Time to Refresh Your LinkedIn Profile
As you tackle those New Year’s Resolutions, here’s another to add to the list: Update your LinkedIn profile. With more than 500 million members, LinkedIn is much more than an online billboard for your resume. It can be an effective way to evolve your personal brand, influence others, and market yourself and your company to a massive global audience.
Use this checklist to improve your LinkedIn profile and postings:
Improve your first impression
Your photo should be clear, professional, friendly and flattering. Wear something that’s applicable to your industry. LinkedIn profiles with photos receive 21x more views that those without photos. In the profile section, tell a little more about who you are and what you’re passionate about. Cut out the industry jargon and be human. For every 10 profiles, there’s one that’s memorable and it’s usually because they included something unexpected.
Strengthen your LinkedIn profile and details
Your LinkedIn profile should be as updated and dynamic as your career. Many people fill it out once and leave it there where it quickly becomes a time capsule. The first step is to completely fill out each section: education, experience, skills, volunteerism, awards, recommendations and interests. You can add punch by uploading videos, PowerPoints, pdfs, jpegs or other relevant content by clicking on the edit button, scrolling to the media section, and uploaded files directly from your computer.
Update your contact information
Be sure to include your updated business website, your social media channels, your company career site, and your business email and business address if you want people to be able to get in touch. And really, isn’t that the point of social networking?
Connect and influence
LinkedIn is not just a place to find a job (or a new team member). It’s a business networking site. Strengthen your profile by asking trusted peers and clients for recommendations. Update your skills. Follow thought leaders and become an influencer yourself by posting content through LinkedIn publishing.
Link to your Twitter account
Multiply your social media reach by sharing your LinkedIn updates on Twitter. LinkedIn provides an easy step-by-step process to do this. Just log in to your LinkedIn account and go to Privacy & Settings>Manage Twitter Settings> Add your Twitter account.
Need your executive LinkedIn profile revamped and optimized? Get in touch: Maureen.Clayton@insight-communication.com.