Recently, I had over 1,000 connection requests appear on Linkedin, partly due to a lovely post that Dominic Imwalle tagged me as a person to follow. As I went through them, most had no notes attached to the connection request (something you should always do). Since I did not know why the person wanted to connect, I needed to view the profile to see if this was a person I wanted in my network. This allowed me to view over 1,000 LinkedIn profiles in the past month.

While many had great, well-thought-out, and content-rich profiles, most did not. 

It was a wasted opportunity.

Not only did I not find a compelling reason to connect with most of these individuals based on their LinkedIn profile information, but potential employers likely would not have been impressed.

This blog will highlight what you may be doing wrong on your LinkedIn profile, costing you connections and opportunities.

Banner Photos Lacking Any Branding

You can add a banner photo at the top of your profile. It provides an immediate visual impression of you and your professional identity. A well-chosen banner can make a strong, positive first impression. It can help you stand out in a sea of profiles.

But many of you have chosen not to add a banner. Instead, we see the default greenish-gray banner. Just like the color, it makes you look blah. There is no excitement in your profile.

Others of you have chosen to use the optional banners that LinkedIn has provided. While a step above the default banner, these, too, because they are a common choice, provide little excitement or personal branding.

Instead, go on Canva and design your own. You can create one that is really easy to do, showcasing your industry or profession, promoting your brand or achievements, or hinting at your personality.

Crafting a Compelling Introduction

Who are you? What are you known for? What is interesting about you? That is what the LinkedIn About section can answer for the reader. As the first thing visitors see on your profile, your About section offers a chance to make an impactful initial impression. This section lets you share your career journey, skills, and expertise concisely and engagingly. It's a cornerstone of personal branding, showcasing your uniqueness and setting you apart from your peers. Including relevant keywords also boosts your profile's discoverability in searches.

So, when looking at profiles, I went to this section first. Yet, for many of you, nothing is written in this section. It is missing.

Or if something is written, it is one or two sentences that often start with, "I am an (adjective) (adjective) (noun)...." It is dry, uninspiring, and tells little about your identity.

Ex. I am a conscientious, resilient, proactive, people-driven professional with over 10 years of experience in (industry) as a (title).

Want to up your LinkedIn game and get people to want to connect with you? Write a compelling About section. 

Experience Section: More Than Titles and Companies

Your Experience section is one of the first places Recruiters look at your profile. It helps the reader understand where you are working, previously worked, and what you did in those roles. Recruiters are eager to see this information to know if you meet the qualifications of their open positions.

Yet many people do the bare minimum here. Too many profiles I looked at had only the title, employer, and dates of employment.

This is a missed opportunity. It would help if you wrote more. A well-crafted Experience section should include:

1. The market value title included in the drop-down list to be able to be found easier

2. Including all relevant work experience

3. Summarizing accomplishments in a brief intro paragraph

4. Using bullets to highlight key responsibilities and achievements

5. Incorporate storytelling elements like any challenges overcome

6. Writing in a unique style that reflects your personality

7. Quantifying results and achievements with specific examples

8. Explaining how your experience can benefit other businesses

Profile Pictures: Making the Right First Impression

The picture is among the first places I look on a LinkedIn profile. I want to see who is associated with the profile. Call me curious, but many people will do the same thing. Yet, so many of the profile pictures I saw were awful.

There may be cases where the individual is concerned about their safety and does not want a picture of them on their profile. That is a legitimate reason to keep one off of your profile. But for many people, it is either because they don't think one is important or their settings are set to mask their profile picture. Either way, people often feel weird about a profile without a profile picture and may not want to connect with you, assuming you might be a bot or are using the profile for a nefarious purpose.

Then there are those who have a picture, but it is not doing them any favors. I saw many examples of this. While you do not need a professional headshot, remember these things when choosing your LinkedIn profile photo.

1. Avoid dim, poorly lit, or blurry photos

2. Use a recent image that clearly shows your face

3. Don't use logos 

4. Dress appropriately for your industry

5. Mind technical details like resolution and cropping

6. The photo should be of you and only you, not your friends, family or colleagues

You might be interested in The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of LinkedIn Profile Photos.

Keywords in Headline: Catching the Right Attention

While I saw more people catching on that the headline can be a great place to quickly show how you provide value, too many people still use the default LinkedIn headline, (title) @ (employer).

You have 220 characters for your LinkedIn headline. Why not use them to provide more information about yourself? After all, we are more than a title and certainly more than any employer.

Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing about what you might want to add to your headline.

• Include relevant skills to showcase expertise

• Use industry jargon to demonstrate knowledge (but don't go overboard with acronyms).

• Highlight achievements to convey your value proposition

• Share personal values for relatability

• Optimize with keywords from job descriptions

• Add job-specific keywords to show experience

• List certifications to demonstrate expertise

• You can even add interests to personalize your profile

Skills Associated With Jobs: Get Credit For What You Do

LinkedIn has been trying to elevate skills as an important part of a person's profile. Everyone should list as close to the maximum 50 skills relevant to what you do and who you are. As I noticed, not many people take advantage of this, and you may be missing an opportunity to show up in a Recruiter search when they are looking for someone with a particular skill.

You can also associate skills with specific jobs and include a selected number of skills in your About section. All these are additional opportunities to help the reader understand more about you. So take advantage of this.

Featured Section: Lost Opportunity

Very few of the profiles I looked at had any information in the Featured section. That is too bad. It is a place, high up on your profile (so easily noticed), where you can showcase your professional accomplishments and work samples or add media files. It helps personalize your profile and can increase engagement. 

As LinkedIn says, "You can feature any posts you've authored or re-shared, articles you've published on LinkedIn, as well as external media, documents, and links." Here are some ideas for this area:

• Your LinkedIn posts and articles

• Relevant presentations and whitepapers

• Projects you have worked on (remember employer confidentiality requirements)

• Links to videos, podcasts, and other multimedia you are in

• Infographics and other visual content

• News articles mentioning you or your company

• Contributed articles, guest columns, or your own blog

• Research papers or academic works

• Press releases 

• Presentations slide decks

• Awards, certifications, or any other relevant special recognitions

Conclusion

Your LinkedIn profile lets you show the world who you are. Take advantage of this free chance to make a great first impression! Customize your profile so it speaks to the kind of jobs or people you want to connect with. An optimized LinkedIn profile can help you make new friends, find new opportunities, and grow your career. 

Now, look at your LinkedIn profile. I bet there are some areas in which you could improve. Make it a priority to make the changes and see the great things that will happen.

Shelley Piedmont is a job search coach. She wants to help job seekers put their best foot forward by providing the tools for a successful job search. If you need career coaching, resume review, interview skills assessment, or LinkedIn profile assistance, she can help. Schedule a 15-minute no-obligation consultation.