No one can deny the enormous importance of social networking sites in this day and age. In the business industry, particularly, social networking sites have become vital tools for digital marketing and profit-generation. As the American author Erik Qualman has put it, “Social media touches every facet of business and is more an extension of good business ethics.”
One of the most popular and helpful (business-wise) social networking sites today is LinkedIn. It is a social network that has its focus on professional networking and career development. Its main goal is to help professionals meet one another. It allows businesses to establish online credibility to attract potential customers or employees, and it helps job-seekers and workers begin and grow their careers. Indeed, LinkedIn brings about many benefits to people in the business industry. For this reason, regardless whether you are business owner or a worker seeking for a new job, having a LinkedIn profile is something that you should highly consider. To help you do this, this article lists down some useful tips on how to create a good LinkedIn profile.
Choose professional-looking profile and background pictures
When potential customers or employers visit your profile, the first thing that will grab their attention is your profile picture. Your profile picture creates the first impression. To some extent, it determines whether or not you are fit for the taste of a potential customer or employer. Because of this, it is important that you choose a high-quality and professional-looking profile picture for your LinkedIn profile. Preferably, the size of your picture should be 400 by 400 pixels.
Aside from your profile picture, your background picture should also be decent and of high-quality. It should convey something meaningful and relevant about you. A right background picture practically helps your profile stand out and stay memorable. Its optimal size should be 1584 by 396 pixels.
Write clever headline and summary
Your LinkedIn headline should be more than just a space for your job title. It is a field wherein you can say a bit more about yourself or your company – how you see your role or your company’s goals, why you do what you do, and what makes you or your company worthwhile. In order for the visitors to stay longer on your page, you need to pique their interest by coming up with a clever headline.
Aside from the headline, your profile summary should also be clever and interesting. Write a little bit more about yourself or your company. Do not just list all the mundane things about your business or employment history (e.g. your skills, job titles, goals, etc.). Rather, tell your own story – explain why your skills and services matter and what differences they can bring to the people you or your company work with. To put it simply, make your summary more personal. Investing some time and effort on writing a great summary is most certainly worth it.
Include only relevant employment information
If you are a professional who is currently looking for a job, it is necessary that you keep this in mind: include only relevant information on your LinkedIn page. Do not list all your previous jobs unless they are all relevant to the position that you are currently applying for. Otherwise, you should only focus on the jobs and experiences that are relevant and that make your professional credentials look reputable. In addition, you should also constantly update your profile. If you have recently received a promotion, published an article, or been involved in a significant project, then it is only necessary that you update your LinkedIn profile accordingly.
Include notable skills and certificates
Other than your relevant employment information, you should also include some of your notable skills, certification, and abilities on your LinkedIn page. While doing so, you may also seek for the recommendation of some credible people who know you. You can ask your friends or colleagues to endorse you, for example. With that being said, it is necessary that you only list as few skills as possible. Prioritize those skills that have gained endorsements, and try not to include all of your skills on one profile, especially the unendorsed ones. Also, just like your employment history, you should also update the skills section of your LinkedIn profile regularly.
Publish articles
Publishing articles on LinkedIn will not enhance the search visibility of your page because the organic search of LinkedIn articles is quite low. Nonetheless, doing so is a great way to manifest your expertise and competence. By writing and publishing well-crafted and up-to-date articles, you can more easily establish your proficiency and relevance on LinkedIn. Try to produce fresh articles at least once in three months. As much as possible, write about topics that are hot and on-trend in your industry. In addition, pay attention to pictures and title length. Make sure the title of your every article will not exceed sixty characters.
Without a doubt, LinkedIn is a great digital instrument when it comes to finding a job or promoting a business. It is designed specifically for the benefit of the business community. With LinkedIn, the task of marketing has become relatively easier. Professionals can now find one another with significant ease. It is for these reasons that creating a good LinkedIn profile is a necessary step towards expanding your career. By creating a decent yet fascinating LinkedIn profile, you are one step ahead to succeeding in your professional endeavor.
Wandering Will 