When it Comes to LinkedIN Profiles, Everyone Has Room for Improvement

When it Comes to LinkedIN Profiles, Everyone Has Room for Improvement

By Darla Mayse, Sourcing and Recruitment Marketing Specialist

Posted at http://www.sodexocareersblog.com/2011/12/when-it-comes-to-linkedin-profiles.html

Our Talent Acquisition team recently went through a very thorough LinkedIn training, hosted by Geoff Webb, CEO at Radical Events.  We reviewed everything from creating profiles that will get you noticed to in depth people searches.  During the course of the training, I had a light bulb moment.  My LinkedIn profile was not all that it could be.

I seriously thought I had a great profile.  I had completed all of the sections: Current employment, past jobs, education, summary, interests, contact info.  I even had a few recommendations.  LinkedIn also confirmed my completed profile by letting me know that it was 100 percent complete.  Needless to say, after going through the training, I discovered there was room for improvement.  

A good LinkedIn profile is not about checking off each profile section but more about what your profile is saying about you and what you have to offer.  My profile tells you who I am, where I’m employed as well as a few responsibilities and how to contact me, but how impressive or useful is it to the reader?  Does it have keywords that would increase the number of relevant hits?  The point is to make connections that are of value.  One of the first things I did was to look at profiles I thought were great to see where I could improve.

One way to improve is to optimize the “headline” for search engine optimization – a fancy way to say “I want to be found easily and first.”  An example of that is provided here:

Suzanne has done a great job of including in her “headline” her job title and areas of interest.  Because of these keywords, her profile is more likely to be displayed in search results of someone looking to connect with recruiters or likeminded professionals in that field.  She has also listed websites, blog posts and other information that will help someone learn more about the company.  If you have a personal profile and have a blog or website of your own, be sure to promote it here.  Also include your Twitter contact if you have one. 

Another key component to a good LinkedIn profile is the summary.  It does not have to be a book – which I recently discovered.  It should succinctly share with others how you can help them and how they might help you and why you should connect. 

If you have not done so, edit your profile to claim your vanity URL.  For example: www.linkedin.com/in/dmayse – this will help you optimize your own name in the search engines and also makes the URL easier to remember if promoted on resumes, business cards or email signatures.

Finally, ask for recommendations!  Why not ask others to confirm what you have already listed in your summary and work experience.  It helps you stand out and helps to build trust in forming new connections.  Be selective in who you ask.  Make sure it is someone who can truly vouch for your background, knowledge and skills.

There are more tips on improving your profile on the LinkedIn site.  However, these are few things I need to do to improve my LinkedIn profile.  It is still a work in progress. What do you need to do to improve yours?