In today’s day and age having a presence online is incredibly common, but what isn’t as common is having a professional presence online. LinkedIn takes the lead for networking sites, but just having a profile won’t bring you career success you need to build a profile that reflects who you are and your professional experience.
In this blog, we will offer a few key tips for building or updating the basics of your LinkedIn profile that will help you achieve both your professional and personal goals.
Profile picture
Uploading a professional picture to your profile on LinkedIn is critical to representing yourself and your branding.
When taking your LinkedIn profile picture use a neutral and natural background, with soft lighting, and avoid taking a selfie. Have someone take the photo or use a self-timer, have a friendly expression, and capture the image from your chest up as a full body image isn’t needed.
Uploading a clear and professional presenting image establishes trust with your network and according to research from LinkedIn, having a profile picture makes your profile 14x more likely to be viewed.
Unique headline
Your LinkedIn headline is one of the first things someone will see when they visit your profile, so it is a valuable space to use.
Instead of just typing out your current job title and calling it a day, use this space to highlight your unique value. Use keywords that are relevant to your specific industry and set yourself apart from others in your field.
Key skills
Adding your skills to your profile is a great way to show a snapshot of your strengths. Identify the key skills that are important within your industry or in your desired industry and add them to your profile. You can add up to 50 skills to your LinkedIn profile, but it's important to be specific and use industry-relevant keywords, think quality over quantity, how these skills align with your career goals, and whether they reflect your most valued skills, competencies, and your work ethic.
Don’t just be a watcher!
LinkedIn is a platform for self-promotion, yes, but it is also a platform for networking and building relationships. One key way to engage with your network is by following, sharing and creating content.
Find industry experts, relevant voices, groups, and communities that fit into your field and follow them. Begin engaging with their content by liking, commenting and even sharing it with your thoughts added.
You can begin publishing your own content on LinkedIn, sharing articles you find interesting or insightful, sharing a personal story or even a funny meme to grow your personal brand across your page. Engaging and creating your own content on LinkedIn will demonstrate your interest in your work field and will also help you learn more about your industry and your network.
A few more tips!
Make sure your location is set to where you are located, your profile is public, you have entered the correct dates for your relevant work experience and education and add any endorsements or awards to your profile.