Memo – LinkedIn Profile Best Practices

MEMORANDUM

 
To:           Team Typephoon 
From:      Joyce Wu
Date:       October 21, 2019
Subject:  Memo – LinkedIn Profile Best Practices 
 

Hi team, 

As part of the assignment for Lesson 2.2, I have researched online for a list of best practices for using LinkedIn as a professional networking site. LinkedIn is a platform for employment-oriented social networking services. Employers use LinkedIn to promote business and recruit workers. Job seekers use LinkedIn to showcase their skills and professional experiences. LinkedIn allows users to connect with people or companies they know. Users are also able to share articles via LinkedIn. I have gathered ten best practices for building a LinkedIn profile.  

1. A summary with great substance and style – the summary is a quick way to let your readers know who you are. A story that highlights your passion, experience and accomplishments will make you memorable. 
2. A descriptive or catchy headline – instead of defaulting to your job title and company, a creative headline that shows your personality will make you stand out from the crowd. 
3. A professional and friendly profile picture – an up-to-date quality headshot with natural sunlight and a neutral background. You will want to appear approachable and confident in the picture. No selfie. 
4. A simple background image – an aesthetic presentation by using a simple image that does not visually compete with your profile photo can grab readers’ attention.  
5. Request and collect recommendations – recommendations from prior jobs, colleagues, and customers are proof of your skills and experience. You can build your credibility with recommendations from professional connections.   
6. Include up-to-date email and other social links – recruiters and connections will refer to the contact information displayed in your profile to reach you. 
7. Choose the right skills – even though you can choose up to 50 skills in the skills section, try to focus on skills that are related to your field and types of jobs you are seeking. 
8. Align your LinkedIn profile information to your resume – hiring managers may question the credibility of the resume and LinkedIn profile if there is a discrepancy.
9. Engage with other users – as a networking tool, LinkedIn allows users to like and comment on other users’ status updates. The engagement online may lead to offline connection. 
10. Share useful articles related to your profession – act as a professional resource to others in your field can help you build a reputation. 

To sum up, LinkedIn not only serves as a platform for professionals and companies to advertise themselves, it also serves as a venue for professionals and companies to reach out to those in similar fields.  I hope you find these best practices useful. I do not have a LinkedIn account, so I will try to follow these tips to create mine.

Sources:

Callahan, Sean. “Our Best LinkedIn Profile Photo Tips for Salespeople.” LinkedIn Sales Blog, LinkedIn, 28 Dec. 2018, https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/blog/best-practices–linkedin-profile/2018/picture-perfect–make-a-great-first-impression-with-your-linkedi. 

George, Amy. “Ring in 2019 With an Elevated LinkedIn Profile in 5 Easy Steps.” Inc.com, Inc., 18 Dec. 2018, https://www.inc.com/amy-george/elevate-your-2019-linkedin-profile-in-10-easy-steps.html. 

Rangel, Lisa. “25 Best LinkedIn Profile Tips and Tricks for 2019.” Clark Howard, 19 Dec. 2018, https://clark.com/employment-military/linkedin-profile-tips-get-job/. 

Reilly, Kate. “10 LinkedIn Profile Summaries That We Love (And How to Boost Your Own).” LinkedIn Talent Blog, LinkedIn, 16 July 2019, https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/linkedin-best-practices/2016/7-linkedin-profile-summaries-that-we-love-and-how-to-boost-your-own.