4 of the Most Common Mistakes Made on LinkedIn Profiles

4 of the Most Common Mistakes Made on LinkedIn Profiles

Recruitment Connection. 4 common mistakes made on LinkedIn profiles

LinkedIn provides a brilliant platform for you to showcase your professionalism and credentials to recruiters, potential employers and clients alike. With greater reached than your business card, and better networking opportunities than twitter, you should really make sure your LinkedIn profile is working for you.

 

Here are the most common mistakes we see people make on LinkedIn:

  1. Using an unprofessional profile picture… or worse, no profile picture.

LinkedIn is a professional networking site. Therefore, it’s best to leave the pictures of you with your mates on the plethora of other social media sites. Don’t get Facebook and LinkedIn confused!

Your photo is one of the first pieces of information that appears on your LinkedIn profile, so make sure it represents how you want to be portrayed to potential employers and clients.

If you don’t yet have a profile picture on LinkedIn, uploading one will quickly transform your profile and professional prospects. LinkedIn analytics has found that you are 14 times more likely to be viewed if you have a profile picture.

Humans are sociable creatures. We like to know and see who we are going into business with.

  1. No summary

Think of the summary as a way of introducing yourself to LinkedIn. If all you said in an interview was your name and handed them a list of your career history, likelihood is that another candidate will get the role. The summary provides you with space to sell your key skills, capabilities and competencies – space to engage with the reader and make them want to read on.

We recommend you write it in first person, third person summaries don’t float so well; after all, you are writing your own LinkedIn summary. Also, having key words in your summary that relate to your industry or the job you want is going to make you more likely to be found by the recruiters and hiring managers who are searching for talent on LinkedIn.

The best summaries are tailored for a specific purpose and audience, e.g. to market yourself to potential clients, or employers and recruiters.

  1. Incomplete profile

Your latest job isn’t the only important part of your career history. It’s best to include your entire work history on your LinkedIn. Unlike writing a CV that’s targeted for a specific role, you don’t know the criteria that people are using for searches on LinkedIn. Therefore, it’s best to build a profile that is as robust and accurate as possible.

Even odd, part-time jobs from your teenage years should be listed. If a hiring manager also worked at the same company or completed the same role, they will know and recognise the skills you learned.

Job descriptions are also there to help you out. Let your target audience know what your responsibilities were, what you accomplished and the skills you acquired.

  1. Not including personal information

Now you’ve brushed up your profile to demonstrate your professional acumen, you can utilise the places LinkedIn has provided to include volunteering work or causes you believe in. People and businesses like to work with other socially-minded people. Plus, it can be used to create true, authentic relationships that can provide both parties with value.

 

With those 4 mistakes cleared up, your LinkedIn page will now be adding value to your professional brand – not detracting!

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