LinkedIn has become one of the most important professional networking platforms. With over 740 million members worldwide, it’s essential for anyone looking to advance their career to have a strong LinkedIn presence. A well-optimized LinkedIn profile allows you to showcase your skills, experience, and achievements to potential employers and business contacts. Here are some tips on how to boost your personal brand and get the most out of LinkedIn.
Complete your profile 100%
A fully completed profile has a much higher chance of appearing in LinkedIn search results and looking credible to other users. Make sure to include details on all your work experiences, education, skills, accomplishments, interests, and more. Having a photo also makes your profile stand out. Consider adding media like photos, presentations, PDFs, and videos to showcase your work. The more comprehensive your profile, the better chance you have of connecting with relevant people.
Customize your LinkedIn URL
LinkedIn automatically assigns you a URL with a long string of numbers and letters. Customizing it to something shorter and easier to remember/share makes you look more professional. On desktop, go to your profile, click on the edit icon next to your name, and enter your desired custom URL. Make sure it’s simple and contains your name for the best branding.
Write a detailed summary
Your LinkedIn summary is valuable profile real estate where you can concisely communicate who you are professionally. Use keywords relevant to your industry and highlight your specialities, skills, accomplishments, goals, education, and background. Check out summaries of LinkedIn influencers in your field for inspiration. Tailor yours to your own experiences and keep it succinct within 2-3 paragraphs while still being descriptive.
Showcase skills and endorsements
Adding 5-10 key skills to your profile and getting endorsements from connections on those skills gives you more credibility. It shows you have proficiency in those areas that peers can vouch for. To add skills, go to your profile and click on “Add profile section.” Only include skills you’re truly competent in. Endorse connections for skills they’re strong in as well to potentially get endorsements back.
Grow your network
Having 500+ connections looks much more impressive than having under 100. It gives the impression that you’re well-connected in your industry. Take some time each week to thoughtfully add new connections. Prioritize connecting with colleagues, classmates, clients, industry leaders, and recruiting managers at companies that interest you. Personalize connection requests and avoid spamming. Quality over quantity is key when networking.
Join relevant LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn Groups based on your industry, interests, university, etc. present networking and discussion opportunities. Groups also help you appear more actively engaged on LinkedIn. Join 5-10 groups that are a strong fit for you. Be an active participant by commenting on discussions to position yourself as a thought leader.
Follow companies you want to work for
Following companies you’re interested in or have worked with gets their job postings and updates in your feed. It shows you’re keen on keeping up with their organization. You can also research employees at companies you want to work for and connect with them. This gives you an “in” at that organization.
Get recommendations
Recommendations from past managers, professors, or colleagues you’ve worked closely with carry a lot of weight. They validate the skills, accomplishments, and work ethic you promote in your profile. When requesting them, choose reliable contacts who can write recommendations relevant to the type of job you’re seeking. Having several recommendations under your Experience section adds credibility.
Share content and media
Posting content like articles, images, infographics, and videos shows you contribute value vs. just promoting yourself. Share content offering career tips, industry insights, thought leadership pieces, etc. This positions you as a subject matter expert. You can publish content directly on LinkedIn or link to content you’ve published elsewhere online.
Use keywords strategically
Incorporating relevant keywords naturally throughout your profile boosts your search visibility. Research terms employers search when hiring for roles in your field. Work those words into your headline, summary, skills, job descriptions, etc. Using keywords strategically maximizes your chances of coming up in recruiter searches.
Check your LinkedIn analytics
LinkedIn provides data on profile views, search appearances, and post reach. Reviewing your analytics frequently gives you insight on how to further optimize your presence. Pay attention to which sections get viewed most so you can enhance them. Analytics also shows you who’s looking at your profile so you can focus your networking efforts.
Use media for richer content
Images, infographics, charts, videos, and slide decks make your profile less text-heavy and more visually engaging. When adding media, include captions summarizing key points and context. Visual content also gets more visibility in the LinkedIn feed. But focus on quality over quantity and only share media directly supporting your professional brand.
Join LinkedIn groups catered to your goals
The great thing about LinkedIn groups is you can join ones targeted to specific industries, skills, companies, interests, higher education institutions, geographic locations, professional associations, and more. Seek out active groups that align with your goals and contribute thoughtful commentary when possible. This expands your reach.
Activity and engagement matter
Profiles that show regular activity come across as more serious about networking vs. inactive accounts. Comment on posts, share updates, post content, join discussions, connect with new people, endorse skills, etc. Being actively engaged boosts the strength of your LinkedIn presence over time. But focus on adding value vs. spamming.
Make connections on Company Pages
Employees and leadership at organizations you want to work for or do business with often connect on Company Pages. Engage with their Company Page by following, commenting, sharing, etc. You can connect with relevant contacts this way. Company Pages also keep you updated on news from those organizations.
Personalize connection requests
When sending connection invites, customize them based on how you know the person or why you want to connect. Personalized requests are much more likely to get accepted vs. the generic default message. Mention working together, a mutual connection, or what you admire about their career. This extra effort goes a long way.
Get social on LinkedIn
Social engagement on LinkedIn humanizes your brand and shows you’re plugged into industry dialogues. Like, comment on, and share posts from connections, companies, LinkedIn influencers, and publishers. Being social positions you more as a peer than a self-promoter. Just keep it professional vs. overly casual.
Make your headline compelling
Your profile headline (right below your name) has prime real estate with 120 characters. Use keywords relevant to your industry and keep it concise. Include your current job title and company along with specialities, skills, certifications, goals, etc. This gives people a snapshot of who you are professionally.
Follow Company Pages you want to work for
Following Company Pages of organizations you’re interested in keeps you looped into their news, job postings, events, etc. It signals your interest in their brand. Engage with their Page by commenting, sharing, and liking posts. This expands your visibility to their employees.
Leverage your alumni connections
Fellow graduates from your university can be powerful networking allies. Connect with alumni from your school working at companies or in fields you want to break into. Join your university’s LinkedIn alumni group as well. Alumni often help fellow alums advance professionally.
Show your personality and expertise
While maintaining professionalism, infuse your profile with some personality to humanize your brand. For example, share hobbies, causes, or interests. Also highlight what makes you an industry expert like publications, conferences, volunteer work, patents, languages, etc. This level of detail differentiates you.
Conclusion
Optimizing your LinkedIn presence takes time and effort but can tremendously benefit your career advancement. Maximize your profile completeness, build robust connections, engage actively, establish yourself as a thought leader, and strategically highlight your background. With these best practices, you can boost your personal brand and unlock more LinkedIn opportunities.
