What is standard for LinkedIn profile?

LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for professionals to build their online presence and network. With over 740 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is the largest professional network on the internet. Having an optimized LinkedIn profile is crucial for anyone looking to advance their career, find new job opportunities, connect with industry leaders, and build their personal brand. But with so many options and features on LinkedIn, it can be overwhelming to know what is considered a standard, optimized profile. This article will provide best practices and standards for crafting an effective LinkedIn profile in 2023 that stands out.

Profile Photo

Your profile photo is one of the first things people will notice on your LinkedIn profile, so having a professional headshot is essential. According to LinkedIn, profiles with photos receive 21 times more views than those without. Here are some standards for your profile photo:

• Use a high-quality, high-resolution photo. Blurry, pixelated photos give a bad impression.
• Wear professional attire, avoid casual wear like t-shirts or tank tops.
• Smile and look friendly, avoid awkward facial expressions.
• Use a current photo, not outdated hairstyles or looks.
• Too zoomed in or far away can give a plain background for distraction.
• Maintain eye contact and face the camera straight on.
• Keep it simple, you only have a small space for the photo.

Having a profile photo that is clean, high-quality, friendly, and professional is the standard for LinkedIn. Steer clear of overly casual, inappropriate, or weird photos. Your photo represents you, so put thought into the image you choose.

Headline

Your LinkedIn headline (located just under your name) has valuable real estate for describing who you are and what you do. You have 120 characters to make an impact. Here are some standards for an effective headline:

• Lead with your current job title and company.
• Follow with 2-3 descriptive keywords about your role, skills, industry, etc.
• Customize your headline for your goals – networking, job search, business clients, etc.
• Get creative but stay professional – avoid overused terms like “passionate” or gimmicky phrases.
• Leverage power words like “specialist”, “expert”, “leader” to stand out.
• Keep it succinct and scannable – avoid rambling sentences.

Your headline gives people a snapshot of who you are. Follow the 120 character limit and craft a compelling, keyword-rich headline tailored to your professional identity and goals.

About Section

The about section is your chance to showcase your background, skills, accomplishments, and aspirations. With limited space, you need to be selective with information. Here are some standards for an optimized about section:

• Lead with a 2-3 sentence summary professional “elevator pitch”.
• Use concise bullet points to highlight your core skills/expertise.
• Include current job details – company, title, responsibilities.
• Add brief career highlights – focus on relevant accomplishments.
• Close with future goals, growth areas, or aspirations.
• Keep it scannable with bullet points, short paragraphs, and selective information.
• Customize your about section for your audience – networking, job seeking, etc.

Your about section is crucial for telling your professional story and backing it up with proof. Be concise, highlight relevant info, and showcase what makes you stand out.

Experience Section

Detailing your work experience is a major part of your LinkedIn profile. Follow these standards for the experience section:

• List jobs in reverse chronological order, starting with your current/most recent role.
• Include company name, position title, employment dates for each role listed.
• Use bullet points to summarize your key responsibilities and achievements in each position.
• Emphasize transferable skills gained and results achieved at each company.
• Only highlight experiences relevant to your professional brand and goals.
• Omit distracting details like reasons for leaving roles.
• If just starting out, list relevant internships, volunteer work, freelance projects.

Your experience section is where you back up your skills and value with real examples. Be selective, results-focused, and strategic with highlighting your career history.

Education Section

Your education section provides credentials and context around your background. Here are some tips for adding education:

• List college degrees, including institution name, degree earned, field of study and graduation year.
• Add relevant coursework or activities only if they strengthen your profile.
• Include post-grad degrees – masters, PhD, certifications, etc.
• List high school only if you have limited work experience and it’s helpful for context.
• Add online education like Coursera or edX certificates if relevant to show continuous learning.

Education gives insight into your knowledge base. Be selective in highlighting degrees and credentials that fit your professional narrative.

Skills Section

Highlighting your top skills is a quick way to showcase your abilities. Here are some best practices for the skills section:

• List 6-10 skills maximum so each gets visibility.
• Include a mix of technical hard skills and soft skills.
• Prioritize skills you want to be contacted about.
• Leverage keywords searched by recruiters and industry contacts.
• Add skill levels (if you have them) to show depth of expertise.
• Back up your skills with examples in your work experience section.

