12 Ways To Supercharge Your LinkedIn Profile

Working on your LinkedIn profile? Want to make it more optimal and work for you to get leads or jobs?

I had a conversation with someone on LinkedIn recently, and I’ve summarized below the 12 things I suggested to make his profile more useful.

1. Your LinkedIn profile is supposed to be about you, but you should use the words “I” and “me” sparingly. Focus on what you offer, the successes you’ve achieved, and how you can help your target audience or niche..
2. Ensure your LinkedIn profile is specifically targeted. I’ve learned through hard experience to narrow the focus to a pinpoint. That way you’ll attract precisely the right people. Non-specific profiles such as “I can write blogs, books and profiles, do social media, make WordPress sites and write iPhone apps”, drive people away because you give the impress you are not excellent at anything.
3. Your first sentence needs to “hook” them in. Grab your audience by the shirt and make them want to call you. Starting with questions such as:”Are your customers complaining?” or “Is your turnover high?” are great ways to get your audience engaged. Ask a question, then tell them how you solve it.
4. Focus on the positions (experience) that are relevant your target audience. Include those that do not apply to show you have been employed throughout your career, but keep those descriptions short and to the point. On the relevant positions, answer questions like: “What did you accomplish?” and “What were the challenges and how did you solve them?” What’s a compelling story for each one.
5. Your headline is vital. Don’t just repeat your title. Instead, include some phrases and keywords that target what you offer precisely.
6. Include any volunteer services, but unless they are directly applicable to your brand, don’t write much in the descriptions..
7. Get 40 recommendations from senior people, influencers, authors, customers, suppliers and speakers. Give 40 as well. Do one or two a week.
8. Get a professional profile photo. A bad photo is the #1 reason why a profile will be skipped.
9. Take advantage of the “Accomplishments” sections to add courses, organizations, projects, certifications, and so on. These add credibility. Make sure they align with your headline and story.
10. Make some videos and add them to your profile. You can make them yourself using your cell phone or a digital camera. Give information of value. Change them regularly.
11. Write status updates that give information of value.
12. Never write anything negative. Don’t write status updates like “what am I doing wrong?” and “Why won’t anyone hire me?” When employers see those, they will assume other employers had good reason to skip you over.
13. Bonus tip – Make sure your resume and LinkedIn are aligned and everything matches, including dates and titles.

Hope that all helps.

Leave a comment. I’d like to hear how you’ve succeeded at making LinkedIn more valuable to you.

Richard Lowe Jr

Richard is the Owner and Senior Writer for The Writing King, a bestselling author, and ghostwriter. He’s written and published 63 books, ghostwritten 40+ books, as well as hundreds of blog articles.