LinkedIn is Your Reputation

“LinkedIn is no longer your digital resume, it’s your reputation” - Jill Rowley

In this blog we will look at LinkedIn and how to create a Winning Profile.

In today's World of Business, LinkedIn is the Number 1 Social Media Platform and in order to get ahead in Business you need to not only be on LinkedIn but have the best profile you can possibly have.

In my opinion, your LinkedIn profile is now more important than your Website as it’s the first thing prospective clients or new contacts do, is connect.

So here are my Top Tips to make sure your Profile (Your Gateway to the Business Community) is the best it possibly can be:

1. Choose the right profile picture

Straight off the bat, this is the first thing people see. It clearly needs to show you and your face. It needs to be current, professional, and please try to smile.

2. Add a background photo

LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to add a background photo, in addition to your cover photo. This is an ideal way to grab people’s attention. You could use a warehouse shot, product information, or your company logo. Again, make it count and make sure it is clear and can be fully seen as this is one of the first things people will see when they connect with you.

3. Make good use of your headline

Don’t just use your job title, as tempting as this might be. Tell people more about yourself and how you can help them. You could list your main accomplishments, awards or achievements. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at others in a similar field or people in your network. Don’t copy them, that should go without saying, but use them to get some ideas of what might work for you.

4. Tell your story and build your personal brand

Rather than using your summary to list all your professional qualities, use it to tell your story. Make it interesting and personal. It is your space to tell people all about you, what makes you tick, why you do what you do, and how you can support others.

5. List your relevant skills

You are given a list of relevant skills, scroll through it and identify which ones apply to you, be careful not to overdo it though. Choose the ones that are relevant and core to who you are and what you do. By adding these, others can endorse you for these skills and within no time at all, you can portray yourself as the expert you are.

6. Use the featured post function

Once you get posting and build up a bank of them, you can select the most important ones that reflect you and/or your company. These will remain at the top of your profile for everyone to see, so even if the posts are from months ago, they’ll still be found quickly by the people you’re connecting with. Things such as company videos, presentations, podcasts, posts about awards, all of these are great to showcase as a featured post.

7. Promote your experience

The experience section is where you need to write all your relevant experience. Remember, this may be seen by potential employers and by people who may want to work with you and so by highlighting your experience, you can share what you know and your background. Also, include here any organisations you have volunteered for, boards you have been on, and organisations you have supported. Don’t be afraid of a long list here – if it is relevant, it is important, so list it.

8. Give recommendations

These will show on your profile and reflect the type of person you are. It is important to give recommendations, and therefore you will also receive recommendations back. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for them back, they can act as referees and show the kind of person you are to work with.

9. Profile your profile

Check out what others see when they go to your page on LinkedIn. How can you make it better? Who are you connected with? What might others think of your page? You can’t effectively evaluate your LinkedIn page, without looking at it from an outsider’s perspective.

10. Complete your profile

Make sure all sections are completed. This will ensure that the LinkedIn algorithm rewards you and promotes your posts above others with weaker profiles.. A poor incomplete profile also doesn’t look good to potential new employers or clients.

So there it is - Enjoy updating your profile and I look forward to seeing them in the coming weeks.