The skills section is valuable real estate. Be selective and strategic to showcase the abilities most relevant to your goals.

Accomplishments Section

Demonstrating your achievements and accolades goes a long way in building your credibility and personal brand. Here are some best practices for showcasing accomplishments:

• List 5-10 highlights that connect to your professional identity.
• Include awards, honors, publications, certifications, speaking engagements, press mentions.
• Focus on recent, relevant accomplishments aligned with your goals.
• Use bullet points and keep descriptions brief but descriptive.
• Quantify accomplishments with numbers/data if possible to demonstrate impact.
• Visuals help too – screenshots, photos, charts, graphics, and links.

The accomplishments section provides credibility and gives proof points that reinforce your skills and abilities. Select your most standout, relevant achievements to highlight.

Volunteer Experience & Causes

Volunteering and causes show you give back and connect your work to something larger. Here are tips for showcasing this:

• List volunteer roles much like you would paid work experiences.
• Briefly describe organization missions to provide helpful context.
• Focus on recent, active volunteering and causes.
• Align your highlighted passions with your target goals and audience.
• Only include what genuinely matters to you, not just for show.

Volunteer experience and causes allow you to share what you care about. Be genuine, focused, and selective in what you highlight.

Recommendations

LinkedIn recommendations from colleagues carry a lot of weight in endorsing your skills and character. Here are some standards for recommendations:

• Aim for 3-5 recommendations connected to roles listed on your profile.
• Ask managers, colleagues, clients you’ve worked closely with for recommendations.
• Personalize each request to the relationship and work done together.
• Recommend in return where able to build your network.
• Endorse skills that each recommendation verifies.

Quality over quantity applies to recommendations. Even just a few thoughtful recommendations can make a strong statement about you as a professional.

Profile Custom URL

Your LinkedIn profile URL should be customized for a more professional look. Here are tips for setting your URL:

• Use your first and last name without spaces if available (LinkedIn.com/yourname).
• If taken, get creative with combinations of your first name, last name, middle name, and/or maiden name.
• Avoid using numbers or underscores if possible.
• Make it simple enough to easily say out loud and spell if shared verbally.

Customizing your profile URL makes you more searchable, discoverable, and memorable. Avoid leaving it as the default long number code.

Profile Completeness

Having a complete profile signals you put care into your LinkedIn presence. Shoot for:

• 100% completeness indicated by the blue “All-Star” meter.
• Profile photo, background photo, customized URL.
• Headline and About section filled out.
• At least 3 Position experiences listed.
• Education, Skills, Accomplishments filled in.
• 50+ connections.

While you don’t have to go overboard, showing you put effort into a thoughtful, well-rounded profile leaves a strong impression.

First Impression Check

Stepping back and assessing your profile as a first impression is important. Ask yourself:

• Does my profile represent my professional identity and goals?
• What would someone think about me just glancing at my profile?
• Does the content highlight my value and differentiate me?
• Is important information prioritized and scannable?
• Is it visually appealing or cluttered/text-heavy?

Your LinkedIn profile often serves as a first impression so be sure the overall look, feel, and content aligns with the image you want to project as a professional.

Keep it Current and Updated

As you gain more experience and achievements, evolve your LinkedIn profile to stay current.

• Update positions, education, skills as they progress.
• Add new projects, accomplishments, testimonials.
• Revise your headline and summary as your career evolves.
• Expand your network by regularly connecting with new contacts.
• Consider a profile “refresh” every 6 months to a year.

Your LinkedIn profile is never truly “done”. Update it regularly so it accurately reflects where you are now in your professional journey.

Conclusion

Crafting a strong LinkedIn profile takes time and strategic thought. Follow the best practices outlined for each section. Showcase your value through skills, accomplishments, recommendations, and experiences. Put your best professional image forward with quality photos and content. And keep your profile current as you progress in your career. With over 740 million users, LinkedIn is too important not to make a priority. A standout profile that gets you noticed by the right people can truly elevate your career success.