With more than 600 users worldwide; LinkedIn is easily the largest professional network on the planet. It is a place for you to build your professional brand, showcase your achievements and skills, share content with other professionals and connect with colleagues, business partners, and potential employers. LinkedIn profile is the foundation of Personal Branding. You need a great LinkedIn profile that draws attention, says the right things, and helps you really connect with the people who can help you expand your career. Customise your LinkedIn experience to be aligned with your objectives and constraints as a top executive, right from the start.
Let’s build your LinkedIn profile like a pro and present guidelines to set you up for success, while also managing the potential risks associated with any social media presence.
Uploading Profile and background photo
The simplest thing you can start on your LinkedIn profile is to put a face to your name. There are a few things to keep in mind while choosing a correct profile picture.
- Use high-quality JPEG images with a neutral background.
- Make sure you’re the only one in the photos.
- Make sure you are dressed as per your profession – in other words, dress like you would dress for your job interview.
Along with your profile, you can also upload your background image. It might not be as important as your profile photo but it helps give a better idea of how you are as a person and the industry you come from.
Create a compelling executive profile
Diligently create your LinkedIn profile. Make sure your headline is more than just your status as a student (ex. Marketing Student). It should speak beyond your role (or desired role) to your aspirations and interests. Your summary on the other hand is a place for people to learn about you. Don’t repeat what is in your experience, skills etc. Tell them your story – But remember, recruiters are searching for candidates via keywords, so make sure to include that.
You can even add a recommendation letter. A recommendation letter is a short comment written by other LinkedIn members that appear on your profile. This might come from a client you have worked with in the past or any of your colleagues.
Aim for at least 500 connections
Ensure that you’re engaging with the platform at large and connecting with the right people for your career and brand goals. Create a segregated list of people you aspire to connect with. The list could consist of your personal contacts, leaders from your industry and people who share similar interests.
If you’re planning to connect with people you haven’t met or don’t have a direct connection with, it is advisable to send a note explaining who are you and why you’d like to connect.
Curate your unique LinkedIn URL
To increase the professional results that appear when people search for you online, set your LinkedIn profile to “public” and create a unique URL. You can add links, images, videos, and files to the entries in your “Experience” section as well as your “Featured” section. So use this to your advantage: Link to your company websites, projects you’ve worked on, articles or reports you’ve published, or anything else that can let recruiters see the work you’re writing about with their own eyes.
Demonstrate your skills
Your LinkedIn profile is a great place to highlight you’re a talented, interesting, and knowledgeable individual that brings significant value to any role. You don’t have the same two-page rule here, but you do have internet readers with short attention spans. Be sure to include any jobs that you deem relevant to where you want your career to go, and use two to four interesting and impressive bullet points for each job you include. Highlight if you offer any services, promote your work, or put up any specialised certification or training that sets you apart from the crowd.
Post new content
Don’t let your profile sit idle for too long. LinkedIn (like any other social media platform) relies on content to keep things fresh and interesting. Put up authentic and insightful information for public consumption – either material you’ve created on your own or the work of other leaders from the industry you find interesting
There you have it, LinkedIn 101 to make your profile look complete and professional. No matter what career stage you’re in, the above tips will help you generate leads and open doors of opportunities.This is how you are going to build your Linkedin profile like a pro.Now go out there and kill it champ!
