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Tips for setting up you LinkedIn account
If you’re a business owner, or work for a business, or if you’re a job seeker, or are seeking someone to fill a job, then LinkedIn is a valuable tool for you. In other words, LinkedIn is for anyone looking to create a professional social media presence with the emphasis on “professional.”
From its inception, LinkedIn was strategically set up for business use. You’ll see this from the minute you go into the program and start to create your profile. But before you do, let’s talk about some of the ways to set up the right – meaning professional – image for your LinkedIn profile.
Build a strong profile
When you set up your profile you’ll see that the information is business related. There’s also a scale in the profile editing page that shows your “profile completeness” percentage. As you add more information under the Edit My Profile section, you’ll see the percentage increase. Your goal is to get 100% complete.
This isn’t a difficult percentage to achieve. And there’s no need to talk about your personal information (e.g. relationship status or birth date). But there are some key things you need to fill in.
• Jobs – present and past
• Education
• Links to your: Website, Blog, Twitter account
• Referrals also move your profile completeness scale up. So, as you build your contact group, offer to give referrals to your contacts and ask for referrals. Ideally, these would be from people who know you well – former employers, working colleagues, members of a board you sat on, or other work- or volunteer-related associates.
In my next blog I’ll talk more about LinkedIn and growing your connections. Have any questions? Please post them here. Thanks!
