Whether you’re a business owner, a recruiter, or a job seeker, LinkedIn is the best networking tool to help you achieve your professional goals. It is a platform where industries’ top recruiters and businesses are looking for skilled people like you. You would not like to let these recruiters see your LinkedIn profile languished with old and outdated information.
Right? Well, I don’t think anyone would intentionally make such a blunder mistake.
So, just take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to log into LinkedIn and go through your profile to find answers to the– Does my profile describes me and my achievements?
If it does, you can close this tab and return to the previous page. But if your profile still doesn’t describe you, you need to keep reading this article and make changes to your profile in another browser tab.
In a few minutes, you can refurbish your profile by changing things around with the latest stuff and getting rid of outdated information that is no longer relevant to what you’re today.
Here are seven things you need to update on your LinkedIn profile that ensure that the profile is accurate and up-to-date with the latest information.
1. Update your profile photo
The profile photo is the first thing that catches the attention of your profile visitors, so it is essential to make sure that it is your recent photo and can make an excellent first impression.
To create a perfect profile photo, consider these points –
- You should be front and center in the photo.
- The photo should be current and clear.
- The background should be plain, with minimal distractions.
2. Update the background photo
The background photo is the long horizontal picture beneath your profile picture that catches the attention of your visitors. So use it to your advantage and add a photo that defines your professional life or something you believe in.
3. Update your headline
The headline is one of the few sections of your LinkedIn profile that a user sees on LinkedIn search results which makes it is the most crucial section of your profile.
The headline tells a visitor who you are and what you do professionally. So craft a perfect headline, like a one-line introduction that says what you do and how you want to be known.
4. Update the About section
The About section on your LinkedIn Profile is the best opportunity to share your story as a working person and to tell others how you want to be seen professionally. So update it wisely and ensure that it fulfills the following best practices –
- It should be written in 1st person.
- It should tell where you’ve been and where you hope to go.
- It should tell your most significant achievements that you’re proud to share.
Just make sure you don’t lie and exaggerate yourself because, in the professional community, such things make you appear untrustworthy, which is never good for the business & career. So be true to yourself and others about yourself in your About section.
5. Update featured content
The Featured section is an area on your LinkedIn profile where you can showcase work samples that you’re most proud of. You can feature your LinkedIn posts that went viral or loved by your audience, articles that you’ve published on LinkedIn or other websites, and rich media content like images, documents, and presentations.
If you’re a student, you can use this section to highlight your college projects and portfolio of your previous works so that whenever a recruiter land on your profile, they can see your best works. The Featured section is where you never want to showcase something outdated or doesn’t align with your current profession, so keep it updated with anything you recently accomplished and want to show to the world.
6. Update Experience, Skills & Accomplishments
Since you last updated your profile, I hope you’ve earned more experience and skills. So it’s time to show off those hard-earned experiences and skills in your profile under the respective sections in your profile.
Also, add successful achievements you made in your industry. LinkedIn offers you to add accomplishments in nine different fields. These are –
- Certification
- Course
- Honor and Award
- Language
- Patent
- Project
- Publication
- Test score
- Organization
Evaluate the accomplishments you made in the meantime and add to the respective fields. Once again, I remind you, don’t lie!
7. Ask for endorsements and recommendations
Now, it’s your turn to reach out to people you’ve worked with earlier and ask them to endorse your skills on your profile.
And for the recommendations, ask the high-profile professionals from your network to provide you with a recommendation. Reach your clients, customers, and the organizations where you volunteered and request them for the recommendation on your profile.
Recommendations let people know what others think of you, whereas endorsements let them know how practical your skills are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most common questions I have been asked repeatedly whenever I suggest someone to update their LinkedIn profile.
-
When to update my LinkedIn Profile?
Updating the LinkedIn profile depends on which section you want to update and why? For instance, if you want to update your About section, add new skills, awards, and others, you can update it any time you want.
However, if you want to add your new job, you may want to take some time before updating it. I recommend waiting at least till your probation period or training period ends because by then, you will know if the job is right for you or not.
So, before you formally announce your new job, make sure you want to continue with it.
-
Is it good to update LinkedIn profile?
It is good practice to revisit your LinkedIn profile and update it with new experiences, skills, and other accomplishments. By doing this, you will boost the visibility of your profile for added new skills, responsibilities, and other keywords you might add, which also means better career opportunities.
-
Should I update my LinkedIn if unemployed?
Once you are unemployed, you want a new job. So, it is probably the best idea to update your LinkedIn profile asap. You can start by putting an end date to the last job and add job preferences to show recruiters you are open to work.
-
Is it good to put a career break on LinkedIn?
Yes, I think you should put career breaks on your LinkedIn profile because it boosts transparency between your potential employer and yourself. Moreover, LinkedIn allows you to choose the type of break you took and explain it in the description.
To add the career break, click the “Add profile section” from your profile and choose the “Add Career Break” option. Now, select the break type, duration, and other details.