LinkedIn is one of the most popular social media platforms for professional networking. You want your profile to be easy-to-search and have the right positioning so you can connect to the right people.
However, professionals can make a few mistakes that make them look bad or unprofessional. Here are a few of those mistakes that you must avoid:
1. Your LinkedIn profile only highlights your achievements and professional journey.
When other people browse your profile, they scan to find out how you can help them. Your resume becomes relevant afterward.
Stating clearly in precise terms what you bring to the table helps your connections understand your skillset and offerings faster. This clear communication makes it easier for potentially beneficial connections to approach you.
2. You do not have a professional headshot as your profile picture.
Having a casual picture and not a professional headshot lowers the value of your entire profile. A clear, simple headshot taken in front of a clean background helps create a professional first impression.
3. Your headline and summary are not interesting.
While you do not need to write a creative professional summary, it pays to present your information interestingly with the right keywords.
People create an impression of you in the first two sentences they read in the profile. Having an attention-grabbing headline is a must.
4. You use unnecessary symbols or acronyms in your profile name field.
Many LinkedIn users insert symbols, acronyms, or even company names in their profile names in their quest to stand out from the crowd. These variations may violate LinkedIn’s terms of service and also make you harder to find.
Do not use acronyms or other name variations unless they are going to make it easier for people to find you. Suffixes like Dr. or nicknames might help your profile, so they are fine. Others will only make you look unprofessional and reduce your credibility.
5. You are inactive on LinkedIn for long periods.
The more active you are, the more are your chances of engaging with your connections and growing your network.
Sharing a status update once a day, publishing articles, and sharing relevant posts in your feed helps your connections see how active you are and keeps you fresh in their minds.
Avoid sharing too much personal information and irrelevant information or people will start skipping your posts or simply ‘unfollow’ your posts and updates.
6. You do not personalize your connection requests.
It is very easy to send connection requests on LinkedIn. While the generic ones are fine, it pays to personalize your request and remind your potential connection how you know them.
A personalized approach creates a network of quality connections.
