How do I make a winning profile on LinkedIn?
In other words, how do I make sure my LinkedIn profile is the best it can be, or how can I make my LinkedIn profile more effective??
LinkedIn is the main platform where business professionals of all stripes seem to be congregating. And while LinkedIn isn’t perfect, it has great reach and a lot of very qualified professionals. Meaning that you can make good business and sales connections via LinkedIn—if you know what you’re doing, and if you have a robust profile.
As with most social media, LinkedIn allows its users to post public profiles that you can search at your leisure. If you own your own business or work in business doing sales or (the new term) business development, or you’re a career professional looking to network your way to a better job someday, you should be on LinkedIn if you aren’t already.
Launched in 2003, LinkedIn was eventually acquired by Microsoft in 2016, who have continued to run it in a mostly hands-off fashion, which is a good thing. But you don’t need to worry about who owns LinkedIn; you just need to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward while you’re on it.
What makes a good profile on LinkedIn?
What makes LinkedIn work is its focus on business first, meaning that good profiles on LinkedIn put the person’s or business’s best business foot forward. Brownie recipes, vacation pictures, or pictures of what you just had for lunch don’t usually find their way onto LinkedIn.
So, what makes a good, winning profile on LinkedIn? A good profile on LinkedIn has the following attributes. It is:
- Focused
- Genuine
- Easy to understand
- Highlights your best qualities/products/attributes
- Tells people that you are easy to work with
The bottom line is this: if you are going to have a LinkedIn profile, you may as well make it the best you can. Keep reading to find out how to accomplish each of the above bullets.
A good LinkedIn profile is focused
Too many of the LinkedIn profiles I come across seem scattered. They don’t define a clear career objective, or if the person owns their own business, they aren’t clear as to what business they are in or what business they do. Seriously.
Confused by their long, rambling tag line and vague, busy banner image, I will then check their experience section, only to find that they either currently work for or own three different companies, each of them unrelated to each other.
So, if you are seeking employment, be focused about who you are and the type of work you’re seeking. And if you are a solopreneur, tell us who you serve and what you do, and keep it focused. This is especially true of your banner, which should visually tell what you do, both in a simple phrase and in an image.
Bottom line: don’t confuse those who view your profile regarding who you are and what service you offer and whom you offer it to. Be clear. Be focused. Find success.
A good LinkedIn profile is genuine
This advice should go without saying, but your profile should reflect who you really are, not who you think you should be or who you think people want you to be. Let some of your personality show through—if you have some!—and don’t be afraid to take small chances. At the same time, also let people know how smart, reliable, friendly, capable, creative, etc., you are.
A good LinkedIn profile is easy to understand (and read)
If you accomplish both of the above goals, to be focused and genuine, this one bullet point should happen naturally. Still, have someone else review your profile to make sure they get what you’re saying and who you are telling the world that you are. You may even want to hire a professional writer to help you craft your profile. Regardless of how you do it, make sure your profile is clear and easy to read.
A good LinkedIn profile highlights your best qualities
Most people aren’t shy about telling what they do best, but sometimes we forget to mention these qualities on resumes or on our LinkedIn profile. I am guilty of this myself.
Don’t be shy. Tell us what you do best, but rather than brag about your best qualities, let someone else do it. In other words, utilize the recommendation section and get people who have worked with you to leave you recommendations that others can read. It’s always better to have someone else sell you than to try to sell yourself.
A good LinkedIn profile lets people know you’re a nice person and are easy to work with
You can accomplish this many ways. As I mentioned above, you can allow others to leave you recommendations (that might also mention how great you are to work with), and the general tone of your profile can tell people that you are friendly, open to working with them, and ready to help them.
Thus, profiles with almost no content, no picture, no banner picture, and minimal explanation do nothing to let others know that you are a hard-working, flexible person who is wiling to help others and their organization grow.
Should I have a photo on my LinkedIn profile? And if so, should it be a professional headshot?
It is always better to have a photo on your LinkedIn profile than not. And if possible, make that photo a professional headshot, which is a must if you want to succeed on LinkedIn. A good headshot not only makes you look good (or at least it should), but it also tells others that you are serious about business and your image. LinkedIn profiles with photos are searched more often and get more clicks than profiles without photos.
