6 Top Tips To Create A Winning LinkedIn Profile

First things first…

We didn’t create this article to convince you that you NEED a LinkedIn profile to help your career aspirations.

Hopefully, by now, you are at that point.

But, to reiterate, a LinkedIn profile is VITAL for your career.

It can help you connect with other professionals in your industry, find new job opportunities, and showcase your skills and accomplishments to potential employers and clients.

By building a strong LinkedIn profile, you can establish yourself as a thought leader and demonstrate your professional expertise to a broader audience.

It can also be a valuable resource for finding and applying for jobs, as many companies use LinkedIn to advertise open positions and search for qualified candidates.

A LinkedIn profile is invaluable for advancing your career and building your professional network, but you should use it in addition to creating a strong CV and cover letter when applying for jobs.

Let’s get to it…

Here’s an overview of the top 6 tips to help you create a winning LinkedIn profile:

1. Use a professional profile picture
2. Write a compelling summary
3. Add media
4. Customise your URL
5. Use keywords
6. Keep your profile up to date

Are you looking for a new career? Check out these 21 best tools that will get you hired.

1. Use a professional profile picture

People will first see your profile picture when they visit your profile, so make sure to use a high-quality, professional-looking image.

A profile picture on LinkedIn matters because it helps people to quickly and easily identify you and makes your profile more visually appealing. A good profile picture can make you memorable and help establish your brand.

Here’s a perfect example:

Additionally, research has shown that profiles with a profile picture are more likely to be viewed and receive more engagement than those without a photo.

Having a professional-looking profile picture is particularly important on LinkedIn because it is a professional networking platform. A profile picture that is unprofessional, blurry, or otherwise of poor quality can give the impression that you need to be more serious about your career or take the platform seriously.

On the other hand, a well-chosen, high-quality profile picture can help you to stand out and make a positive first impression on potential connections, clients, and employers.

2. Write a compelling summary

The summary section of your LinkedIn profile is an excellent opportunity to introduce yourself and highlight your skills and experience.

Use this space to write a compelling, informative summary that tells your career story and showcases your unique strengths.

It is the first thing many people will read when they visit your profile, so it’s essential to make a good impression.

Your summary should be concise and to the point and give an overview of your professional background and expertise. Write the summary clearly and engagingly, highlighting the value you can bring to potential connections, clients, or employers.

A strong summary can help you stand out on LinkedIn and make you more attractive to potential opportunities.

It can also help you build credibility and establish your brand on the platform.

We can see the clarity in this profile summary example:

It works well because it lists, in a bulleted format, all the key points the candidate wants to get across to employers.

Basically…

A summary is an essential part of your LinkedIn profile and can help you to make the most of the platform.

I’ve said summary too many times now… ugh.

3. Add media

LinkedIn allows you to add media to your profile, such as videos, images, and presentations. Adding media can make your profile more engaging and visually appealing.

It can also showcase your skills and achievements more interactively and dynamically.

There are several types of media that you can add to your LinkedIn profile, including:

• Articles and posts that you have written
• Videos that you have created
• Presentations and slide decks
• Images and graphics that you have designed
• Audio recordings, such as podcasts

Adding media to your LinkedIn profile can give others a better sense of your expertise and interests and provide more context and examples of your work.

It can also make your profile memorable and encourage others to connect with you or learn more about you.

Adding media to your LinkedIn profile can be a valuable way to enhance your brand and showcase your skills and achievements to a broader audience.

4. Customise your URL

LinkedIn provides a default URL for your profile, but you can customise it to make it more personalised and easier to share.

By default, LinkedIn assigns a long and complex URL to your profile that includes a string of numbers. This URL can be difficult to remember and share, especially if you want it on your CV or other professional materials.

You can create a shorter and more memorable URL specific to your name by customising your URL.

For example…

Instead of a URL like “linkedin.com/in/1234567890”, you could have a URL like “linkedin.com/in/yourname”, making it easier for people to find and access your profile and make it more professional and credible.

Customising your URL on LinkedIn is a quick and easy process, and it can be a valuable way to make your profile more visible and accessible to others.

To customise your URL on LinkedIn, follow these steps:

1. Go to your LinkedIn profile and click on the “Edit public profile & URL” option in the right column.
2. Scroll down to the “Public Profile URL” section and click on the “Edit” button.
3. In the “Edit your custom URL” field, enter the URL you want to use for your profile. This should be your name or a variation of your name that is easy to remember and spell.
4. Click the “Save” button to apply your new URL.
5. Remember that you can only customise your URL once, so choose a URL that reflects your brand that you are happy with. It’s also a good idea to keep your URL professional and appropriate, as it will be visible to anyone who views your profile.

LinkedIn will suggest available alternative options if the URL you want is in use. You can choose one of these options or try a different variation of your name, the worlds your oyster.

5. Use keywords

Adding relevant keywords in your profile can help you rank higher in search results and make it easier for others to find you.

Using keywords on LinkedIn is important because it can help improve your profile's visibility and searchability.

LinkedIn has a search engine that allows users to search for profiles based on keywords and other criteria.

Including relevant keywords in your profile can increase the chances of your profile appearing in search results for those keywords.

Adding keywords to your LinkedIn profile can also help improve your profile's relevance and clarity, as it can help convey your skills, experience, and expertise.

Making it easier for potential connections, clients, and employers to understand what you offer can help make you more attractive as a candidate or collaborator.

Check here; this candidate uses their summary section to add keywords under a ‘specialities’ header they have created:

To effectively use keywords in your LinkedIn profile, you should identify the words and phrases that are most relevant to your industry, skills, and experience.

You can include these keywords in your profile's headline, summary, job titles, and other sections.

However, it’s essential to use keywords naturally and not stuff your profile with too many keywords, as this can make your profile appear spammy and decrease its effectiveness.

6. Keep your profile up to date

Make sure to regularly update your profile with new information and experiences, helping keep your profile current and accurately reflect your career progression.

An up-to-date profile can help to ensure that your profile accurately reflects your current skills, experience, and achievements. It’s valuable for potential connections, clients, and employers, giving them a more accurate and current picture of your professional background and expertise.

Also, an up-to-date profile can help improve your profile's visibility and searchability. LinkedIn’s search engine allows users to search for profiles based on keywords and other criteria, as we now know.

Keeping your profile up to date can increase the chances of your profile appearing in search results and being discovered by potential opportunities.

An up-to-date profile can help you to stay engaged and active on LinkedIn, which can be beneficial for building and maintaining your professional network.

By regularly updating your profile and engaging with others on the platform, you can keep your profile visible and relevant and stay connected to the latest developments in your industry.

And that's it… 6 top tips for you to go ahead and create a winning LinkedIn profile.

In conclusion, a LinkedIn profile is a great way to grow your professional network and image. It’s a vital tool to use alongside creating a CV with all the essential elements you need in a CV.

LinkedIn can also be used for a new employer to send you a job offer. In fact, we describe here how to accept a job offer with 7 free templates.