Tricks to Clean Up Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn enables you to connect and interact with professionals in your industry.

In the past, chances for professional networking were limited to conferences, cocktail parties and other in-person events. With the advent of the Internet and the rising popularity of social media, you can make connections anytime. LinkedIn is a professional social network that enables you to connect with others to enrich your career and discover new opportunities. The way you present yourself is critical: a poorly done or outdated profile may close doors instead of opening them. If your LinkedIn experience isn’t as positive as you’d like it to be, a few small changes may be just what you need to kick-start your career.

Avoid Oversharing

LinkedIn, like other social networks, offers users the ability to post status updates that appear in the activity feed on your profile. To further simplify things, you can connect a Twitter account and have your feed automatically updated with your tweets. Consider your words carefully when you post updates; if it’s not a subject that you’d discuss in person with a boss or coworkers, it probably doesn’t belong in your LinkedIn status. Keep posts topical and representative of who you are as a professional.

Use an Appropriate Photo

Your profile photo is the first chance you have to make a first impression. It’s at the top of your profile, attached to all of your status updates and it accompanies every connection request you send. You may think to avoid the issue altogether by leaving it blank, but that’s not a good idea either. According to a “Wall Street Journal” interview with LinkedIn connection director Nicole Williams, profiles with photos are viewed seven times as often as profiles without photos. Use a high-quality, recent picture that shows you in a positive light. Avoid group photos and images that appear casual and unprofessional.

Update Your Keywords

According to LinkedIn, one of the most common ways employers find candidates is by searching for profiles that contain relevant keywords. Search for people who have the type of job you’re interested in and check out the words they use to describe their skills and experience. Make a list of terms you see frequently repeated and work them into your own profile. Use targeted keywords to replace generic phrases in your headline, summary and work experience.

Edit Your Experience

If you’ve been in the workforce for a while, you’ve likely worked in a few different positions. Detailing your duties at every job you’ve ever had can make your profile look unfocused and cluttered. Emphasize work experience that relates to your current profession and pare unrelated experience down to the bare minimum – job title, company name and a brief description. Make sure your LinkedIn profile contains your most recent experience and that it matches your resume; many potential employers will check the site, and mismatched information can send up a red flag.

Clean up Your Links

LinkedIn allows you to link up to three URLs to your profile. Linking your professional blog, website or portfolio allows visitors the opportunity to learn more about you, but be wary of linking to personal blogs and social networking profiles – they may end up providing a little too much information. Test your links to make sure they work, and remove or update them if the sites you’re linking become inactive.

References

• LinkedIn Blog: 5 Ways To Make The Most Of LinkedIn
• LinkedIn Blog: 4 Easy Ways to Spring Clean Your LinkedIn Presence
• The Wall Street Journal: What Does Your Profile Picture Say To The World?
• Inc.: 6 Steps To A More Marketable LinkedIn Profile
• Inc.: LinkedIn Mistakes: Top 5 Ways To Kill Your Credibility
• LinkedIn Blog: How To Attract Employers' Attention On LinkedIn

Resources

• LinkedIn