How to Build an Engaging LinkedIn Profile: The Ultimate Guide to Networking Success
Did you know….
As of 2024, there are roughly 1 billion LinkedIn members across more than 200 countries. This makes LinkedIn, if you didn’t already guess, the largest professional networking platform. (Is there even a second biggest)
I will give you those numbers to show you how many potential connections are waiting for you on the platform.
Do you want to know the best way to connect with as many relevant people as possible? By having the most optimized and engaging LinkedIn profile you can possibly have.
If the eyes are the “windows to the soul” as the old saying goes, your LinkedIn profile is the window to life-changing opportunities. As cheesy as that phrase probably sounded, it really can be true.
I don’t want to waste your time with anymore Disney-like catchphrases, so let’s get right into the good stuff.
What You’ll Learn from This Article
· Why having an optimized and engaging LinkedIn profile is important
· How to create an engaging and optimized LinkedIn profile
· Frequently asked questions about LinkedIn profiles
Why An Engaging LinkedIn Profile Is Important
· First Impressions Matter: An optimized profile is your digital first impression, showcasing your professionalism and expertise.
· Increased Visibility: Engaging profiles rank higher in LinkedIn searches, making it easier for recruiters and connections to find you.
· Stronger Networking: A compelling profile encourages meaningful connections by clearly communicating your skills and value.
· Trust and Credibility: A polished profile, complete with recommendations and achievements, builds trust with potential employers and clients.
· Opportunities on Autopilot: Recruiters and collaborators are more likely to reach out when your profile demonstrates a clear and engaging narrative.
Now that we understand why it’s important to have a LinkedIn profile that’s optimized and engaging, let’s dive into how to create one.
How to Build an Engaging and Optimized LinkedIn Profile
*A note before we start; it would be wise to build your LinkedIn profile all at once so if you appear in searches, potential connections have a good idea of who you are. Try not to drag it out and do it piece by piece over days and weeks.
Step 1: Add a Professional Profile Picture and Background
Before you get involved in any of the content on your profile, make sure you have a professional looking profile picture.
It should go without saying why you need to have a picture, but I’ll tell you about what recently happened to me on LinkedIn to illustrate the importance of a picture.
I received a LinkedIn InMail message from a 3rd connection recently. The message was shockingly pretty well written and when I clicked on his name to check out his profile, it almost seemed legitimate. I say almost, because he had no picture, and his profile was pretty bare for someone with the experience he claimed he had.
Not having a picture threw up a huge red flag, and while this guy could have potentially been a real person with good intentions, my scam senses went off because I couldn’t see his face.
This could happen to you if you don’t have a picture, so put one up as your first order of business.
What should your picture look like? Here are a few tips:
1. You should be the only one in the picture.
2. You should be dressed for the job you want to get. A suit isn’t always required depending on your career path or potential career path.
3. Look happy.
A note on your background banner:
-This isn’t as important as your profile picture, so if you don’t have one it’s not going to ruin your profile, but it is a nice to have.
- It can be something saying your company name, your alma mater or something expressing your professional personality.
Step 2: Create an Attention Grabbing Headline
If you aren’t a creative person, don’t worry there are resources for you to help you come up with catchy headline. It’s key to have something good here because it’s really a person’s first introduction to your profile after seeing your picture.
If you are creative, it’s easy to get carried away and fall into the cheesy or over-the-top category, so let’s try to not do that either.
Before we get into the tips, here are some examples of too boring and then too over-the-top:
BORING:
Accountant at Boring Accounting Company
TOO MUCH:
Rockstar Accountant and Numbers Wizard that can balance a balance sheet like a tightrope walker at a three-ring-circus.
I’m not sure which one of those is worse. You really want to try and be creative without making people cringe and look away from your profile.
Here are a few tips on your headline:
1. Let them know how you can provide value to them.
2. Give an example of how you provide value to others
3. Be clear and concise.
Let’s go back to our accountant headline and try and make it something a person would actually want to click on.
Reliable and trusted accountant who has successfully provided tax documents to 2,000 customers before Tax Day.
Not perfect, but something that will make people interested.
With a flashy and professional profile picture and a head-turning headline, you’re ready to move on to the summary.
Step #3: Put it All into Your Summary
Let me tell you a secret…
If done right, your summary can bring all the recruiters and hiring managers to the yard. That was supposed to sound like milkshake brings all the boys to the yard when reading it, but I’m not sure if it worked, or why that was in my head, but anyway…
Your summary is the space where you should be spilling everything about your background, experiences, etc. into the LinkedIn universe.
Why?
Remember how I kept saying the word “Optimized” profile. This is the first part where that optimization can pay off. Your summary is where you should be mentioning all of the words and terms associated with the career you’re looking for.
