Tips to boost your LinkedIn profile as a young professional
I recently delivered a session on behalf of Exeter Chamber NextGen to a group of young professionals in the city.
I shared some tips on polishing up your LinkedIn profile and building better connections, which was followed by Matthew Cousins, Exeter Chamber board member and director of Apex Scaffolding, sharing some networking advice.
LinkedIn is a vital part of organisations’ social media strategy. There are thousands of ways you can improve your LinkedIn presence and build your personal brand online – so I could only fit a small portion of that into a 25 minute speaking slot. But, as those in the room were students or early-career professionals, we covered some key areas to help their LinkedIn profiles to shine.
Below are the seven top tips that I shared. You never know, they might be of use no matter what stage you’re at in your career.
#1 Nail your headline
Your LinkedIn headline, along with your name and profile picture, is the very first thing people see whenever you interact around the site, so you need to make it impactful.
It’ll default to your job title, but that’s not always the most descriptive thing. Mine’s senior account manager – at a glance, could that be in sales, insurance, finance… it doesn’t give you a lot. So I’ve changed it to include my profession (PR) and sectors I support (built environment and professional services).
If you’re a student or early in your career, you could also include future aspirations: Current Role | Aspiring [Career Goal] | Key Skill or Interest.
Your headline appears everywhere, including under comments and connection requests, so make it count!
#2 Make your ‘About’ section work hard
Your ‘About’ section is your chance to share more about what you do. Don’t just repeat what’s listed in your experience, use the space to share something new; give an overview of your skills, demonstrate your expertise, and show what makes you effective. Mention key projects you’ve delivered or successes you’re proud of.
Add a call to action – perhaps invite people to connect, view your portfolio, or get in touch. Keep it engaging, authentic, and reflective of your personal brand.
#3 Don’t underestimate recommendations
Recommendations are often overlooked, especially early in your career, but they’re like gold dust. Of course you’re going to present yourself positively, but recommendations are a third-party endorsement that add credibility.
You could ask university tutors, colleagues, internship supervisors, or even society members to write one for you, as well as former and current colleagues – you’ll be surprised how willing people are.
And don’t forget to return the favour to keep the goodwill flowing.
#4 Build in habits of connecting
Growing your network starts with connecting to people you already know: colleagues, classmates, or industry contacts. Check out company pages and use the “People” tab to find them quickly.
But then, you need to make connecting a habit.
Reach out after networking events, learning opportunities, meetings, or job changes. Jot down names, email yourself a reminder, collect business cards or even set yourself calendar reminders. Find a way that works for you and build in habits of regularly updating your connections to keep your network fresh.
#5 Does it pass the ‘so what’ test?
Content you’re posting might include attending an event, completing a qualification, sharing a learning, or celebrating a milestone. These are likely to be professional, but draw in from outside interests too – do you volunteer for a group, are you in training for something, do you have an exciting hobby.
But before you hit post, ask yourself: so what?
If you went to an event, don’t just say you were there; share what you learned and how you’ll apply it. Got a personal achievement? Offer tips or talk about a challenge you overcame. Working on a client project? Highlight the successes or lessons.
And to make the post even more engaging always try and share a graphic or photo. You could get a free Canva account to create graphics, or share photos from events or your day-to-day ‘behind-the-scenes’ moments.
People do business with people, so show your face and be authentic.
#6 Consistency is key
You don’t need to post daily. Only between 1% and 3% of LinkedIn users post regularly (depending on which research you read), so even one thoughtful post a month keeps you visible.
Set a target that works for you and stick to it. Whether its monthly, fortnightly, weekly or more, consistency is key to profile building. Don’t forget that means consistently commenting and engaging with others’ posts as well as sharing your own content.
It takes time to build momentum, so don’t worry if the likes don’t roll in immediately. The more you do, the more the engagement will build.
#7 Engage your network
Building a network isn’t just about posting, it’s about engaging too. But posting a comment can sometimes seem a little daunting or perhaps you don’t quite know what to say.
Why not thank people for their posts, share your own take, or celebrate their wins. You could also ask a follow up question, share a fact of your own about the topic, or suggest something related they might like to read.
A (very) brief summary of the algorithm
As a professional channel, broadly speaking posts during working hours Tuesdays to Thursdays will get best engagement – but we always advise it’s much more important to focus on what you’re posting rather than when.
The algorithm favours posts that get good levels of engagement within the first couple of hours of being published, so think about sharing thing that will generate a comment from your connections.
And likes score good ‘points’ with the algorithm, but comments or reposts are even better markers of a ‘good’ post – keep that in mind when creating your own content and engaging with others’.
Your LinkedIn profile is a reflection of your personal brand – your skills, passions, and personality. Think about how you want to present yourself, what tone you’d like to have and what content you’d like to share.
If you’ve got any questions or might like to discuss further support with your own or your company’s LinkedIn page, get in touch or connect with me on LinkedIn.
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