How to Make a Strong LinkedIn Profile
How to Make a Strong LinkedIn Profile
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How to Make a Strong LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn is different from the average social networking platform because it is intended for professionals. It is a great way to show your credibility in your field and network yourself with other professionals.
Unlike other social networking sites, LinkedIn estimates how many connections you have through first degree connections, second degree connections (a connection of a first degree connection), and third degree connections (a connection of a second degree connection). Your network is comprised of these different connections, and you are only allowed to contact people that you are connected to.
It is important to have a strong LinkedIn profile almost as an online resume. Even if you are not in the process of looking for a job, it is a great way to woo clients and establish a personal online reputation that is connected to your area of work. Here are a few steps to make sure your LinkedIn profile is strong.
Be Accurate and Concise with Your Employment History Info
In order to make sure your profile conveys YOU the way you want it to, make sure to stay consistent in your tone when you describe your employment history. It is definitely important to highlight only the relevant jobs in your employment history.
For jobs that you currently have, put all of your duties in the active present tense. For jobs that you had in the past, put your duties in present tense. Stay consistent! For example:
Job #1 January 1, 2011-Present
Works with the CEO to provide quality content
Manages administrative duties
Job #2 May 5, 2010 – December 29,2010
Create and execute financial plans
Brainstorm marketing plans
Get Recommendations
You’ll be surprised how much a simple recommendation from a colleague or employer can make your profile pop and stand out among the rest. LinkedIn recommends that you get 3 recommendations in order to make a “complete profile.” This is an arbitrary number – get as many recommendations as you feel comfortable with. Ask colleagues and employers that you are comfortable with to write you short recommendations. This is helpful when trying to land new jobs and trying to get new clients.
Link to Your Websites and Portfolios
On your profile there is a section where you can add links to your websites. If you have a portfolio, a company blog, or a personal blog online, it is very useful to link to these from your profile.
Only link to these if they are appropriate for the professional world. If you tweet about controversial things, maybe consider not linking to your twitter account or facebook account. If your blog is slightly inappropriate, consider either cleaning it up, or writing a new “work-friendly” blog that you can link to via your LinkedIn profile.
Highlight Your Skills
The “Summary” section is a great place for you to give a brief except of your experience that gives insight that your resume does not. You also should add your specialties to the “Specialties” section of the Summary so that people who are looking at your profile don’t need to dig through your resume.
There is also a “Skills” section further down on your profile where you can select for a list and note how experienced you are in that skill and how long you’ve been doing it. This is also beneficial to your profile because it is a short list that allows people to quickly look and see what your talents.