LinkedIn Profile Tips in 2021

Among social media platforms, LinkedIn is the one that is most relevant and utilized by professionals. It’s the world’s largest professional network with 740 million members in more than 200 countries worldwide. Make the most out of this professional networking platform with these LinkedIn Profile Tips for sales engineers.

No matter if you are looking to take the next steps in your job search or generate leads, your LinkedIn profile is an essential resource you can’t ignore.

What is a Great LinkedIn Profile?

When people need to look up or connect to people professionally, LinkedIn is the first place they visit. With so many members, the potential to connect with relevant professionals and potential customers is enormous. Because of this, your LinkedIn profile must stand out and present you in the best light possible.

To do this, you need to make sure you optimize your profile from top to bottom. From your job title, profile photo, headline, summary section, and more, your profile is what potential connections will see first. How it looks will affect the number of people who accept your request and engage with your profile. It could be the difference between landing your dream job or closing the next deal.

There are key areas of your LinkedIn profile that you need to pay particular attention to:

Profile Picture

The first step is to check your profile photo. Is it clear? When was it taken? A photo from 8 years ago will not work. Keep it recent. A simple picture taken with a mobile phone works as long as your face is clearly seen. LinkedIn allows you to edit your image by adding filters, cropping, and zooming as necessary.

Pro Tip: Don’t use a picture where it is obvious that you have cropped others out of the picture.

Adjust Visibility Settings

After you have uploaded a clear and up-to-date photo, another tip is to check your visibility settings. This will determine who can see your profile.

There are four options:

1. Public – anyone who searches your name online will see your profile.
2. LinkedIn Members – only members of LinkedIn can view your profile.
3. Your Network – your profile can be viewed by people who are connected to you by 3 degrees.
4. Your Connections – people connected to you directly.

If you’re trying to build your reputation and grow your network, it’s best to keep your profile public or at least open to all LinkedIn members. This will make it easier for recruiters and potential clients to find you and give you instant visibility online.

Background Image

The next step is to check your background image, which is the space on your profile’s topmost part. This is an excellent opportunity to personalize your profile and share a little more about yourself.

You can put another photo of yourself or your company’s logo to introduce yourself to someone who checks your profile. The most important thing is not to leave it gray.

The online publishing tool Canva has LinkedIn Background images already formatted to the exact size that you can easily edit.

Public Profile and Personal URL

Next, edit your public profile and URL. This is an easy way you can share your profile with anyone. LinkedIn will automatically create your URL, but you can edit it to your liking.

It’s best to keep it clean and simple, using your first and last name. It must be unique. So, if you have the same name as another member, you can add an initial or include your middle name.

Pro Tip: Add your Linked In URL to the contact information section of your resume with a clickable link.

What to Add to Your LinkedIn Page

Another step in optimizing your LinkedIn profile is to edit the information you have on it. You can choose who can see your profile photo, background photo, headline, current experience, education – basically everything you have on your page.

If you are working on establishing trust and building your personal brand, it’s best to turn on all of your profile visibility options. You want to show people that you can add value and have relevant experience in your field.

With these settings, all LinkedIn members on and off LinkedIn can view your content online. It is possible that it will show up on search engines as well.

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Headline and Job Title

One of the most critical aspects of your LinkedIn page is your headline. This appears right under your name. You should include keywords or phrases that are searchable to recruiters or potential clients.

If you are selling Cisco IT systems, it would be much more informative to put something that is both catchy and describes your current title or current position. For example, include phrases such as “Helping Companies Navigate the IT Software Industry.”

After the first ten words, you can put a vertical bar and add more information, such as what you sell specifically – “Cisco IT Systems.”

The first 5 to 10 words of the headline are the most important because this is what comes out when people see your profile.

However, LinkedIn has limited the character count to 120 characters, so choose your words wisely.

Professional Summary

The summary section is where you put your background and experience. But make it personal. You don’t want it to read like a resume. Put a few paragraphs that highlight your relevant experience in your field, including what you specialize in. Make sure to include quantifiable results.

One important thing to remember about this is to put spaces between paragraphs and use bullet points. The spaces make it easier to read, especially if someone is looking at it via a mobile phone.

Avoid long and large paragraphs and include links and contact information as well in this section.

The Grammarly extension ensures clear, mistake-free copy and text. It edits what you write even as you are writing it. This is not only useful for LinkedIn but for anything else you need to write.

Featured Section

This is where you can add videos and content, such as blog posts, that people can watch and read to learn more about you. This is a great section to establish credibility and show your experience.

Your Work Experience

Fill this section out as much as you can and as detailed as possible. Include what you’ve accomplished, your areas of focus, career highlights, and what you have worked on. You want it to showcase your experience and accomplishments.

Make sure when you are choosing employers that you choose the company LinkedIn profile with the company logo, not one with a gray box.

Skills Section and Endorsements

In the Skills and Endorsements section, choose and add your top and most relevant skills for your industry.

Feel free to endorse other people too. This will help catch their attention. They will most likely return the favor. Endorsements in your skills sections build credibility and authority.

Recommendations

This is another crucial section of your LinkedIn profile. A recommendation is just as good if not better than a traditional referral. Get as many recommendations from relevant people in your industry as you can. If you are recommended by colleagues or former clients who work in manufacturing or the plastics industry, this helps them trust you more.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to your connections on LinkedIn and ask for a recommendation.

Use LinkedIn to Boost Your Career and Sales Potential

With so many professionals on LinkedIn, spend some time and effort making sure that your profile is optimized. It will most likely be the first impression people will get of you. And you know how the old saying goes, “You never get a second chance at a first impression.”

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