5 Tips to Building an Effective LinkedIn Profile

Let’s face it, LinkedIn is growing and is here to stay.  With more than 400 million members in over 200 countries and territories, LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet.  LinkedIn is a powerful professional network that makes it easy for professionals to connect, network, search for jobs and a way for recruiters to find talent.

New to LinkedIn?  Be sure to check out this quick video on “The Basics” of building your profile.

Here are 5 things you can do today to build an effective LinkedIn Profile.

It’s all in the detail.  Be sure you take the time to complete your LinkedIn profile and upload a professional photo.   Consider your profile heading, summary, and photo to be your first impression to a potential employer.  Your headline should include key words that target your profession to help your LinkedIn profile turn up more often on search engine results.  When writing your summary keep in mind that a summary of 40 words or more makes you more likely to turn up in a future employer’s search.

Customize Your Public Profile URL. Make your profile easily accessible through search engines by keeping a clean URL.  By default, LinkedIn assigns each profile a URL with a bunch of random characters in it.  We also recommend including this URL on your resume, email signature or business card.  Click HERE for step by step instructions on how to customize your LinkedIn URL.

Network.  Now is not the time to be shy.  LinkedIn makes it extremely easy to connect with colleagues, simply click on “My Network” at the top and click on “Add Contacts” and LinkedIn can send out invitations to those you correspond with through email or you can enter the email addresses of your contacts.

Be Active. -Join Social Groups on LinkedIn to join forces with other professionals in your field.  By joining industry or alumni groups, you have the ability to connect with others in your field and potentially add new contacts.

Update your Status. Just like Facebook, you can update your status, but remember to keep it professional and strategic.  Sharing company or industry news is a great way to make your profile more effective.  If any of your connections, like, comment or share your update, it is seen by all of their connections.

Social network image courtesy of Negative Space.