the basics. Correct? Let’s see… complete the profile entirely and make use of LinkedIn’s summary section.
Try your best to populate your LinkedIn profile thoroughly by completing all the sections and achieve a 100% metric on your strength meter. Oh, and, of course, add your headshot — a must.
LinkedIn 101 Video
If you need a LinkedIn 101 refresher, watch this video below. Helpful tips from Heather Austin.
Top Missed LinkedIn Opportunities
Your LinkedIn profile could be great. Here is a list of some of the most overlooked features and strategies I notice when I assist my clients in revamping their LinkedIn presences
Let’s start at the top.
#1. LinkedIn Background. Many LinkedIn members use the default LinkedIn backgrounds. I think this is a considerable waste of significant real estate; 1584 (w) x 396 (h) pixels, to be exact.
What if you used a custom background? Perhaps even added an on-brand message? This tactic will help you make a great impression and accentuate your brand message.
Here are a couple of free backgrounds I have resized for you. You are welcomed to download and use (right-click, save, and upload). Yes, some are a bit bolder than others. To add your message to these images, you can use a program such as Text Editor.
#2. Customize Your URL. Do you know your LinkedIn profile address? Here is how to find it.
Login.
Click on profile at the top-left of the window
The URL will then be in the address bar of your browser.
If the URL in the address bar includes numbers, then you have not customized it. Here is how to customize your URL.
#3. Contact Info. Surprisingly, it is one of the most underutilized areas. I often see the LinkedIn user provide a phone number or an email, but did you know that you can link to a website, a portfolio, or a YouTube video?
How would this benefit you? Well, if you have work to showcase or have created a video resume/profile, this is an opportunity to drive traffic to those job search and personal branding tools.
Where to find this opportunity on your profile? Visit your LinkedIn profile, under your picture, and next to the number of connections you have gained, you will see the contact information.
#4. Privacy Settings. Make sure you have set your profile to public setting instead of private. A public profile will be picked up by search engines and your information more accessible by recruiters.
I would, however, recommend you keep some sections of your profile private so that you create a reason for the connection.
Here is how you can change your LinkedIn settings.
#5. Headline. This is probably a fundamental step, but I’d like to guide you in optimizing this area.
Here is my formula: Target title + value offer + keywords = SEO-optimized headline.
Keep in mind that this headline must be concise. LinkedIn’s headline is capped at 120 characters.
There is so much more we can cover to learn how to optimize your LinkedIn presence. With more than 575 million users, and 260 million monthly active users, according to Kinsta.com, the above tips will help you stand out.
Need to do more to optimize your LinkedIn presence? Here is a comprehensive infographic that will cover all of the critical points when building and optimizing your LinkedIn profile. It is truly impressive. Check it out.
The Ultimate LinkedIn Cheat Sheet
What sections have you noticed others miss or fail to maximize on LinkedIn? Share below.
Important that you do not regurgitate information from your executive resume. Make your LinkedIn profile a new marketing message with a different spin.
Check out our executive resume writing services.