This post is different than the ones I typically write but I feel strongly that anyone with a job or a network of contacts could benefit from it.  I can’t think of anyone who shouldn’t have a LinkedIn profile.  Once you have a LinkedIn profile, you don’t need to be an expert to look like you know what you’re doing and here are some basic tips to keep in mind.

5 Things About your LinkedIn Profile that Make you Look Like an Amateur

1. No/very few connections: Everyone’s got a rolodex of contacts, so why not connect with those contacts on LinkedIn? Beyond making it super simple to have all your contacts in one place, having your contacts in LinkedIn ensures three things: 1) you have those folks’ current contact information 2) you have access to your contacts’ connections 3) you can be found by those contacts and their connections.  You can easily import your contacts from hotmail.com, gmail.com, yahoo.com, aol.com, Outlook, Apple Mail and other sites by accessing the “Add Connections” section of your profile.
2. No job details:  Got a resume?  It takes about 15 minutes to add some details about what you’re doing and what you’ve done to your profile.  Some benefits of adding such details are: a) potential clients interested in your product will be able to find you b) you might find some consulting gigs from folks who are looking for your type of expertise c) you might reconnect with former colleagues whose services you could need.
3. No profile photo: I get it, some people might fear age prejudice or are simply fearful of online privacy issues.  In general, folks just don’t take the minute it takes to upload a current photo.  LinkedIn forges online relationships, but wouldn’t you like to put a face to the posts or emails you exchange with contacts?
4. No personalized URL: How basic is it to change the gibberish URL automatically provided by LinkedIn to a personalized, easy to remember URL?  First, it’s just good SEO, second, the personalized URL is easy to share and add to your email signature, business card or blog (got one of those, right?).
5. No sharing: LinkedIn is a “networking” site so…network!  You don’t have to become a power-sharer overnight, but you could share some pertinent industry news, a job posting that’s come your way that contacts in-between successes might benefit from or trips you’re making that could result in out-of-town meetings.  On  the other hand, over-sharing can cause your contacts to not pay attention to important things you want to convey, so think twice about linking your Twitter feed to your LinkedIn profile.  Twitter’s somewhat informal and you might post things there that are not relevant to business networking on LinkedIn.

To whatever extent you want to use the power of LinkedIn is up to you, but know that spending a few minutes to action the above items could mean new clients, incremental business and career opportunities.  Do you have other simple tips that you feel would benefit any LinkedIn users? Share them!

Cheers,

Veronique

www.linkedin.com/in/veroniquedeblois