LinkedIn Personal Profile Checklist

Step By Step

LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for both your personal reputation and the reputation of the business you work for. Getting it right can lead to new business opportunities coming to you regularly and concurrently, getting it wrong can negatively impact how you are perceived. 

So here’s our checklist on how to make the perfect LinkedIn personal profile:  

• Name
• • For those who have changed their name (maiden or married name) or have a nickname, LinkedIn provides a field in the name section.
• Professional Photo
• • Use a professional headshot on LinkedIn. The absence of a photo indicates that LinkedIn is not a priority for you. The presence of a professional photo demonstrates credibility. It also helps others recognize you, adds personal appeal to your profile, and represents your personal brand.
  • If the photo is 3-5 years old, it’s time to take a new one.
  • Avoid cropping photos from personal settings (like a wedding photo) or group shots.
  • For company brand consistency, consider coordinating a photo shoot for all team members where you use a similar backdrop and professional attire.
  • Your photo should be friendly, communicating that you are approachable.
  • LinkedIn puts your image within a circle, so you want an image that focuses on your face. Use a jpg, png or gif image with the recommended image dimension of 400×400 pixels that’s under 8MB.
• Background Image
• • The background image area is an opportunity to showcase your company brand or other images related to your industry and expertise.
  • Use an image (png, jpg, gif) that’s under 8MB in size, dimensions 1584 x 396 pixels.
• Headline
• • The headline is like a digital salutation; it sets an expectation and helps searchers find you especially if there are multiple people with the same/similar names.
  • Successful profiles use keyword-rich terms as well as a position title. Within LinkedIn there is a search feature, so keywords will get your profile visibility.
  • Search on your title as well as other terms to get ideas from other profiles. You’ll get a sense of what others in your field are doing. Don’t be afraid to stand out and show your personality.
• Summary
• • This section provides an overview of your career focus and skills. Akin to an elevator pitch or bio, it’s a reflection of your personal brand.
  • The summary can include references to a company’s brand voice and mission.
  • Use a conversational and friendly tone.
  • Your bio may be minimized when your LinkedIn profile page is opened. The first two sentences should be a complete message. LinkedIn will hide the complete summary, so you want the important information located at the beginning. If the viewer is compelled to read more, they can click on “Show More.”
  • Use bullet points and text formatting to make the information easier to scan/read. The LinkedIn interface does not allow font choices like bold or italics. However, it does support some symbols although they may render differently depending upon the browser or app platform (iOS vs. Android).
  • Add videos, presentations, images or other relevant assets that you’ve authored/contributed.
• Experience
• • Include a sentence or two that recaps your role at each company. Add quantitative and qualitative information so the information doesn’t sound read like a job description. This is an opportunity to highlight how you’re exceptional in your role.
  • For successive roles within the same company, LinkedIn will combine within a timeline.
  • This section provides proof to the summary section. Use bullet points and text formatting to make your experience and accomplishments easier to read.
  • LinkedIn is similar to a resume/CV in that it should tell the story of your career.  
  • Add videos, presentations, images or other relevant assets that you’ve authored/contributed. If you have assets for multiple positions, curate carefully as you don’t want the attachments to overwhelm your LinkedIn profile.
• Education
• • Highlight your college and post-graduate study/degrees.
  • Use the built-in School directory to find your college/university; doing so will automatically add the school’s logo.
  • Include any certifications and licenses.
  • You do not have to include the year graduated; leave the drop-down menu to “year”.
• Location
• • You can add a specific city/state or choose a general area like the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Industry
  • There’s a drop-down list to find the best selection for your industry.
  • Don’t ignore this, as it will help the LinkedIn search engine decide where your profile fits best.
• Contact Info
• • Add company website, phone number, etc
  • The primary email linked to your LinkedIn account will appear.
  • Add other relevant social media where you’re or the brand is active (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram).

• Skills & Endorsements
• • Add skills related to what you do and your industry so others can endorse you. You can add up to 50 skills; suggest adding at least 10 skills.
  • Make sure your “Endorsement Settings” in the Account Settings are set to yes (want endorsements, include endorsement suggestions to my connections, show suggestions to endorse my connections). Doing so will allow members of your network to endorse you.
• Personalized Profile URL
• • LinkedIn will assign a URL that typically includes your name and random numbers.
  • Personalize your profile’s URL; for example, https://www.linkedin.com/in/alysonharrold  is better than https://www.linkedin.com/in/alysonharrold3656574747473882
  • Add your personalized URL to business cards and email signatures.
• Recommendations
• • Recommendations provide credibility to potential customers, peers, and recruiters. They also demonstrate that you understand the power of this social media platform. Social influence is growing in business and in consumer buying behaviors.
  • Give recommendations to others. Not only does it help others, but it also creates a sense of reciprocity.
  • Ask for recommendations (minimum 5, ideally 10 or more).
• Posts
• • Share relevant information from others related to your role and industry
  • Share relevant information about your company (e.g., events, promotions, new products).
  • Don’t overshare non-business related information or personal opinions (e.g., political rants or religious quotes). LinkedIn is a professional platform.
  • Demonstrate thought leadership in your areas of expertise. Share information that will help others.
• Articles
• • Author and publish articles on topics of interest to your network that are related to your area of expertise and industry.
  • LinkedIn will share your article in your network’s feed where they can view, share, and like it.
  • LinkedIn users can also find your article via the internal search feature or in organic search (e.g., Bing, Google).  Therefore, each article should include terminology and search phrases to increase its visibility reach.
• Network Connections
• • The larger your LinkedIn network, the more you are connected with other professionals. In turn, your network can help you with career and business goals.
  • Decide what kind of networker you want to be. Some professionals choose to be LIONs (LinkedIn Open Networks) who will connect with anyone. On the other end of the spectrum, some want to know each person personally within their network.
  • Regardless of your perspective, purposefully grow your network to help you achieve your professional goals.
• Groups
  • Joining groups are an excellent way to find other professionals with similar interests. Choose groups related to your industry as well as those where your target audience may participate.
  • Groups are a good way to meet other networkers that are not 1st level connections.
  • When participating in groups, answer questions, provide feedback, and be helpful without overt sales pitches. Be mindful of the group’s posting/etiquette policies.  

LinkedIn Personal Profile Checklist

If you follow these bullets step by step you should have a fully optimized profile and be able to really get the most out of the professional network. LinkedIn can be a great tool for bringing in new business, networking, or finding a new job. If you aren’t serious about your LinkedIn profile, are you serious about your career?

Photo credit – Top: Joe the Goat Farmer
Photo credit – Bottom: Maxpixel