Keep your profile fresh with these tips

Let’s talk LinkedIn Profiles. Whether you love it or hate it, LinkedIn is one of the top tools for professionals to find new careers and connect with professionals. Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking for freelancers, a mid-level professional ready for more responsibility, or a college student trying to figure out what to do in life, it’s important you put your best face forward on your LinkedIn profile. Keep it updated with these easy tips.

Update your LinkedIn profile picture 

First things first, put your best face forward! I update my LinkedIn profile picture every other year or so. The key here is to think about your personal brand and the industry you’re in currently. If you’re in Finance, Law or a role where a suit is required, opt for a photo in a dark blazer that’s clean and crisp. If you’re like me and in a more casual or creative space, feel free to wear some color and switch it up a little. A black and white photo is alright but keep the other filters out of the picture. No need to get a professional headshot done though! A good iPhone photo paired with a clean lens and a self timer can do wonders. Also, don’t be afraid to ask a friend to take a few shots since selfies aren’t ideal. 

Make your summary worthwhile

This was probably one of the toughest things I’ve had to write but when it’s good, it works! Your summary, if you aren’t familiar, is a few sentences about who you are, what you do, and what your intentions are within LinkedIn. It needs to be informative, captivating, and no more than 3-4 sentences. You’ll want to make sure you hit these three main points.

Where you are now – Like your current role or college year, or an experienced freelancer.

What you are currently involved in – here you can go into a little more detail about your passions and what you’re hoping to accomplish in life.

What you’re here for – This is where you acknowledge whether you’re looking for a new job, networking, or even volunteering.

If you’re confused about where to start or need a little inspiration, take a look at what fellow colleagues or people in similar fields have written. Don’t copy obviously, but try to mimic the language and wording they use and see if it’s applicable. If you want to make it even easier, give Chatgpt a prompt or draft to get your creative juices going. Try “How can I make my LinkedIn summary more personable?” 

Customize your URL

This tip is an easy one but one that few people know about. You have the option to customize you’re URL for LinkedIn. What this means is that instead of www.linkedin.com/user6482846472, you can arrange it to say your name www.linkedin.com/user/sydneythompson. This will come in handy if you don’t have the option to link electronically, like on your resume or business card. You can make this change by going to the edit area of your profile, then in the contact section, select edit. When you reach that page, there should be an option to edit the URL on the right-hand column. Done!

Simplify your experience

If you’re well into your career or have just held a lot of roles, your LinkedIn profile probably has each and every one of those roles and responsibilities listed. While you might think having ALLLLL of your past roles is beneficial, it actually just makes it more difficult for the reader to understand. Stick with the most recent 5-7 years or the most applicable roles that you feel show your strengths the best. For example, in college, I interned during the summer at a Fortune 500 bank. I learned a lot and rotated through 4 different positions throughout the summers gaining experience and knowledge. In this case, having a Fortune 500 company on my resume is pretty cool BUT, it was also nearly 6 years ago and I’m no longer in that field. SO instead of listing out every detail of the role, it’s probably better to do a little synopsis of the program in general and list the skills that stand out the most. Take some time to craft something that’s right for you.

Now that your LinkedIn profile is ready, here’s some easy ways to engage with your peers.

Share some posts

Like any great social media site, sharing posts and articles is heavily important. On LinkedIn, you’ll want to consider what you’re sharing and make sure it’s accurate and relevant. This isn’t the place to post your personal photos like Facebook. Keep the images and conversations professional but be open to having good discussions and other viewpoints. Also, if you’re not feeling up to posting, leave a comment or your thoughts on someone else’s shared article to get the conversation going!

Credit where credit is due

One really cool feature of LinkedIn is the ability to endorse past or present connections. Endorsements are little ratings of sorts you can give your connections in an area of expertise for them. If someone on your previous team was an Excel whiz, let them know! Know a pro-writer or content creator? Don’t be shy and let others know they have the skills and what it takes for a potential new gig. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with giving kudos or credit where credit is due. Plus, they’re also more likely to return the favor on your LinkedIn profile and endorse you as well. It’s a win/win!

Update your connections

It’s good practice that every month or so to update your connections. Maybe it’s someone you met in your workout class or at a client meeting within the past few weeks. Take some time to rack your brain about the people you’ve met and add them. Don’t forget to personalize the message vs. the standard option LinkedIn sends. A quick reminder of where you met and that you’re hoping to make them a contact is perfectly fine.

Be social!

Lastly, keep using the platform! Like, comment, etc., as much or little as you like. Employers do use LinkedIn as a means of vetting so the more they know about you and your qualifications, the better!

Who’s spending their weekend making these updates? I know I have some work to do!