LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that allows users to create profiles summarizing their professional accomplishments, skills, and experience. Users can then connect with other professionals in their network for networking, job searching, hiring, and business-to-business marketing purposes.
The LinkedIn platform consists of a website and mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. Users can access their LinkedIn profiles and make connections via the website at www.linkedin.com or through the mobile apps.
Some common questions people have about finding and accessing their LinkedIn pages include:
How do I find my LinkedIn profile page?
To find your LinkedIn profile page, first login to your LinkedIn account at www.linkedin.com or via the mobile app. Once logged in, your profile page URL will be www.linkedin.com/in/your-linkedin-username. For example, if your LinkedIn username is johnsonthomas, your profile page URL would be www.linkedin.com/in/johnsonthomas.
You can also find your profile by searching for your name on LinkedIn’s search bar. Your profile should appear at the top of the search results.
How do I access my LinkedIn page on mobile?
To access your LinkedIn profile on mobile, first download the LinkedIn app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android). Open the app and login with your LinkedIn username and password.
Once logged in, tap on the “Me” tab at the bottom to go to your profile page. This will open your LinkedIn profile that others see when viewing your page on mobile.
Can I customize the URL of my LinkedIn profile page?
Yes, LinkedIn allows you to customize the unique URL of your public profile page. To change your profile URL on desktop:
– Go to your profile page and click “Edit public profile & URL”
– Under “Edit URL,” click the pencil icon
– Type in the new custom URL you want for your profile
– Click “Save” to confirm changes
The custom URL can only contain alphanumeric characters and hyphens. You cannot change your URL to match another member’s URL.
Why do I have two profile URLs on LinkedIn?
Some LinkedIn members have two profile URLs – one that contains their name and one that is customized.
The original profile URL contains your name, like www.linkedin.com/in/john-smith. When you customize your URL, it creates a second URL like www.linkedin.com/in/johnsmith.
Both URLs will direct to your profile, but the customized short URL is meant to be easier to share and remember. You can hide the original URL with your name if you only want your custom URL to appear.
Finding Connections’ Profile Pages
In addition to your own profile page, you may need to find the LinkedIn profiles of your connections. Here are some tips for finding connections:
Search for connections by name
Use LinkedIn’s search bar to search for your connections’ names. Their profiles should appear at or near the top of the results. You can also search for their company name or job title along with their name to narrow down the results.
View connections from your profile
Go to your own profile page and click “My Network” in the top menu. This will show all of your LinkedIn connections. Click on any connection to open their profile page.
Click on connections from notifications
When a connection updates their profile, shares a post, or interacts with your content, you’ll receive a notification. Click directly on the connection’s name in the notification to go to their profile page.
Browse alumni pages of schools
If you share an educational background, browse your university or school’s alumni page to find mutual connections. Their profiles will be listed or you can search for their names.
Customizing Your Profile Page
Once you know how to access your LinkedIn profile, you can customize it to showcase your skills, experience, and accomplishments. Here are some tips:
Add a professional profile photo
A profile photo makes your page stand out and show up better in search results. Use a clear, high-quality headshot of just you (no group photos). Dress professionally and smile.
Craft an informative headline
Your headline appears right below your name. Summarize your current role and industry or showcase your biggest strength or specialty. Include relevant keywords.
Highlight key skills and achievements
Include your top skills, areas of expertise, certifications, languages, and notable achievements. Back up claims with examples. Don’t exaggerate.
Showcase work experience
Detail your work history, responsibilities, contributions, and results. Focus on positives like accomplishments rather than job duties. Use quantifiable facts and data.
Share education
List your degrees, fields of study, and institutions. Include study abroad programs, courses, or academic projects relevant to your goals.
Personalize with multimedia
Add presentations, photos, videos, SlideShare decks, or podcasts that demonstrate your skills and expertise. Follow LinkedIn’s guidelines.
Get recommendations
Endorsements from colleagues and managers can validate your skills and build credibility. Don’t ask for generic recommendations – ask for ones focused on specific projects.
Best Practices for a Stand-Out Profile
Follow these best practices to create a complete, polished LinkedIn profile that makes a great impression:
Proofread for typos and errors
Carefully proofread all sections of your profile. Check for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors which can undermine your professional brand.
Use an appropriate tone
Maintain a formal, business-like tone. Avoid using slang, emojis, or inappropriate humor. You want to come across as trustworthy.
Be authentic and truthful
Never exaggerate or misrepresent yourself on your profile. Present your real skills, job experience, and education honestly. Dishonesty could damage your reputation.
Customize your URL
Change your profile URL to something short and memorable rather than the default URL with your name. This makes it easier to share.
Keep information current
Update your profile regularly as you take on new roles, complete projects, develop skills, or earn credentials. Keeping it current makes you look active.
Use keywords strategically
Incorporate relevant keywords and phrases that recruiters or potential partners may search for. But avoid overusing keywords.
Show, don’t just tell
Support your qualifications with specific examples, data, multimedia, and recommendations that back up your stated skills and achievements.
Profile Settings
In addition to content, optimize your LinkedIn profile settings:
Select an industry
Pick your main industry under the “industry” tab in your profile edit options. This helps you appear in relevant searches.
Expand your network
Choose to allow anyone on LinkedIn to follow you and your public updates under “Manage public profile visibility.” Growing your follower base expands reach.
Show your openness to opportunities
Toggle “Let recruiters know you’re open” on to signal that you’re interested in new job opportunities. Appearing open makes you more discoverable.
Summarize your activity
Activate the activity summary section that shows off your top skills, most viewed content, and biggest updates over the past 90 days.
Sync email contacts
Agree to sync your email contacts under ” partnerships.” This allows you to connect on LinkedIn with people you know and trust from your contact list.
Profile Visibility
To control the visibility of your profile:
Choose a default visibility
Set your profile visibility to “Public” to appear in Google search results and allow connections outside your network. Or limit it to just your connections.
Selectively toggle visibility
For individual sections like education or volunteering, you can override your default visibility setting. Toggle on/off visibility to connections to hide/show specific profile areas.
Enable full profiles in searches
Opt to allow anyone to see your full profile when you appear in their searches. Otherwise, just your name and limited info shows.
Limit old profile versions
Prevent search engines from indexing and showing outdated versions of your profile after you update it. Toggle this off under profile visibility.
Review who’s viewed you
Check your visitor history to see who’s viewed your profile recently. This can reveal interested employers or helpful connections worth following up with.
Profile Performance
To assess how well your profile is performing:
Monitor profile views
Track weekly and monthly profile views under the “Performance” tab of your LinkedIn Analytics. Spikes may indicate your page is being discovered.
Check search appearance
Search for terms related to your industry and career. Optimizing visibility in these searches can help you get found by potential connections and employers.
Analyze public profile lands
See which sections of your profile viewers spend time on and what content resonates based on public profile metrics in Analytics.
Measure follower growth
Growing your follower base means greater visibility for your updates and content. Monitor followers gained under “Followers” in Analytics.
Check notifications
Notifications indicating connections added you, viewed your profile, or engaged with your content show your visibility is increasing.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn profile page is often the first impression employers or partners will get of your professional capabilities and personal brand. Invest time in crafting a compelling, customized page that accurately represents you.
Follow best practices for profile content, settings, visibility and performance to maximize the impact of your LinkedIn presence. Monitor metrics and analytics regularly to see how your profile is reaching its intended audiences and make adjustments to continue optimizing it over time.
With a polished, professional profile page that showcases your strengths and achievements, you can leverage the power of LinkedIn to support your career and business goals through expanding connections, being discovered, and building your brand.
