Did you know that more than 90% of recruiters across all industries use LinkedIn to vet job candidates? 
And most importantly, LinkedIn is not only a job-searching platform but also a professional networking and career management tool.
Therefore, whether other professionals (either recruiters or not) will want to connect with you depends on the first impression your profile leaves on them. 
To help you craft a good profile that stands out from the other 850 million currently on the platform, here are the biggest mistakes professionals make with their LinkedIn profiles — and how to avoid them:
1. No Keywords in the Headline. Your LinkedIn headline sits right under your name. For you to pop up in search results, you need to include the keywords you want to be associated with in your headline. Also, your headline and your profile picture are the only things people see on the search result pages. So having a compelling headline can really make your profile stand out compared to others. Here’s an example from Dr. Nehemiah Mabry’s LinkedIn Profile:
2. A Boring “About” Section. The “About” section will be the most-read part of your entire LinkedIn profile. For this reason, you need to tell a compelling story there. And here’s the catch: do simply repeat what you told about yourself in your headline. Show a bit of your personality and let people know what you are good at, what you care about, and what some of your accomplishments are. Here’s Cody Sims’ “About” Section:
3. Ignoring the “Featured” Section. This is a new area on your profile where you can showcase some work samples you’re most proud of. Maybe you have published something in your area of expertise. Authored a research paper or article. These types of work can all be included in the “Featured” section. And because it accepts rich media such as images and videos, it makes your profile stand out even more.
4. Not Changing the Default Background. Your background image, which sits behind your headshot and headline, is one of the first things people see when checking out your profile. By adding a one-of-a-kind image related to what you do that helps you tell your own professional story, you automatically make a good first impression.
5. Not Using a Headshot as The Profile Picture. Your profile picture makes it more likely that someone will accept a connection request from you — or ever send you one. So your profile picture should be a high-quality headshot, with your face taking up 60-80% of the space. Avoid logos, pictures of you from a distance, and images where you cropped someone out of the shot but their arm can still be seen dangling over your shoulder.
6. Letting LinkedIn Arrange the “Skills” Section. LinkedIn automatically orders your skills based on how many endorsements each of them has, from highest to lowest, and only shows the top three when someone checks your profile. If those top three are not the skills you want to be known for or that are relevant to where you want to go next, you need to reorder them yourself to showcase the three most important for you…not for the LinkedIn algorithm.
7. Not Using Rich Media. Even though it’s possible, moving people using only words is difficult. But when you combine them with images, infographics, and videos, it’s easier. And you can do that in various places within your LinkedIn profile where you can add rich media. From the “Featured” section to the “Experience” and “Education” sections.
Have you made any of these mistakes with your LinkedIn profile already? If yes, don’t worry. We’ve all been there. Fix these and your profile will stand out among that of your peers.
And now that you know what not to do, check out some section-by-section guidelines on what to do to craft the perfect LinkedIn profile.
Check this out!
CEA Podcast #62: How to Crush it With LinkedIn
That’s it for this week, guys and gals.
See you next time!
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Author: Isaac Oakeson, PE
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