Quick Best Practices for Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile

Not sure it’s worth spending time on your LinkedIn profile? Think again! LinkedIn operates the world’s largest online professional network with more than 250 million members in more than 200 countries. More than two new professionals join every second. If you’re invested in your career, you need to be on LinkedIn.

Here are 4 quick ways to perfect your profile and impress recruiters, hiring managers and prospective customers.

1. Get Current: Take a fresh look at your overall profile. Ask yourself, “Does this tell a compelling story about what I want to do professionally?” Maybe that paragraph about your teen years as a camp counselor don’t really lend credibility if you’re positioning yourself as a Financial Analyst job candidate. Feature experiences that are more relevant for the future positions you desire and highlight the skills that prove you’re up to the challenge.
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2. Extra, Extra, Read All About It!: Headlines. The LinkedIn headline is listed right under your name in your Profile and appears with your name in a variety of places – in the “People You May Know” section, LinkedIn searches, LinkedIn job applications, posts, messages, recommendations, and invitations to connect. It’s real estate to claim a piece of professional identity, but also a place to change this as you navigate seasons and roles (aka – take care with it, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself!). There are many ways to write one which can vary between listing your current title or a longer-term descriptor of the role you generally play across jobs. Here’s a list of examples to spark some ideas for you:

• Mentor, Advisor, Servant, CEO
• Career and Leadership Development
• CEO | Keynote Speaker | Investor
• Graphic Designer & Illustrator | Web Design | Photography | Adobe Creative Suite Master
• Life and Business Strategist
• Client Success Manager
• Helping brands reach customers through thoughtful and relevant content
• Vice President of Finance and Accounting
• Fractional CFO
• Helping small and midsize companies get found online
• Data Scientist | Python, R, Tableau | I Help Hospitals Use Big Data To Reduce Readmission

3. Professional Summary: The “About” Section: This is an opportunity to show off both strong writing skills and career accomplishments. This is one place where your Baseball Card Stats (or “Experience Highlights”), can be used. The written paragraph speaks to your jobs, years of experience and value proposition. The “stats” would be five or so bullets that showcase (quantified) results.

4. Career History: The “Experience” Section: It is your choice whether you want to write a long-form summary of what you accomplished at a past job or put it into quantified bullets – similar to the “About” section, we recommend a combination of both. This includes a short overview of your experience and then some bullets that highlight accomplishments and skills. Recruiters love numbers!