LinkedIn is a powerful tool that allows professionals and businesses alike to connect with each other. But to get the most out of the benefits LinkedIn offers you must write a profile that attracts your target audience. A properly crafted profile will help build your credibility on the site and give a very positive first impression to those who scan your profile. Here are a few tips on how to write a LinkedIn profile to that lets you shine.
Keyword-rich headline
Make sure the primary keywords you want to be associated with are in your professional headline. For the sake of illustration, let’s say you are a marketing consultant. If you want people to find you for consulting jobs, then you need to put up ‘marketing consultant’ as part of your headline.
Linkedin profile searches work by scanning the headlines of each and every profile for keyword entries, much like how Google or Yahoo! finds websites based on the keywords you enter into the site. This is why your headline’s contents are vital to your profile’s visibility and prominence in Linkedin.
A professional-looking photo
Unlike Facebook or MySpace, LinkedIn is a social network of professionals. You are looking for people to hire you for a job or to use your services, so leave off the funny hats and party mug shots and put up a professional looking photo.
Use your name in the url
By default LinkedIn assigns a long, incomprehensible url to your profile. But you can easily edit this and and use your own name in the url if it is available. This will heighten your visibility in the network and make it easier for people to find you.
Write your summary with your target audience in mind
The summary is a brief but vital part of your profile that encapsulates your entire professional career into a few short paragraphs.Remember to write the summary of your Linkedin profile in a way that would interest prospective clients or employers.
Do not simply put yourself on a pedestal and shower yourself with praise. Determine the needs of your clients or employers, and provide professional solutions that make you stand out from the rest of the competition. Do not forget to add in your keywords in your summary as well, as this will increase the chances you will come up on a search list.
Be accurate and specific in your work history
Nothing says ‘professional worth’ better than an accurate and specific list of accomplishments that you have achieved. List these accomplishments as explicitly as you can, but stick only to the details relevant to your professional growth. People often get too general or go off on tangents in their work history.
If you can quantify the value you added to a company you will stand above the competition. Did you increase sales by 27%? Then say so. Did you contribute to new business? If so, try to be as detailed as possible. How much was the new business worth to your company?
Stories can also work well – as long as they are part of a case history and illustrate the value you added to a project.
When your profile is keyword-rich, your target audience will be able to find you. If you follow that up by being specific about your accomplishments and the value you added to a company or a project, then your profile will shine a lot brighter than your competitors.
