8 Tips to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile Like a Boss by Mark Jenney

How to Get the Absolute Most Out of Your Linkedin Profile!

8 Tips to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile Like a Boss

Linkedin / Via commons.wikimedia.org

Whether you’re looking for a new job, trying to gain some new leads, or just interested in some good old fashioned networking, LinkedIn is a great tool — if you use it properly! This means creating a profile for yourself that represents you well, shows off what you’re good at, and is keyword optimized so people actually see it.

If you need to optimize your LinkedIn profile for maximum exposure, check out these eight tips.

1. Make sure your profile strength is high.

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This usually means filling out every section: experience, education, projects, and so on. LinkedIn will actually tell you your profile strength on the upper right corner of your profile. If yours is anything less than All-Star status, well, you’ve got some work to do.

2. Use a profile photo that is professional yet creative.

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On a profile that’s so word-heavy, your profile photo is the one chance you have to make a visual impact. Make it count! And, make it representative of you professionally. Remember, this isn’t Facebook.

3. Use a background image that reflects your line of work.

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Whether it's an image that shows your company’s branding or an image that reflects your career field, make your background image count. The ability to set a profile background image is a relatively new feature in LinkedIn, and it’s one that many users have yet to take advantage of. Be ahead of the curve with this one!

4. Customize your headline.

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Your profile headline will default to your currently held position, which is OK, but if you’re really hoping to rank high in relevant searches, you can do better. A good headline also gives others a better idea of what you have to offer as a skilled professional. Take the time to enter a few keywords that describe your best attributes.

5. Add your skills — all of your skills.

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Then, ask some trusted colleagues to endorse you for these skills. Having lots of endorsements for a skill will help your profile show up in recruiters’ search results.

6. Show off your projects.

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The Projects section of LinkedIn may seem irrelevant if you’re not a freelancer, but it’s not. This is the perfect spot to show your leadership skills, motivation, and ability to go from abstract idea to completed initiative. You can add links and explain a little bit about each project.

7. Be a part of groups.

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Any group you join in LinkedIn will be visible on your profile. This gives anyone who looks at your profile a good idea of what your industry is and type of work you do. As, while this doesn’t really optimize your profile, groups can be a good source of information about your interests and line of work.

8. Network, network, network.

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After all, networking is one of the biggest benefits of LinkedIn. While it may be tempting to connect with friends, keep in mind that the purpose of LinkedIn is for business and professional networking. If you have friends that you work with or with whom you might find it professionally beneficial to connect on LinkedIn, then do so. Otherwise, build up a network of work-related colleagues.