How To Create A Killer LinkedIn Profile

*This is a collaborative post on how to create a killer LinkedIn profile

There’s one social media network just about every working-age adult needs to use, at least occasionally. That’s LinkedIn. Even if you’re not actively looking for a new job, it’s smart to keep your profile up-to-date and polished. Here are some tips.

Understand the LinkedIn privacy settings

If you’re uncomfortable about oversharing, then use the LinkedIn privacy settings to control who sees what and when. Click on your profile icon at the top right (where it says me) and choose “Settings & Privacy”. Make sure everything there is to your comfort.

Then go back to your main profile and click on “Edit public profile & URL”. You can edit the URL and content from here. That said, it’s often more convenient to edit the content from the default profile page. You can also edit the visibility. Even if you choose to make your profile public you can opt to hide certain parts of it. Again, make sure you’re happy with everything here.

Use both pictures spaces wisely

LinkedIn gives you the option to have both a main banner and a profile picture. It’s best to use both and use them wisely. The banner is an opportunity for you to give context to your profile. For example, if you’re a knowledge worker, you could use an image of your workspace. If you’re a creative professional, then use a piece of your work.

If at all possible, use original photography. If you can’t then consider paying for a stock image. Chargeable images tend to be used less, so they are less likely to be instantly recognized as stock images. That said it’s fine to make your banner with the help of free templates.

Your profile picture, by contrast, should be a standard head-and-shoulders image. It’s fine to have your face turned slightly to the side. You generally want to avoid true profile shots. Keep the background neutral so all the attention is on you and make sure your face is well-lit. Think about the image you want to present and dress appropriately.

Consider recording your name

If you have LinkedIn’s mobile app, you can record the pronunciation of your name and add it to your profile. It’s worth doing this even if you think it’s obvious how your name should be pronounced. What’s obvious to you may not be at all obvious to someone else. Remember, you want to eliminate any barriers to someone contacting you about an opportunity.

Keep your headline clear

Your headline is basically a call to action to get people to read further into your profile. It should therefore provide an immediate answer to the question “what can this person do for me?”. Even if you’re creative, stick to regular alphanumeric characters. These can be easily read at speed.

Use the “About” section

The “About” section, basically picks up where the headline leaves off. It may be enough on its own to get someone to contact you. It should be enough to get them to keep reading. Generally, the best way to use the “About” section is to “tease” content you include further down.

Try to fill in the “Featured” section

The “Featured” section is basically an online portfolio. You can link or upload pretty much any type of content to it. As a rule of thumb, if you’re proud of it, then there’s a good argument for including it here, even if it doesn’t seem relevant to your area of work.

Remember that a lot of employment decisions are partly about hard skills and partly about soft skills (people skills) and personality fit. Your analysis of how Leicester City came to win the EPL in 2016 might have zero relevance to the job itself. It could, however, be a great way to demonstrate your ability to break down a complex issue and present it clearly.

If you include direct links to post on other social media sites, then make sure that they’re visible. Also, make sure that you’re happy about what else someone might see if they visit your profile on that site. Remember that most social media platforms have privacy options. What’s more, you can generally set them so different groups of people get different levels of access.

That said, the safest approach to social media is to make sure that you only post content you’d be happy to have made public. If you think you might have any old posts you’d prefer to keep out of sight and out of mind, then delete them as soon as possible.

Fill in your complete employment history

Basically, this is mainly convenience. It makes sure that all your relevant details are in one place so you can reference them easily and quickly. You can use the privacy settings to hide current/old positions if you wish. You can also save resumes on LinkedIn so you always know where they are if you need them.

Add your key skills

The “Skills” section on LinkedIn basically allows you to add searchable tags to your profile. Currently, you can add up to 50 skills. Generally, however, you want to keep to 5-10. Stick to what is relevant for your niche.

Leverage certifications

If a qualification is vital to your job area, then you should usually mention it in the “About” section. That said, it’s often worth adding it to the “Certification” section as well. Where the “Certification” section really comes into its own, however, is making it possible for you to highlight value-add skills.

Remember that many free online courses offer downloadable certificates. These can be very much worth uploading if they are at all relevant to your job area. Essentially, they give recruiters a benchmark of your skills and show them what extra benefits you could bring to the table.

These can be particularly valuable if you need to address potential concerns. For example, if you have a strong technical background, you might want to show certificates that demonstrate your ability to get on with people. Likewise, if you’ve always been in more “people” roles, you might want to highlight that you do at least have a decent grasp on technology.