Make Your LinkedIn Profile Really Work For You

Here are my top ten tips to make your LinkedIn profile really work for you, after you've digested everything you'll be well on your way to understanding how to use LinkedIn to best benefit you.

1. Use only your first name (or what most people know you as) and last name (plus maiden name if appropriate) – avoid putting any other information in this section of your Linked In profile.
   

2. Your Headline should be a description of who you are professionally but not a job title. For example ‘Experienced & passionate LinkedIn Trainer with extensive knowledge of how to use a LinkedIn Network for business benefit’ (you have 120 characters inc spaces)
   

3. Use a Word document as the template for all the copy within your LinkedIn profile. This way it is easier to track changes, count characters and ensure the spelling is correct via spellcheck.
   

4. Ensure the text within your profile is ‘keyword rich’ i.e. think of what words a potential customer might search for and ensure these words are frequently included in all sections of your profile. This is especially important in your job titles and employer names i.e. instead of ‘Managing Director’ at ‘ETN Training’ I have changed my title to ‘LinkedIn Trainer and Online Networking Trainer’ and my company name (edit display name) to ETN Linked In Training. This way I get the keywords ‘LinkedIn’ and ‘Training’ and ‘Trainer’ into the most keyword sensitive parts of my profile.
   

5. Change your Public Profile url to either your name or something that describes you eg. http://uk.linkedin.com/in/Linkedintraining or http://uk.linkedin.com/in/joebloggs the default is just a series of numbers.
   

6. Ensure you achieve 100% completion of your profile, this will mean that you are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities according to LinkedIn. Common mistakes are to skip employment positions or further education that is not considered to be relevant.
   

7. Make sure you post a picture on your profile, this allows casual acquaintances to recognise you – people usually remember faces better than names. The picture should be a simple close up headshot of you only.
   

8. In Additional information create links to your website as well as listing sensible and interesting hobbies under the ‘interests’ section. Avoid controversial subjects.
   

9. Make it easy for people to contact you by clearly stating who you wish to hear from and how they can get in touch with you (email, tel number etc). This should be in your summary and your contact settings and possibly in your headline (if you still have space).
   

10. Get at least 3 recommendations from Customers, previous Managers, colleagues, suppliers etc. Nothing can sell you as well as a testimonial from someone who has experienced working with you. The more you get, the more compelling your profile becomes.

See Also:-

Linked In Online Networking
What is Linked In?
How Does LinkedIn Work?
LinkedIn Training
LinkedIn Networking Tips

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