5 Easy ways you can improve your LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn’s Darain Faraz gives his top tips for making your profile work harder for you in 2017...

Whether you’re looking to change jobs, move into a new industry or win a promotion in your current role, there’s a few things you might want to consider…

1. Reflect and reassess Think about what you’ve achieved, where you’re headed and look back over your LinkedIn profile. To start with, make sure it’s complete and up-to-date, includes a good headline and summary and has an appropriately professional image (perhaps save ‘those’ Christmas party ones for other social networks!) Hot tip: LinkedIn profiles are eleven times more likely to be viewed if they have a photo.

2. If you achieved it, own it… A LinkedIn survey found that 1 in 3 women shy away from talking about their achievements, and more than half revealed that they’ve missed out on promotions as a result. Make sure you’re shouting about your important achievements on LinkedIn and include all your skills on your profile. Remember, you’ve only got 5-10 seconds to impress. Hot tip: You can now add media to your profile so it looks more like a portfolio. Give it a go, a few clicks and you’ll have a great looking profile that will stand out from the crowd.

3. …but don’t overdo it Your profile should give prospective employers, clients and other connections an accurate snapshot of your ‘professional brand’ so lead with your best achievements, keep things snappy and try not to exaggerate. Hot tip: Unless it’s appropriate to your industry, you should avoid speaking in the third person.

4. Set realistic goals By the 31st January, our resolutions have often fallen by the wayside. Why not make yours a bit more achievable this year? It just takes 9 minutes a day developing your network on LinkedIn to make a real difference. Or, how about resolving to connect with one new business contact on LinkedIn every day? Remember, you’ll already have a wealth of connections to draw on in your friends, family, ex-colleagues and acquaintances. Hot tip: A network of only 50 connections can have a great impact on your career; this is when you begin feeling the ‘network effect’.

5. Get involved Most importantly, don’t let your profile do all the talking for you. Once you’ve given it a good polish, it’s time to interact. Join groups and give your opinion on things you find interesting, such as news or articles. Hot tip: A few simple ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ will quickly show your connections the things that matter to you.

Got your profile sorted? Here are 10 ways you can use LinkedIn to nab your dream job.