Best practices & tips for a great LinkedIn profile

There are many different ways to use LinkedIn and many different types of people who use it.

But if you’re serious about getting a job or getting clients on LinkedIn, you have to follow these practices.

Have a professional profile banner

The profile banner is the first thing your connections see when they view your profile. It's important to have a professional-looking banner, without being too over the top. A good way to think about it is that if you ever had it as your company's logo, it would look great as a banner. We recommend using the same image for both your profile banner and your logo on LinkedIn. This way, it will be instantly recognizable by those who are familiar with your brand.

Have a professional headshot

Professional-looking photos are important, even if you use a camera phone. A good photo should be high-quality and should not be pixelated. It is best to look professional for your industry. A flattering lighting scheme can help to make you look your best as well as the subject of the photo.

Craft Your Headline

Headline is an important part of your linkedin profile, it’s active on top of your profile page, on newsfeed posts, the “People You May Know” section, and LinkedIn job applications. Whether it’s being viewed by your business contacts or a recruiter, your LinkedIn headline is key to making a positive impression and explaining exactly what you bring to the table. So make sure not use any random quotes in your headline, instead think your headline as the way you introduce yourself to people

Update the “About” Section

Your linkedin “About” section is the most valued piece of real estate in your profile! It’s one of the first things that people notice in your profile andit’s the best opportunity to introduce “who you are”. It has a 2600 character limit which gives you a lot of freedom to talk about yourself, make sure not to leave it blank or with a small tagline. Tell your story, open up about your career, your goals, what all have you done, where are you now, what you want to do next.. And make sure to have a keyword rich About section!

Add Relevant Media to Your Profile “Featured” Section

The featured section is located between your “about” and “activity” section. It makes a huge impact on your profile. It allows you to maximize the content you’ve already shared on LinkedIn. You can add any of your linkedin posts, an article you published on linkedin, link to any resource or platform

Add Your Education History

Keep your education section professional with details that matter, the schools/colleges/universities etc. Make sure to add any extracurricular activities if you have, awards or honors you received from the school/college

Add Licenses & Certifications

Adding your certifications & licenses can show people that you are actively engaged in learning.

Add Your Skill

This is where you can tell people about what skills you have, Make sure to add relevant skills and don’t add common skills

Ask for Endorsements from Your Peers

Endorsement provides social proof about how skilled you are. Make sure to ask for endorsements from your peers, previous clients etc

Add Your Accomplishments

Talk about what you have done, what goals you have achieved?. it can be anything from a top rank in your college or the best employee award or about your successful business etc

Connect with the right people

Whom you are connecting with is a very important thing, make sure to connect with more people who are in your niche, and try to connect with people who are more experienced than you and who have achieved what you wish to achieve

Join and use LinkedIn groups

Linkedin groups are a great place to find, network and connect with more people. Make sure to post and engage with posts in your linkedin groups