Managing your online professional reputation is critical these days, and one of the best places to have a strong presence that conveys your brand is on LinkedIn. Chances are if you don’t yet have a LinkedIn profile, you have gotten lots of emails from friends and colleagues asking you to join. If you do have a LinkedIn profile, maybe it’s been a while since you’ve paid any attention to it. When people Google your name, one of the first things that comes up is your LinkedIn profile. Make sure it’s a great profile!
I’ve been a longtime fan of LinkedIn. Early on, I realized that it could serve as an online Rolodex. I read several bloggers who write about the ins and outs of LinkedIn. As a result, in recent months, friends, colleagues and others, have begun to ask me about how to improve their profiles on LinkedIn. One day it dawned on me, since I love teaching and coaching, to start a little business offering coaching on LinkedIn. I bought the URL http://linkedinprofilemagic.com and I built the page and the business was formed. In a matter of days, I had my first clients.
Which brings me to you. You who is reading this and wondering what would be a few simple, easy things to do to your profile to make it better.
Here they are!
Tip #1: Personalize your LinkedIn URL
My LinkedIn URL is http://linkedin.com/in/mariruddy. You’ll notice there are no numbers or weird letters after my name. That’s because I personalized the URL! This makes it easy to put on business cards, on my resume, and it’s a big clue to other LinkedIn users that I understand LinkedIn basics.
How you change your URL on LinkedIn, via https://help.linkedin.com:
You can customize your public profile URL when you edit your public profile. Custom public profile URLs are available on a first come, first served basis.
- Move your cursor over Profile at the top of your homepage and select Edit Profile.
- You’ll see a URL link under your profile photo like linkedin.com/in/yourname. Move your cursor over the link and click the Settings icon next to it.
Note: “Update your public profile settings” will show up if you don’t have a public profile. Learn how to enable your public profile.
- Under the Your public profile URL section on the right, click the Edit icon next to your URL.
- Type the last part of your new custom URL in the text box.
- Click Save.
Notes:
- Your custom URL can have 5-30 letters or numbers. Don’t use spaces, symbols, or special characters.
We recommend using a variation of your name and/or your professional brand since you’ll share this URL with people so they can find your LinkedIn profile. Some job applications may also ask you for your LinkedIn profile URL.
- The customizable part of the URL is case insensitive. This means using JohnSmith, johnsmith or johnSmith will all point to the same profile.
- If the URL you want isn’t available, please select a different one. We can’t make custom URLs available to members upon request.
- You can change your URL up to 5 times within 180 days. Once you have changed your URL for the 5th time, you won’t be able to change it for another 180 days. Changing your URL several times may make it hard for people to find you.
- If a member uses a URL and then changes it, that URL will be unavailable for use by other members for 180 days.
If you navigate to a previously claimed URL, you may see a page that reads Profile Not Found.
Tip #2: Be sure you have a good Headshot AND a Background photo
The Headshot photo is obvious. Make sure the viewer can see your face and have a smile! Be sure you look professional in the photo.
The Background photo is missing from most profiles on LinkedIn. Choose a photo you own, so no one can come after you. I happen to like nature photos, city skylines and photos that relate to your profession.
Tip #3: Have a Headline
The default headline is your current job. That’s downright dull. The headline ideally reflects your personal brand. Be sure you include any important keywords to your professional self. A few of my favorite headlines are:
- Health Promoter | Change Agent | Community Builder | Lean In Leader
- Entrepreneur | Speaker | Author | Geek
- Clever Guy | Photographer | Musician
- Copywriter | Wellness Advocate | Medical Miracle
- LinkedIn Coach | Author | Speaker | Education Leader
- Independent LinkedIn Trainer, LinkedIn Strategist & Speaker
Tip #4: Join a lot of Groups & be active in the groups
You can belong to up to 100 groups on LinkedIn!! Search for groups in your interest areas and in your career area. I belong to about 55 groups and it’s really cool. I am a part of social media groups, networking groups, athlete groups, writer groups, Lean In groups and on! My suggestion is pick a few of the groups and make a point of joining in the conversation on those pages on a regular basis. In no time at all you will discover the value of groups on LinkedIn.
I hope these four tips get you started and on the path to LinkedIn profile magic. If you’d like further assistance, please check out my page and hire me for a couple of hours. You will not be disappointed.
Here’s an excellent book, for those of you who like to read and dig deeper that way.
I hope these four tips help you update your LinkedIn profile right away! Thanks for stopping by!