Let me paint a quick picture for you:
Jim Smith, the Hiring Manager at FKPMG LLC, is looking for a Project Manager to lead his team. He searches the term “Project Manager in Pharmaceutical Industry in the LinkedIn search bar. Luckily, you’ve mentioned that term in your profile numerous times, including in your summary section.
You are the first person that pops up after the search loads, and he checks out your now engaging profile and you now are the Project Manager at FKPMG.
Now that I’ve convinced you of the importance of the summary section, here are a few tips on how to make I top-notch:
1. Make this section as long as you can, incorporating important search terms organically throughout the summary.
2. If you aren’t great at writing, here’s where you can get help from everyone’s friend ChatGPT.
3. Be sure to at least make the first few sentences interesting as people will probably read up until the “See More” button.
4. The more you get people to click on the “See More” button, the more it will tell the LinkedIn algorithm people are interested in you, so keep that in mind.
Step 4: Fill Out the Experience Section with All of Your Experience
I’ll be honest here, this part can feel tedious, especially if you have a lot of work history.
For me, I’ve had a number of jobs since I graduated from college and I’ve put every single one of them, which took a lot of time to do, and takes some time when I want to update, but it’s beneficial for one amin reason:
When you search for people or companies, other people who’ve worked at the places you’ve worked at usually come up at the top of the search. For example:
If you worked at Morgan Stanley 15 years ago and are now searching for jobs at BlackRock, LinkedIn will highlight people at BlackRock who also worked at Morgan Stanley because you’re automatically a 2nd-degree connection.
Now, here are a few tips on how to build your experience section the right way:
1. Include the most important bullets from your resume for each job you add. Keep it to around 3 to 5 bullets.
2. Make each bullet show your value and be action driven.
3. Include skills for each job. Add as many as you can because this is another part that is search optimized.
Step 5: Don’t Forget Your Education
I’m going to keep this step short because this section doesn’t take long to fill out, but it’s important to include all of your education for the same reason it’s important to include all of your experience: For the search.
One tip here:
1. Unless you just graduated college or didn’t go to college, your High School isn’t really relevant, so you don’t need to include it. Not many people are including their high school, so it won’t be of much value…not even for search purposes.
Step 6: Include Recommendations if You Can
You may be thinking, I’m not a freelancer or a small business owner, why do I need recommendations?
It’s a great question and I’ll give you a great answer:
Recommendations are a great addition to anyone’s profile.
If you have a manager that loves you, or an employee or loved working for you, ask them for a recommendation. It adds legitimacy to your profile and after all, we read recommendations before we buy something on Amazon, so having recommendations a hiring manager can reference is the cherry on top of the pie.
Tips on asking for recommendations:
1. Don’t let time pass too far before you ask for a recommendation. The fresher the better.
2. Only include recommendations that tell the story you want to talk about yourself.
3. Offer to give a recommendation in return for someone giving you to you.
With all of these sections on your LinkedIn profile filled out to the best of your ability, you are just about there. Let’s go for one last step.
Step 7: Add As Many Skills as Possible
Your fingers should be hurting after you finish this section. You should be sure to add every skill under the sun that you have.
Why?
Not only is it LinkedIn search optimized, but it also will appear on the “Jobs” tab when you apply for jobs.
If you don’t have at least 50 skills in the skills section, you are selling yourself short.
That’s all that needs to be said for this section.
I will also mention that you can include “Volunteer Experience” and “Certifications” if you have them, but this isn’t a make or break part of your profile, which is why they didn’t get their own steps.
You should now have a completely optimized and engaging profile, which you hopefully did in a day or two and should be ready to network on LinkedIn. Before you do that though, let’s look at a few frequently asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions About LinkedIn Profiles
Q: Does LinkedIn show who viewed your profile?
A: Yes, LinkedIn shows who viewed your profile if they haven’t turned on private mode. You can see this in the “Who viewed your profile” section on your dashboard.
Q: What are the steps of how to share LinkedIn profile?
A: Here are the steps:
1. Go to your profile by clicking on your photo in the top-right corner.
2. Click “More” (near your profile picture).
3. Select “Copy link to profile.”
4. Share the link via email, messages, or social media.
Q: What are the steps of how to add resume to LinkedIn profile?
A: Here are the steps:
1. Click “Me” at the top and select “View Profile.”
2. Click the pencil icon next to your profile picture.
3. Scroll down to the “Featured” section and click “+ Add”.
4. Choose “Media” and upload your resume file (PDF or Word).
5. Save your changes.
More Resources and Help with LinkedIn
You’ve optimized your profile and made it engaging, so now what?
You should be ready to network, so you can check out the Do’s and Don’ts of Networking on LinkedIn and LinkedIn Networking for Beginners.
If you need more personalized help with LinkedIn or guidance with your career in general, click here to book a discovery call with our Career Strategists and Coaches at Your Career Strategy.
Good luck!