10 Steps to Getting a LinkedIn Profile That Rocks

First impressions count, right? This could happen before you even talk to anyone. And when it comes to your professional connections, this can often happen through your LinkedIn profile. So how do you make a good online impression?

Here are our top 10 tips to help you get a profile that rocks.

1. Add a professional photo that reflects who you are.

While you need to have a professional photo, it still represents you so it should also show who you are. It doesn’t need to be super corporate and boring, but not too crazy either.

2. Tell people what you do in your headline.

A funky headline is good, but will people know what you do when they read it? Don’t go overboard either. Short and to the point is what your aiming for here.

3. Complete your profile to get an All-Star profile.

At the very least complete your profile to get you to All-Star status. This is the bare minimum. LinkedIn is even really nice and guides you through how to do this. A few hours from start to finish and you are done.

4. Customise your URL.

Go into your profile, top right-hand corner and edit your URL, as a standard you get a horrible one something like https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickthompsonwerrodfkjfddflkn12123lkdvlkdnlndl2r2r2309u880098sdvlkxvlkn

Come on, who is going to remember that? Change it to something easier to remember and don’t forget to type it onto your CV.

5. Add details to your job history.

Sure, you tell people about your great job title. But what did you do in the role?

No need to copy and paste your CV over, although you can if you want. Just make sure that you use industry standard words and not what they were called in your company or your pet names for things. People need to be able to find you and know what your role is about.

6. Fix your privacy settings 

So you are doing all this great work. And it’s probably likely for someone to be able to find your profile now. But is your profile showing up? Make sure you change your visibility by going into your profile and then editing the privacy settings. It’s in the place you just went when you updated your URL.

7. Make sure your contact details are updated.

This one is really simple, I know. But when was the last time you checked your primary email address was actually yours and is actually working? Does it go to your work email, and is that where you want it to go? Two seconds spent updating and it could be the difference of actually getting the email invites or not.

8. Add your skills 

Have you added your skills yet? Sure, they are in the detail of your jobs but help yourself get found by adding them in the skills section as well. Remember to use the right terminology that is known within the industry or sector you are working in.

9. Post an article or a status update

Basically, be active. It’s all too easy to be a lurker on LinkedIn. But if you want to stand out, come out of the shadows and post updates, comment on people posts (with relevant comments of course) or even post an article. I have seen some brilliant ones from people to say that they are looking for work and what they have done. Think of it as your own digital billboard. You could even post a video if you are feeling brave.

10. Be HUMAN

I started off by saying this is your first impression, so make sure the one you give is of you. I believe you should never stop being who you are and if that’s not right for a company then they are not the right company for you.

I hope it goes without saying that there is a balance though, remember this is your professional profile.

I hope you found these helpful and could even go some way to helping you find your next career move. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that completing these items will get you your next opportunity but they won’t hurt that’s for sure.

What are you waiting for, time to get updating your profile!

About the Author
Nick Thompson is the Global Employer Brand Manager at IBM where he leads all things channels (and a whole lot more) on a global scale. A lover of technology, he is a strong believer that tech should make things easier, quicker or better. It shouldn’t be used just for the sake of using it. In his role, he gets to geek out on some of the world’s best tech but, more importantly, with the world’s best people.

Check out his LinkedIn profile where he regularly shares his learnings and experiences on work, family, and all things he’s passionate about.