No better time to get your LinkedIn in order

Is your online presence in dire need for a quick update or two? Here’s a quick guide to getting your online affairs on LinkedIn in order, stat.

1. Profile Photo

It’s called professional profile photo for a reason, so keep your beach bum snapshots and selfies at bay. Also, profiles with photos are 11 times more likely to be viewed, so the default silhouette image is an even bigger no-no, Mr/Ms Mysterious.

2. Name

Three rules - no nicknames, no initials (unless you’re that famous), use proper capitisation. It’s that simple.

3. Description

The description is the hook for your profile - it is the first thing that appears in the search results and probably what will prompt viewers to click to find out more.

4. Public Profile URL

You aren’t a bot so why have a string of random letters and numbers represent your profile? Clean up that profile URL by clicking on the Settings icon and changing it to a custom link instead. Once you have personalised it, plaster it on every platform you’ve got – your business card, email signature, online portfolios, Facebook etc.

5. Summary

Think of this as a trailer to your career story - keep it short, actionpacked, fast-paced and leaving the reader wanting more.

Highlight your top accomplishments, core skills, your goals and values, and most importantly, what makes you different from the next person in the search list.

6. Experience

Don’t let all your hard work go to waste with single liners about your work experience – be generous with the details! For starters, include the following for each role:

·   Specialisation(s) - if any

·   Responsibilities

· Notable projects (remember to be specific and results-oriented!)

·   Exceptional results

Sharing a short introductory section about your company will also be helpful in setting the context of your role.

Also, share any samples of the work you’ve done, this could be an awards banner, the cover of the white paper you developed, or even your company film.

7. Courses

Show your readers you are at the top of your game by listing the courses / certifications you sharpened your skills at. Whether it is a public speaking course or a mind-numbing statistics and data mining course, it will help bolster your credibility as a bonafide professional.

8. Honors & Awards

Embellish your profile with your professional achievements! As a guide:

9. Education

(To be fair, this section is mainly for them bright eyed, bushy-tailed graduates.)

Show off that fancy degree you received - all those sleepless nights and caffeine overdose must count for something!

Also plug in any leadership roles or participation in school activities and societies - let your potential employers know you didn’t spend all that time with your nose permanently stuck in a book.

10. Skills

This is not the time to be coy, so list as many skills as possible. Include not only your operational expertises but also your softer skills such aspeople management, public speaking. Following that, sit back and wait for the endorsements to come in - that’s the true test of your expertise (or lack thereof).

But with that said, leave out the common skills like Microsoft Word - because let’s be honest, even my grandma is skilled in that.

11. Recommendations

Anyone can blow their own trumpet, but what truly counts is when someone else (especially your boss/client) shares the same opinion about you.

So give your profile an additional boost of credibility by getting your colleague/ underling/ client/ manager/ boss to give you a thumbs up (but only if you deserve it of course!).

Once they do, don’t forget to return the favour just because it’s nice to. And we need more niceness going around, don’t we?

12. Groups Following

On social media, you are what you follow. Give your ‘likes’ and ‘follows’ to those who matter – industry leaders, organisations you are interested in, key discussion groups etc.

Not only will you receive their latest updates at the top of your newsfeed, but also first dibs on any career opportunities with your choice organisations.

For more career advice, please click 'read more'