It’s natural to feel unsure about a professional social media network like LinkedIn. It’s a place where people in all industries can go to build relationships with their colleagues and demonstrate their experience and expertise. It’s also a place where businesses and organizations can show off their work to prospective clients, customers, and even future employees.
The absolute last thing you want to do is to look like you don’t know what you are doing!
Here are some things to avoid when building your professional profile:
- Not understanding the difference between a LinkedIn Company Page and a LinkedIn Profile. There are two ways for you to demonstrate your expertise on LinkedIn. With a Company Page, you’ll be communicating as your business. This is similar to a Facebook Business Page, where prospective clients can learn more about your business. However, it is much more focused on informing your audience rather than building a community like you would on Facebook.
With your LinkedIn Profile, you’ll be communicating as an individual rather than a business. Here you’ll connect with clients, colleagues, and other members of your professional network.
Mixing this up is a guaranteed way to look foolish when starting out. - Not having a profile photo. This might seem like a no-brainer, but not having a photo can have a big impact on the overall appearance of your profile. Even worse is using an unprofessional profile photo! Quirky photos that might fly on Facebook are not a good choice on LinkedIn. Keep your headshot professional.
- Not completing your entire profile. Having an incomplete profile not only looks lazy, but it also doesn’t portray all of the amazing credentials and experience you have. Show them off!
- Not including a personalized message. With every invitation you send to connect, you should always include a personal message. This is the place to add that little something extra. A personalized note goes a long way because it makes your invitation feel genuine.
- Not posting appropriate content. LinkedIn is a professional social networking site. The type of content you’d post on Facebook, might not be appropriate on LinkedIn. Keep content professional and relevant.
- Not proofreading your posts. An extra comma here and a misspelled word there may not seem like a big deal, but it does make you look less professional. Keep posts as grammatically sound as possible.
- Not being selective about the connections you accept. The people you choose to connect with are a representation of who you are. Don’t accept just anyone. Make sure you know who they are and their credentials.
- Sending too many requests = poor LinkedIn etiquette. Don’t bombard people with request after request. It gets annoying. You also want to be choosey about the people you request to connect with.
- Embellishing your responsibilities and accomplishments. Plain and simple, it’s just better not to embellish. Plus, I’m sure you have plenty of experience to show off. Tell people about it all!
- Not sharing rich media (i.e. links, videos, infographics, slideshare etc.) Take advantage! It’s an engaging, fun way to attract people to your profile!
Remember that professional networking sites, such as LinkedIn, have become a valuable place to find new employees, employers or clients, reconnect and strengthen relationships with friends and former colleagues, and get career-related advice.
What do you think about our list? Did we miss anything? Share your thoughts!
