10 LinkedIn Best Practices

MEMORANDUM

 

 

 

To:           ENGL 301 Writing Team Members

From:      Diane Keyes, ENGL 301 Student   (DK)

Date:       October 21, 2019

Subject:  Ten Best Practices for LinkedIn Profiles

 

 

As directed by Assignment 2.2 for our ENGL 301 course, the following list outlines ten best practices concerning the creation of a strong LinkedIn profile and its use for professional networking. These points are useful to consider when building a LinkedIn profile for Assignment 2.3.

1. Crafting a personalized message when sending connection requests builds stronger professional connections and initiates conversation.
2. Asking for recommendations from those familiar with your work and character builds a more robust profile and communicates your accomplishments to recruiters. To request a recommendation, send an email outlining the skills you wish highlighted and seeking permission to request an official recommendation via LinkedIn.
3. Include ‘two or three’ bullet points per job description to ensure brevity unless there is very little job experience, in which case five to six bullet points is appropriate (“7 Ways to Take Your LinkedIn Profile from Good to Great”).
4. Joining groups increases your profile views by 425% (Frost). It is recommended to join groups that individuals who are in positions or companies of interest are part of.
5. Following companies of interest ensures staying up to date on job vacancies.
6. Having a profile picture creates a seven-fold increase in the chances of a profile being viewed. A photo of ‘1400 x 425 pixels’ is recommended (“How to Effectively Use LinkedIn”).
7. Headlines should communicate your current position, interest, or aspiring work and position while also conveying an element of personality.
8. A strong summary is crucial as it is often the first thing viewers read when visiting a profile. Summaries convey who you are, the gifts you offer, and your personality. As the first 300 characters of a summary appears when individuals visit a profile, hook readers’ attention with something unique like a personal story or include the most important elements you wish for potential employers or collaborators to know about you. As words used in summaries appear in recruiter’s searches, include relevant ‘job titles, skills, and other keywords’ to increase the number of times your profile appears in searches (Shields, “How to Write a LinkedIn Summary”).
9. Adjusting job titles to match the most commonly used version of that title in the industry increases the chances of employers finding your profile in a search. For example, change a job title from ‘content creator’ to ‘content writer’ as ‘writer’ is more frequently used in the field (Shields, “What are Resume Keywords?”).
10. Keeping your location and industry in your headline up to date increases the chances of being identified by those in your present geographical location and field (Kim).

 

 

These suggestions will assist in the initial developments of a compelling LinkedIn profile which will prepare users more effectively use this platform for professional networking. Following these tips will increase the chances of a profile being viewed and lead users to more relevant connections including keeping up to date with job opportunities in fields and companies of interest. The websites listed in the works cited below can be consulted for further tips on crafting a strong profile.

 

 

Thank you.

 

 

Works Cited

Frost, Aja. “How I Got 425% More Page Views on LinkedIn—And You Can, Too.” TheMuse, n.d., https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-i-got-425-more-page-views-on-linkedinand-you-can-too. Accessed 18 October 2019.

 

“How to Effectively Use LinkedIn.” UBC Student Services, n.d., https://students.ubc.ca/career/career-resources/effectively-use-linkedin. Accessed 17 October 2019.

 

Kim, Larry. “22 Great Tips for Enhancing Your LinkedIn Profile.” Medium, 20 February 2018, https://medium.com/marketing-and-entrepreneurship/22-great-tips-for-enhancing-your-linkedin-profile-c72e5b2a8cbc. Accessed 19 October 2019.

 

Newsweek staff. “7 Ways to Take Your Linkedin Profile from Good to Great.” Newsweek, 31 May 2015, https://www.newsweek.com/career/7-ways-take-your-linkedin-profile-good-great. Accessed 18 October 2019.

 

Shields, Jon. “How to Write a LinkedIn Summary (About Section): Examples and Tips.” Jobscan Blog, 26 September 2018, https://www.jobscan.co/blog/linkedin-summary-examples/. Accessed 19 October 2019.

 

Shields, Jon. “What are Resume Keywords?” Jobscan Blog, 3 January 2018, https://www.jobscan.co/blog/top-resume-keywords-boost-resume/. Accessed 19 October 2019.