5+ Easy Tips to Elevate Your LinkedIn Profile
When I first started being active on LinkedIn, I found it quite overwhelming. There are so many sections you can fill out on your profile, it’s easy to lose track of it all. I still highly recommend putting in the work and getting to LinkedIn All Star Status, but if you want to some simple advice on how to elevate your LinkedIn profile, here are some tips for you that I wish I had known when I started:
Headline – Only the first 5-10 words of your headline (depending on length) are shown when you comment on LinkedIn. Make these first few words count and also make sure no important information gets cut off. Your headline is also a place for keywords that help you get found by others through the search function.
Skills – These are important for the algorithm to rank your profile in the search results. You can add up to 50 skills to your profile (hard and soft skills!). Then you can ask colleagues or people you have worked with for endorsements: I usually endorse people I’ve worked with first, Linkedin then sends them a notification and sometimes they endorse some of my skills in return. It’s a nice “give & get” approach that has worked for me. If you want a deep dive into using your skills strategically, check out this article on Cultivated Culture.
Media – Enrich your profile by adding documents, links or pictures to your experience or featured section. I like to see it as the multimedia version of my resume: I added work samples and media related to my previous roles. You could include a presentation you have worked on, an article you have written, a study you conducted or a white paper you contributed to. The possibilities are endless!
URL – Some people forget that your URL on LinkedIn can be customized. It’s an easy thing to change: Make sure it includes your name and stays relatively short.
Name Pronunciation – Not many people know this, but on the LinkedIn mobile app, you can record a pronunciation for your name. It’s such an easy element to add and will only take you 5 seconds. If I have a zoom call or virtual coffee chat with someone I don’t know, I like to check their profile and listen to the correct pronunciation of their name.
Pro Tip: Cover Story – I still have to do this myself, but you can now add a short video of yourself (maximum 30 seconds). It’s a great way to add a more personal touch to your profile. And don’t forget: first impressions matter!
You want to dive even deeper?
Check out this sketchnote I created a few months ago during a talk by job-search expert Jonathan Javier, giving you even more tips about your profile picture, banner, about and experience section:
These are some easy tips on how to elevate your LinkedIn profile that are relatively easy to implement. Let me know if something is missing in the comments!