How’s your LinkedIn profile looking these days? Keeping up with SnapChat, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook may leave your LI account feeling a little neglected. The good news is that LI requires most of the work to be done upfront with minimal maintenance required for your account to remain optimized (as opposed to the other social media accounts that thrive on you being active multiple times per day).

Here are five quick and easy steps to make the most of this professional networking tool:

1. Have a solid profile picture. For your profile pic, do not use group pictures, couple pictures, your company logo, or full-body shots. Instead, focus on a headshot where you are looking at the camera, wearing a professional top, and smiling. Avoid “duck-face,” stern looks, or anything that may lead people to perceive you are difficult to work with- this is your first impression!
2. Create a stand-out background photo.  For your cover photo, you have got to ditch the standard constellation image that comes with your account.  Instead, go to Canva.com and create an amazing cover photo that reflects your industry or your city. Again, don’t use group pictures or promote other companies here. Keep it neutral in opinion and make it eye-catching. *If you need help with this, DM me.
3. Sell Your Brand. You are a brand. You are the product you are trying to get in the doors with that next big career move. What does your “About” section say about you? Use the headlines and About section to share your biggest accomplishments and identify the problems you solve.  Compel visitors to learn more about you.
4. Ensure your work experience and education are a 1:1 match with your resume. If you apply to a job with a resume and the hiring manager visits your LI profile only to find a completely different set of experiences or no confirming information, it may lead to red flags. You can add extra info to your LI profile (e.g., work samples, details on awards, articles you published, etc.), but at a minimum, everything in your resume should also be on your profile.  *You do not have to list every job you have ever held on your resume or your LI. Only list jobs in alignment with your career trajectory, or 10-15 years back. 
5. Connect with strangers. You do not need to be as cautious about who you accept/send connection requests to on LI because you likely do not have a ton of personal pictures, family information, opinion pieces, etc. that you might find on your other social media channels. This tool is meant to help you network with anyone who may be of professional interest now or in the future. At some point, you may apply for jobs on LI and if you and a recruiter or hiring manager are already connected, it’s almost like you get bonus points even if you’ve never met or spoken with them before. Connect with those in your field/industry and those with hiring power in your line of work. Try to gain at least 20-30 new connections every month by connecting with “People You May Know.”

LinkedIn has incredible capabilities when it comes to searching for a job. Optimize your profile for increased chances of success when you apply for that next big move. If you need assistance with any of these items, please message me and I’ll get you on the right track!