5 Ways to Maximize Your LinkedIn Profile

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Most professionals are using LinkedIn as their professional and permanent resume

today, but most are not taking advantage of some very simple ways to maximize their

exposure in LinkedIn.

Here are 5 simple steps you can take to modify your LinkedIn profile for maximum

impact:

1. Add a picture

Having a picture in your profile is a simple way to let people visualize you or

remember you, and it adds a personal touch to the profile.

2. Update your status

You should frequently update your status so people who visit your profile can see

what you’re up to. The status update also appears in the Network Updates stream

for your contacts.

3. Get recommended

I always like to see profiles with recommendations and generally read them as it

gives me a broader and more complete picture of a person. Profiles with

recommendations show that you have current or former colleagues that care enough

about you to take the time to add a profile. Go to the Recommendations tab on your

profile to request recommendations from your connections+and remember that you

should likely reply in kind with a recommendation too.

4. Update websites

LinkedIn lets you add up to 3 links to your profile. Many people add their company

website and/or blog. The trick is to select the Other option because this lets you

label your link instead of using the default name provided by LinkedIn. You can get

more visibility for your website by customizing with your name instead of the default

“My Website”.

5. Get your name in your public profile

LinkedIn will provide you with a generic public profile link, but I recommend that you

chose one that has your name in it. This makes it easier to provide your LinkedIn

profile to others as it adds a personal touch to the link.

5 Ways to Maximize Your LinkedIn Profile

Best of Posts from Tom Humbarger’s Social Media Musings Blog Page 2 of 2

http://tomhumbarger.wordpress.com

These 5 simple steps will go a long way to update your LinkedIn profile. I have

copied my profile below so you can visualize the changes.

Picture updated on 11/12 with new screenshot from LinkedIn

This post was originally posted to Tom Humbarger’s Social Media Musings blog on July 30, 2008.