While there is a cost to get a headshot done, you don’t have to overspend. Many chambers of commerce will often have a photographer at some of their key events to photograph chamber members, and you can almost always get a digital copy for your own use. You might also hire an up-and-coming photographer in your area. While their work may not be as good as a seasoned (and more expensive) photographer, what they produce will be miles ahead of a picture someone snapped of you at a party (I’ve seen that kind of photo used). Again, a good headshot on your profile does the following:
- Let’s people know you mean business
- Puts your best foot forward
- Personalizes you and your offering
- Attracts more looks and clicks than profiles without a headshot
So, don’t be shy. Break out your wallet and get a headshot that doesn’t make you look like a hostage, criminal, or partygoer.
What should I include in my About section on my LinkedIn profile?
The About section on LinkedIn seems to be a somewhat overlooked section. I don’t hear many talk about it, and I notice that many profiles don’t utilize it like they could.
Does the About section matter? In other words, do visitors read the About sections of LinkedIn profiles? Maybe, maybe not. But I can’t help but think that more would read this section if it were written well.
Here then are my suggestions for having a killer About section on your LinkedIn profile:
Talk directly to your reader
Write your About section to sound as if you were talking to a friend or a close acquaintance. Don’t shout, and don’t use overly cheesy verbiage. Just tell them who you are, what you do, and how you can help others.
Divide your About section into smaller sections, labeling each with a small subheading
Giving your About section different subject headings makes it easier for your readers to find information about you so that they can read what is relevant to them. I love subheadings in general; they’re a simple, great way to let your reader know what info is contained there so that they can more easily navigate what you’ve written.
Sell people on working with you or hiring you
I am not going to tell you what sections to put in your About section, but one good one might be a section telling them why they should work with you—or your company. In other words, what makes you different from others who do what you do or offer what you offer?
Talk about past successes
This section could be a great place to talk specifically about who you have helped and how. Using concrete stories and examples helps your potential clients or potential employers to see the benefits you bring.
Talk about who you help
No business or business person can help everyone, so in your About section be specific about the type of client, business, or customer you help.
Talk about what makes you special
Again, your About section is your chance to tell the business world what makes you special, so use it wisely.
What should I put in my Experience section?
Most people fill this section out, and most do a decent job, mostly because this section closely resembles the work experience section on a resume.
Still, here are a few tips to help you put your best foot forward in this section:
- Include only your most relevant job or position, especially for your current work situation.
- Keep your job descriptions clear, specific, and brief—just like you would on a resume
- Only go back so far—don’t go back to the beginning of time
- Spell out the benefits you brought to each position or company you worked for or owned
- Have someone else copyedit this section (and all your other sections) before you post
Again, these tips are pretty common-sense and most people fill this section out. But it always helps to fine tune this section. And I like my first tip above because too often I look up someone’s experience section only to be confused as to what they are actually doing right now.
Should I get recommendations from other people on LinkedIn?
If you have been in your job or have run your business for a while, you probably have former clients, bosses, and coworkers who can recommend you to others.
All things being equal, if one profile has solid recommendations and another doesn’t, I suspect the profile with the recommendations will fare better.
Getting recommendations is easy. I suggest following these simple steps:
- Make a quick list of those who can recommend you.
- Contact each potential recommender individually and ask if they would feel comfortable saying something positive about you that you can post on LinkedIn recommendations.
- For those who are willing, help them out by suggesting a few things they could mention. If they are stuck, you can also volunteer to write the recommendation yourself, and then send that text to them to revise.
Remember: when getting someone to do you a favor like this, make it as easy as possible for them to do the favor.
Once they have posted their recommendation, feel free to share or post about it on LinkedIn.
That’s it!
Last thought: be specific
Your LinkedIn profile is your chance to appeal to your potential clients, customers, or employers, so wherever possible be specific about who you are, what you offer, and how you help. You are not a department store, offering something for everyone, so don’t let your profile be too generic. Instead, be bold and be specific. From your profile’s tagline to your About section to your descriptions of past projects or jobs, be specific so we know who you are and what you do.
I see too many profiles that either don’t explain what the person or their business does or are trying to appeal to everyone.
Remember, when we deal in generalities, we rarely succeed; but when we deal in specifics, we rarely fail.
Did I forget something or maybe you disagree with something I said. Just let me know.
Or, if you think you might want help writing or revising your LinkedIn profile or help writing a book, fill in the contact form below, and I’ll get back to you: