Keeping your LinkedIn profile up-to-date is crucial for maintaining an effective professional presence online. However, with LinkedIn continually releasing new features and layout changes, it can be tricky to know exactly how to update your profile to the latest version.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through all the key things you need to do to ensure your LinkedIn profile is fully optimized and upgraded to the newest version. Follow these tips and you’ll be able to showcase your skills and experience in the best possible light on the world’s largest professional networking platform.
Check You Have the Latest Version of LinkedIn
The first step is making sure you are actually using the latest iteration of LinkedIn. The platform is regularly updated with new features and redesigns to its layout and user interface. To ensure your profile is benefiting from the most up-to-date functionality, you’ll want to check you have installed any available app updates.
Here’s how to check your LinkedIn app version on desktop and mobile:
Desktop
On the LinkedIn website:
- Click on your profile image in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu
- Choose “Account preferences” from the left sidebar
- Under “Account management” you will see the current “LinkedIn desktop version” you have installed. Make a note of this.
You can then go to the LinkedIn download page to see the latest desktop version available. If your installed version is behind, download the update.
Mobile App
On the LinkedIn mobile app:
- Tap your profile picture in the top left
- Tap the “Settings and privacy” option
- Scroll down and tap “App settings”
- You will see the current LinkedIn version you have installed. Make a note of this.
You can then go to the app store on your device and search for LinkedIn to see the latest version available. If your installed app is behind, download the update.
Update Your Profile Headline
Your LinkedIn headline (the text directly under your name) is valuable profile real estate. Use it wisely to make the right first impression on visitors.
Craft a succinct, descriptive headline that clearly conveys:
- Your current professional role
- Your industry
- Your specialties/skills
For example: “Digital Marketing Manager @ XYZ Company | Content Specialist | Social Media Strategist”
Keep it short and punchy while highlighting the key information you want to get across. Your headline should entice viewers to keep reading your full profile.
Also, adjust your headline as your career progresses. If you change roles or companies, update this section straight away.
Expand Your Summary Section
Your LinkedIn summary statement is your elevator pitch – a short overview of who you are professionally and what value you can provide.
To maximize this section:
- Aim for at least 3 substantive paragraphs
- Share your career story and achievements
- Explain what motivates you
- Highlight your specialized skills and expertise
- Convey your professional personality
Sell yourself, but maintain a professional tone. Use clear, concrete examples and statistics when highlighting successes. And tailor your summary for your target audience – what you emphasize will vary depending on your industry and career goals.
Regularly revisit your summary to refine it and keep it up-to-date. The summary is often the first section viewers will read, so you want to make a great impression.
Showcase All Your Skills
Fully leveraging LinkedIn’s skills section is vital for surfacing relevant in searches and appearing qualified to recruiters or business connections.
To optimize this area of your profile:
- Add both hard and soft skills
- Include complementary abilities like software proficiencies
- Get endorsements from colleagues to verify your top skills
LinkedIn now allows you to add up to 50 skills. Use them all to offer a robust overview of your expertise.
Prioritize keywords that are commonly searched for in your industry. You want to rank highly in relevant results.
And revisit this section periodically to revise and expand your skills as they evolve throughout your career. The more comprehensive your skills, the better.
Flesh Out Experience Descriptions
Don’t just state your role and company name under your work experiences. Expand each description to provide crucial details. Include:
- Your core responsibilities
- Key projects you spearheaded or contributed to
- Notable achievements like awards won or quantifiable results delivered
- The skills you utilized or developed in each position
- Any special qualifications gained
Use bullet points to break up large blocks of text for improved readability. Quantify achievements and mention specific examples where possible.
Tailor each description for the target audience. For example, highlight different responsibilities, skills and results based on whether you are appealing to a recruiter, connecting with a past colleague, or introducing yourself to a new contact.
Updating your experience descriptions signals that your profile info is current and demonstrates professional growth over time.
Expand Your Education Section
Don’t just list your degrees in your education section. Expand each program description to highlight details like:
- Relevant coursework
- Key projects
- Activities and societies participated in
- Academic achievements
- Specialized skills developed
Did you gain any additional certifications, honors or awards during your studies? List them here. Including details beyond degree names shows you derived significant knowledge and value from your educational experiences.
Even if you graduated years ago, freshening up your education descriptions can help you stand out and enable beneficial connections with program alumni.
Update Old Positions to Current Tense
It’s common to describe past work experiences in the past tense on your resume. However, you should take a different approach on LinkedIn.
To avoid signaling that your skills are outdated, always update the descriptions of your older positions to the present tense. For example:
Poor example: “Developed social media marketing campaigns”
Good example: “Develop social media marketing campaigns”
Describing your experiences in the present tense keeps the info evergreen. It conveys that although the work occurred in the past, the skills gained remain current and relevant.
Revamp Outdated Information
If certain sections of your LinkedIn profile seem outdated, underdeveloped or no longer a good representation of who you are professionally today, dedicate time to revamping them.
Sections to pay particular attention to include:
- Summary statement
- Skills
- Featured accomplishments
- Experience descriptions
Treat your LinkedIn profile like a living document that needs consistent nurturing to stay fresh and optimized. Set reminders to revisit sections that tend to become outdated quickly.
Add Rich Media
Incorporate relevant images, videos, presentations and documents throughout your profile to make it more dynamic and visually engaging.
Potential types of rich media to include:
- A professional headshot photo
- Graphics, charts or images from projects
- Slide decks from speaking engagements
- Videos demonstrating your work
- Infographics you designed
- Ebooks or whitepapers you authored
Visuals break up dense blocks of text and help bring your brand and achievements to life. Just make sure any rich media you share is high quality and adds value for your audience.
Showcase Awards and Recommendations
Spotlight key career achievements and testimonials by displaying any professional awards you’ve received or recommendations colleagues have left you.
To do so:
- Select “Add profile section” from your introductory profile section
- Choose “Accomplishments” or “Recommendations” to activate these modules
- Click the pencil icon to open the editing screen
- Enter details on awards received or ask contacts for recommendations
Drawing attention to external validation you’ve received can strengthen your credibility and personal brand. But make sure any honors or testimonials are legitimate. Padding this section will raise eyebrows.
Join Related Groups
Joining targeted professional groups supports your branding and networking goals in several key ways:
- Signals you have specialized expertise
- Gets you in front of an audience you want to reach
- Provides a channel for showcasing thought leadership
- Allows you to connect with like-minded professionals
Search for active groups closely aligned with your industry and interests. As a rule of thumb, limit yourself to about 10-15 highly relevant groups so you can meaningfully engage in each one.
Follow Companies You Admire
Following companies you admire or aspire to work for accomplishes several strategic objectives:
- Keeps you aware of their latest news, initiatives and open positions
- Signals your interest to recruiters from the company
- Gives you insight into their workplace culture
- Puts employee content from the company in your feed
Stay up-to-date with happenings at companies you’re curious about or enthusiastic to work for. Following respected organizations can provide valuable intelligence.
Make Your URL Customized and Memorable
Claim a custom LinkedIn URL that neatly packages your personal brand, like yourname.com/linkedin.
To do so:
- Go to your profile and click “Edit public profile & URL”
- Click the pencil icon to edit your URL
- Type in the unique LinkedIn URL you want
- Click “Save”
A customized URL presents your brand in a professional manner and is much easier to remember. But act fast if your name is common – customized URLs get claimed quickly.
Keep Your Profile Active and Engaged
To maximize the effectiveness of your LinkedIn presence, remain actively engaged with your network and profile. Ideas include:
- Comment on posts from groups and contacts
- Like and share content from companies and thought leaders
- Post regular status updates with career news or industry insights
- Publish your own long-form articles
An active profile conveys that you are committed to nurturing your professional community. Consistent engagement helps build your brand as an industry insider.
Conclusion
Keeping your LinkedIn profile fully optimized with the latest version and features is an ongoing endeavor. But it’s time well spent. A comprehensive, up-to-date profile becomes a powerful career asset that can catalyze new opportunities.
By regularly reviewing and enhancing each section using the tips above, you can ensure your LinkedIn presence conveys your full professional capabilities and achievements. Think of profile maintenance as a long-term investment in your personal branding and career advancement.