Why do you need to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile? Will it boost your career or business? So, Start reading the article “Step by step guide to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile” and apply in your Linkedin profile. Social Media is a new way to make connections and boost your career with your Social Network. In a Digital World, here are many famous Social channels Like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Quora. But here we will only talk about a professional social network that is LinkedIn. LinkedIn has 500M member in working world. It is called Facebook with a tie.

You can make your professionalism visible and grow your network through Linkedin and it’s helpful for better professional results like

• New Career opportunities
• New Relationships
• New Clients, and
• New Vendors.

If someone is searching your name on Google what results show up and what results do you expect?

Let’s optimize your LinkedIn profile

First thing is that don’t make the profile as Facebook profile and don’t do the activity like other social media. Behave like a professional. So, start step by step and write genuine details.

Step:1 Write your Positioning Statement ( It is most important step to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile)

It is most important thing in LinkedIn. You have to update your current position and place where you are working and what are you doing.

Step:2 Add relevant Profile Pic

Your photograph is the most important and gives a good impression.You should select the image that gives reasonable details in small size as well and doesn’t upload selfie or serious face image. Always try to upload a good quality image with a smile.

• 70 to 80 % of the photograph should be your face
• 180X180 Image will be displayed on Your Profile
• 75X75 Image will be displayed on Updates
• 50X50 image will be displayed on Notifications & Group Conversations
• You should try to put a plain or blurred background.

Step:3 Update Tagline

The tagline is the most visible component in your profile apart from your name & profile pic. The effective tagline will impact the number of people viewing your public profile. The better your tagline, the more relevant views your profile will receive. When people search for something or someone on Google according to your niche then you could visible easily. The better your tagline, the more relevant views your profile will receive.

Some Guidelines

• You should talk about your positioning statement in 5 to 6 words because and put a tagline according to your position where you want to stand out. Don’t choose fake tagline or headline It may give a bad impression.
• If you have left any organization or company then you have to update here because that designation & company name may not make sense as “tagline”.
• If you have multiple roles, you can specify all of them as well. But keep it short and simple. You must go a bit innovative as well
• Don’t use taglines like ‘seeking new opportunities’, ‘currently unemployed’ or looking for a new job. It does not talk about your positioning statement and it can be seen as a negative statement and can decrease your value.
• You can use some specific certification or keyword, it is a good idea to mention that in your tagline.

Step:4 Update your Summary

If you really want to get users attention now, tell them about yourself in detail and Keep it up to 200-250 words. If users who will be reading your summary they could be really interested in knowing more about you and what you do or what can you do. Make your Summary short and point to point and write it in your own words.

Some Guidelines

• Before writing your summary, You should know the writing rule, LinkedIn gives you 2,000 characters including spaces to summarize your background and your ability. You have to write about yourself, not someone else.  It makes a better impression because the summary is the first thing people see.
• It is an expansion of your Tagline. It has to build up of your tagline and justify your positioning and working niche.
• Read Summary of My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dp-vishwakarma/
• Add CTA (Call to Action) at the end of your summary. Which directly hit why people should contact you for?

Step:5 Add Associated Institutions & Organizations

LinkedIn is an online resume and it can consider for an interview or formal work meeting. So you have to add associated organizations & institutions with the year. It also increases your searchability on LinkedIn and Google search engine.

Some Guidelines

• You should add all volunteering and professional experiences with working months. If any company or role does not justify your professional profile just skip it.
• For every organization in your profile, make sure that you add your Role (or title) in the organization as well. Give a brief summary of your profile in 50-75 words. The summary should talk about your role in the company, not what company does.
• In case If you are getting additional responsibilities in the existing role, you should update the description.
• In case If you have been promoted in the same organization to a new role, you should add a new section, in your profile with new roles & responsibility details.

Step:6 Showcase your education by adding Institutions & Courses Details

It is must show your educational background What have you learned and from where have you learned it. Just keep it short and add with the year. This will help you to take recommendations from your professors and friends.

Step:7 Showcase Your achievements using Publications, Patents, Projects, Certifications, Honors & Awards

Step:8 Ask for Recommendations

Quality is more important than quantity. You should have 2-3 recommendations for each individual section in your education & organization sections. You should only ask for recommendations from the people with whom you have spent substantial time or if you have done freelancing projects. You have to send a personalized subject & message while requesting for the recommendation. And the last thing, don’t ask for it too early not too late.

Step:9 Add Relevant Skills & Interests

This is a great feature added by LinkedIn to build credibility for your skills. You can add skills that really defines you. You should remove or bring down irrelevant skills that do not define you.

Step:10 Join LinkedIn Groups To Build Influential Connections

Now, You are able to start interacting with others and share your interest and informative things with LinkedIn group networks. You can directly go to search bar at the top of your LinkedIn page, type in industry name or topic and then select “Groups”.

Some Guidelines

• You should target your audience with LinkedIn groups and focus on building an influential relationship online.
• LinkedIn allows you to join only 50 groups, So try to search relevant and active groups.
• Be polite and formal and active in 3- 5 groups.
• You should plan your 50 LinkedIn Groups like this
  • You should select 5 groups for your industry
  • You should select top 3- 4 areas where you know your product/service works well.
• You should check the Group manager and try to choose the top influencer’s groups.
• You should join only well-managed Group.

Step:11 Create a simplified URL for your LinkedIn Profile

You must make it easy for other to connect with you and try to put your whole name because of Google crawl it easily. In the Edit Profile page, you will find the link to “Update your Public Profile Setting”.

Extra Dose to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

Below some extra point that will help to boost up your LinkedIn Profile. It helps to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile in a better way. First, you should follow above Steps and apply it. After that, you could apply below these extra steps to Optimize Your LinkedIn profile and reach your profile at another level.

Dose:1 Rearrange your Profile based on your strengths

After you have worked on all sections of your profile, you should ask some of your friends to review your profile and ask them to rank top 3 sections that they link. And based on the inputs from your friends, rearrange your Profile.

Dose:2 Building Initial set of LinkedIn Connections

You must start to add connections from your email accounts. It could give very good results. Because those people are known already. You have to add those people who have a good reputation or good looking profile. Don’t add randomly, it might damage your reputation. You can start connecting with colleagues, seniors, and employees. These connections help to increase your skills endorsements and recommendations. The last thing is to maintain a relationship with your network and your clients, It might help in future.

Doose:3 Actions to take to build Influential Connections and Credibility

You should select favorite LinkedIn groups and start contributing. Before posting or sharing anything you should read below points.

Keep in mind before writing a post or sharing anything:

• Don’t just promote your products or services.
• You could promote your blog articles but it must relevant and meaningful, helpful, interesting and reputable content.
• Ask relevant questions and provide thoughtful answers.
• Contribute to ongoing discussions and new discussions consistently.
• You could send invites to connect with mutual Group members only after you’ve spent some time participating in the Group.

Conclusion

Well, You are able to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile and make your better relationship and career. You must apply all steps and see the magical result. You should spend minimum 20 min with your LinkedIn Profile. It could grow your networking effectively.

Thank you!