Summer Sort Out of your LinkedIn Profile

I have been dealing a lot with LinkedIn recently, helping people with their introductions/summary paragraphs and also creating a new company pages. I also need to update my own LinkedIn page.

It seems like LinkedIn is really evolving this summer. They are finally rolling out ‘LinkedIn Live’ for everyone and, anecdotally, I find I am having more LinkedIn connection requests following meetings and networking events than ever before. I think the ‘Find nearby’ feature is so powerful and useful at an event. Let me know if you want me to tell you more about it!

Whilst I plan to slow down a bit over the summer, I think one important job for me and a lot of small business owners is to get their LinkedIn profiles polished! So here are some really simple things to check, update and complete.

1. Upload an up-to-date and professional-looking profile picture – make sure you face is clearly seen and the picture is a good resolution.

2. Add or update your cover photo – The cover photo is the banner photo across the top. Select one reflects your profession and your interests. Using a design tool, like Canva, you can add text to a banner image and create something really unique. Remember to check how the banner image looks with your profile picture over the top on a desktop and mobile.

3. Check your job title and main ‘intro’ details – You can use whatever you feel comfortable with. Job title and company name is traditional but remember LinkedIn is fully searchable so think about what your ideal client will be searching for and where you want appear in searches.

4. Edit your LinkedIn personal URL– If you haven’t done so already, simplify your URL to be more unique to you. LinkedIn gives you a default URL with your name and a combination of numbers and letter, i.e. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-llewellyn-9727b221/, but you can edit this. Just your name may not be available as it still needs to be unique but the more memorable, the better.

5. Check your website links – To the right of your introductory box will be links to your current job and last place of education – check these link to the correct company or institution page. If you own your own business then set up a company page, populate it with basic details and ensure your page and logo shows here. It looks much better than the standard grey box if there is no page to link to.

6. Update your About section – This is your chance to write a fantastic summary about you and what you can offer professionally. Be positive and draw out what you are passionate about and what makes you ‘different’. You can also add media, including images, videos and documents.

7. Update the Experience section – Ensure you have your current job is listed and the description accurately reflects your role. Make sure all jobs are linked to the relevant company page on Linked. All of your job descriptions should highlight key tasks, skills and responsibilities involved, not simply what you do/did.

8. Update the Education section – You don’t need to go right through to primary school but ensure you have any further or higher education listed, at least. This is for more formal qualifications. There is another section for certificates, CPD courses, etc (see Accomplishments below). You can also add ‘Volunteer Experience’ here.

9. Update Skills – This is a quick win, start typing and select some skills you have from the drop-down box. This does not have to be industry specific. Take the time to ‘organise’ your skills. Pin three most relevant to your career to the top.

10. Update Accomplishments – Try to think of all of the things which you have accomplished recently in your professional life or organisations and institutions you belong to, as well as languages you speak (you can state proficiency, so do not worry if you are not completely fluent) and any courses you have done.

If you do nothing at all…remember to proofread!

If you don’t have time for a full check and update (not that it should take you too long, I promise!), then at the very least go through and give everything a proofread. Make sure there are no silly mistakes or unclear sentences and swap overused buzzwords like ‘passionate’ and ‘experienced’ for more eye-catching adjectives. Check everything for accuracy too.

Ask for recommendations

There are still mixed views on how important recommendations are but I think it is better to have some positive ones than none at all. The updated section for reviews is good and really easy to use (much better than the old endorsements format!). Clients, colleagues, suppliers, employees…well, anyone really, can leave you a recommendation. You can request recommendations from any of your connections. Take the time to write them a short message and they will also receive a direct link.

Need help with your LinkedIn Profile?

If you need help with writing your LinkedIn Profile and would just like a more detailed check list and guidance. Get in touch for a great value support document. I can also help with writing and editing your profile too, if you need more support. Email me on kate@thecontentconsultancy.com or via my Contact form.

Finally, thanks to all of my lovely regular readers for your support. It means so much.