12 quick tips to improve your LinkedIn profile and presence

Improving your LinkedIn presence
can transform your job prospects.
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People often ask me how they can pump up their LinkedIn profile. I tell them that it’s easier than you think!

Use these 12 quick tips to make real improvements now. Start all profile improvements by going to your Profile and then selecting "Edit Profile."



1. Add a nice, color head shot photo of yourself so people can put a face with your name. Profile photo tips

2. If you are in an open job search, use wording like, "Qualified TITLE seeking XX position” in the “Current” box. Don’t give people the impression that you are NOT seeking work by using a made up company name like your name or initials and “Consulting, Inc.”

3. Copy your profile text into Microsoft Word so that the Word spell check can reveal typos that might be harder for you to notice on your profile. Make necessary corrections on your profile. Also update and improve your profile information regularly.

4. Seek more LinkedIn recommendations by writing recommendations about people you respect first. Many of these same people will gladly write recommendations about you in return. Provide them with your resume or bio to improve the accuracy of what they write. Learn how.

5. Add quantifiable results to your current and past experience entries. Learn more.

6. Add sections such as projects, languages, publications, test scores, courses, patents, and more by selecting the sections that you would like to add from the right navigation bar.

7. Add your resume and samples to your profile using the free Box.net application. Use the free SlideShare application to add presentations and videos and add a visual link to your online portfolio using the free Behance.com application. Add links to samples.

Add your resume, presentations and a link to your online portfolio to add visual interest to your profile. 

8. Copy/paste your LinkedIn recommendations into a Word document and post the sheet on your profile through Box.net. Also attach this sheet when you apply for jobs via e-mail or on application sites that allow you to attach multiple documents. Learn more.

9. Join LinkedIn groups related to your field, as well as your university alumni group and local and national career search and networking groups. Learn more.

10. Build your network. You can do so by searching your connections' lists of connections and inviting mutual friends to connect. Use the opportunity to build your relationship with these connections by adding a personal note in your invitation that reminds them how you know them and that enlists their help in finding the specific type of jobs you seek. Keep in touch with them regularly and continue to remind them that you are job seeking.

Add your connections' connections to build your network.

11. Use your home page status update box to let people know you are job seeking. Write something like, “Seeking a XX position. Please pass along leads!” Change the message slightly every week so your status will continually show up on your contact’s LinkedIn network updates.

Use your status update box to encourage your network to send you job leads.

12. Improve your LinkedIn search rank by adding relevant keywords (the words frequently used in job descriptions in your field) in your headline and throughout the Summary and Experience sections of your profile. To learn how you rank, click the Advanced link next to the Search People box, type your preferred title in the Title box and your zip code in the Postal Code box. Note how high up you are listed in the search results when sorted by Relevance.

For example, when I type: “Corporate Communications St. Louis” in the Title box and my zip code in the Postal Code box, I come up 4th in the rankings in St. Louis, Mo. If I add the words “corporate” and “communications” in more places throughout my profile, I will eventually come up higher in the rankings.

Type your preferred title and your zip code into the Advance People Search template to see
how easily you can be found when sorted by Relevance.

Bonus Tip: Click through all the tabs on LinkedIn to try out the various options. LinkedIn offers an amazing array of ways to help you present yourself in the best light. So get more familiar with LinkedIn and update your profile now … after all, it can help you land a job or get a better one!

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