Before I cut straight to the chase and offer my own professional advice on the top ten ways to fix your LinkedIn Profile, I’d like to share a quick story.
A Story about LinkedIn
A couple of years ago, a close family friend (we’ll call him Tom to protect his privacy) flew up to State College to visit our family. On the schedule? Fire pits, smoking meats, and a day out at Beaver Stadium tailgating to support the Nittany Lions.
Our friend is a senior-level manager within the defense industry who spends very little time on social media (as is typical for many defense and aerospace employees). Being a newbie to LinkedIn, he was naturally curious about how our firm utilizes various social outlets to engage prospective candidates.
I gave Tom a brief tutorial on the ins and outs of LinkedIn and how it can be utilized to help identify top performers. Tom admitted that while he has a LinkedIn profile, he doesn’t update it very often. To make matters worse, he only has the most basic information listed. His title, employer, and name are essentially all he had listed on his profile. “Yeah,” he laughed as we continued talking, “I was able to see that a recruiter viewed my profile about a month ago but they never reached out. Should I be offended?”
All kidding aside, Tom was naturally curious about ways he could improve his LinkedIn profile. It’s no secret that one of the biggest detriments to a LinkedIn profile is lack of detail. Had Tom followed our tips below on how to fix his LinkedIn Profile, would the outcome had been different? There’s no way of knowing for sure. But…he certainly would increase his odds of connecting with thought leaders within his industry.
If you want to be “discovered” so to speak, you’ll want to make sure you include these basic details into your profile.
Top Ten Ways to Fix Your LinkedIn Profile
- Grammatically correct information with proper punctuation, capitalization, and spelling
- A professional headshot with a clean background
- Accurate information regarding companies, timelines, and titles/roles held
- Accurate industry – this one is critical! If you have made a switch to a new industry, it’s a must to ensure you have chosen the right industry for your profile.
- Evidence of extracurricular pursuits – non-profit boards, volunteer work, sports clubs, marathons, adjunct teaching gigs, partnerships within your industry are all worthy of showcasing.
- Any honors or awards you have received in the past.
- A complete profile summary that gives readers a sense of your professional accomplishments, written in the FIRST person.
- College degree acquired and the date you acquired it.
- An explanation for large gaps in employment history.
- A large network of more than 100-200 people, preferably containing industry thought leaders.
Final Thoughts
There’s no doubt that updating your LinkedIn profile helps expand your network. However, updating your resume, expanding the details on LinkedIn, and connecting with the right executive search firm are all critical towards leveling up your career.
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