As they say, third time’s the charm with LinkedIn introducing its third major change to your profile in as many years. The goal is to drive engagement, boost activity, and get members talking to each other. The changes might seem minor, but tweaking your profile to take advantage of the new algorithm could prove to be a move in the right direction for your career.
Your Headline and Profile Picture are more important than ever.
First impressions whether online or offline can make or break a candidate for a top position or someone looking to get their foot in the door. With the latest changes, your Headline and Profile Photo become the first elements of true content your reader will see before they scroll to your profile’s details. Your Summary has been replaced with the About section which now appears below the fold. This means your Headline and Profile Photo needs to stand out and proclaim loudly and proudly who you are as a professional and what you bring to the table. Make sure your headshot is up-to-date and gives your reader an idea of how you present yourself in the workplace.
Your About section needs to be short, snappy, and easy-to-read.
While you might be tempted to go to town on all your experience, achievements, and career ambitions, you need to think about what a recruiter or future colleague might want to know first. If you want to use LinkedIn as a gateway to headhunting calls or to your business, then put your phone number and website first. Equally, if you’re on the lookout for a new gig, don’t save the best until last. Put your biggest and greatest achievements front and centre to get your reader wanting more and scrolling down to the detail. Remember, you only have 200-300 characters visible before “see more” which is only about 150 words at most. This is even less on mobile, with only 140 characters or 70 words visible. It’s better to think of your About like a contest entry in which you’re asked to describe why you deserve the prize in 25 words or less. Think about what you want from your LinkedIn page and then write a clear and concise message in 70 words or less to get you just that.
Your university degree may have gone MIA.
You may have already been diligent and filled in your university or further education degrees and certificates when you signed up, but LinkedIn’s changes mean that might have disappeared. Don’t worry, you can still make sure your credentials are front and centre in your top box below your current job, but you need to double check. Go to the edit section of your top box, check the box “show education in my intro” and your degrees will be back for future readers to see. One more tip – you only get one entry displayed in your top box, so make sure it’s your most impressive educational institution or degree, not the Excel certificate you got after a two-hour PD at the office.
What’s next?
Now’s the time to go back to your LinkedIn page and look at it from the eyes of a potential reader for the job you want or the next business deal you’re looking to clinch. Be critical and try to find what’s unnecessary, what’s missing, and what you need to do next to move up a rung on the career ladder.
Remember, if you need help with maximising the potential of your LinkedIn page and your online presence, we can help. Get in touch with us via our website and one of our dedicated LinkedIn professionals will be in touch to take your page to the next level.
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