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How‌ ‌to‌ ‌Make‌ ‌a‌ ‌Perfect‌ ‌LinkedIn‌ ‌Profile‌

Personal BrandingSkillsSoft SkillsHow-to

We live in a world full of opportunities. But unlike in the past, where most of them involved you picking talent, today, it’s the talent that picks you. This means if your job depends on impressing prospective clients or searching for quality candidates, you need a distinctive personal brand.

 

One of the best ways of building a strong personal brand is through LinkedIn.

 

Your LinkedIn profile allows you to manage your personal brand. It’s a professional landing page that LinkedIn members can see, and get to know who you are, your interests, and what you stand for. It’s what represents you and your brand.

 

However, contrary to most people’s thinking, a LinkedIn profile is more than a mere profile picture. You have to make the profile complete, and you’ll learn exactly how here.

 

This article will guide you on how to make a perfect LinkedIn profile.

 

Linked in Profile making Amphy

Steps to Making a Great LinkedIn Profile

To build an easily noticeable and attractive LinkedIn profile, you have to consider several basics. To make your profile stand out, follow these steps:

1. Add a Professional Profile Photo

Of course, the first thing that clients or candidates see on your profile is your picture. Therefore, you need to put your best face forward to attract more views. In fact, research shows having a quality professional photo can get you more views and a higher response rate than anything else.

 

A professional, friendly, and approachable profile picture is the way to go, and it’s the first step towards making your LinkedIn profile shine. Don’t just take a photo. Instead, have a professional photographer do it perfectly, and if possible, let your entire team feature.

 

However, if you cannot have a professional take the photo, consider the below tips:
1. Choose an up-to-date photo that looks exactly like you, such that clients or candidates can recognize you easily.

2. Ensure your face is in the center and fills about 60% of the frame. If not fitting well, consider cropping it appropriately.

3. Your facial expression tells a lot. And since you want to portray yourself as a warm and friendly person, ensure you smile with your eyes.

4. Dress appropriately. Wear what you always wear at work, and avoid the photo featuring anything you never do at work.

5. Keep the background as simple as possible. Keep away from busy backgrounds because they’ll only act as a distraction.

 

It’s worth mentioning that you can also add a background image. It helps you personalize your LinkedIn profile.

 

Girl making a LinkedIn profile

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One of the best ways of building a strong personal brand is through LinkedIn.

2. Let Your LinkedIn Profile Headline Tell Everything About You

Of course, the headline for LinkedIn profiles follows immediately after your name. While indicating your job title or position will do, it requires you to make it stand out. 

 

Re-write or twist it in such a way that it’ll have an impact, making your personality shine through. Remember, your headline is one of the most critical elements that can create a solid first impression, your profile photo aside.

 

 To make the best LinkedIn profile headline, consider the following:

 

  1. Sum up everything you do in a few words.
  2. Make your headline as eye-catching as possible. Let it be like your tagline.
  3. Let your personality and job shine through your headline.

3. Create a Great LinkedIn Profile Summary

You want people to know you and your story, and a generic summary will not show this exactly. Let your summary show the passion you have for your job and what you bring to the table. This is the best way to gain the trust of your prospective clients or candidates.

 

In addition, your summary should include your passions, goals, mission as a company or recruiter, and accomplishments. In short, it’s the perfect opportunity to tell people why you’re the best to link with. 

 

Some tips to consider here include:

 

  1. This is your personal brand; thus, all the focus should be on you.
  2. Make it a story where you share your achievements, goals, and passions.
  3. Write in the first person to make it sound personal. Avoid being too formal.
Lady working on LinkedIn Amphy

4. References Will Help Build Your Credibility

Everyone wants to work with people or companies they trust. One of the best ways to earn the trust of new clients or candidates is by showing them how good you’re at what you do. 

 

Of course, there must be people who recommend you due to the quality of your work, skills, expertise, and experience. Take advantage of these recommendations, and create a collection of the same to act as references.

 

When building references, consider:

 

  1. Ask for recommendations from your previous clients or employers. To help aid your memory, note how you assisted them in solving their challenges.
  2. Encourage your recommenders to highlight your accomplishments. It portrays you as a person aware of what they’re doing to the readers.
  3. Request them to make it personal, highlighting your unique way or style of working.
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One of the best ways of building a strong personal brand is through LinkedIn.

5. Make Your Career Page Memorable

The LinkedIn profile has a career page that offers you the perfect opportunity to create a resource where clients or candidates can get an insight into your organization’s growth opportunities, culture, and benefits. 

 

Through your career page, you can create a picture of what it’s like, to work with you or in your firm. With the help of testimonials and customized messages to interested clients or qualified candidates, this should be easy.

 

To create a memorable career page:

 

  1. Be brief and to the point, but punchy.
  2. Images will come in handy to highlight your company culture and what it’s like to work in your company or with you.
  3. Consider using interactive content. Mix photos, SlideShare presentations, and videos.

6. Make It Easy for People to Find You

You already have an exciting profile that highlights your personal brand and a career page that complements it. The last thing you need to do is make your company easily noticeable to clients and candidates. 

 

Some of the tools you can use on LinkedIn to help clients or candidates find you include LinkedIn Pipeline Builder and ads.

LinkedIn Guy watching Amphy

Takeaway

While creating a LinkedIn profile doesn’t require you to follow any specific format, these six essential steps can get you started. In fact, if you can take full advantage of all the tips, you’ll undoubtedly create one of the best LinkedIn profiles. Most importantly, create a LinkedIn profile that you’re satisfied with.
Man making LinkedIn Profile Amphy
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