If you’re a professional of any sort, you know that LinkedIn is the most important social media platform for making connections and staying in touch with people in your network. You also know that it’s a great place for finding business opportunities.
However, simply having a LinkedIn profile isn’t really enough to get discovered by others nor is it enough to stay top of mind of your current connections. Here are 10 easy ways to instantly enhance your LinkedIn profile so you can boost your networking abilities:
1. USE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTO
Use a high-quality, friendly, and professional headshot as your profile photo. Make sure that the background is professional. If you need a new photo — ask around! Someone in your network probably has a photographer friend who could take a nice headshot for you. It’s definitely worth the investment; you’ll end up using that photo more than you think!
2. CREATE A CUSTOM URL
Linked In provides you with the option to customize your profile URL. We recommend you take advantage of this, because it makes it easy to share and remember your profile. It can also help improve SEO when folks Google your name.
3. WRITE AN ENGAGING SUMMARY
Craft a clear and attention-grabbing summary that showcases your expertise and value as well as highlights your skills, achievements, and career goals. Think of it as an elevator pitch you would give to someone at an in-person networking event.
4. SHARE YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE
List your relevant work experience, including job titles, company names, and brief descriptions of your responsibilities and accomplishments.
5. ADD SKILLS AND ENDORSEMENTS
Linked In provides you with the option to add relevant skills to your profile. You can add soft skills as well as hard skills to this section. You may also request endorsements from colleagues and connections.
6. SHOWCASE YOUR WORK
Linked In gives you the option to add multimedia elements like videos, presentations, or links to projects you’ve worked on. Round up your best work and what you are most proud of and add them to your profile.
7. SHARE LINKEDIN ARTICLES AND POSTS
Make sure to follow relevant and interesting pages so that their content comes up on your feed. When you come across interesting industry insights, tips, or knowledge, share them. You should also write your own posts. This helps establish yourself as an authority in your field.
8. ADD ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CERTIFICATIONS
If you have earned any relevant certifications, awards, or accomplishments, then these should also be added to your profile to boost your credibility.
9. INCORPORATE KEYWORDS
Think of which keywords key players in your industry would be searching for on Linked In and incorporate them throughout your profile to optimize it for search.
10. STAY ACTIVE
Regularly update your profile with new experiences, skills, and achievements, and engage with your network by commenting and sharing valuable content.
By implementing these simple yet effective tactics, you can make your LinkedIn profile stand out and attract more meaningful connections and opportunities in your professional life.