LinkedIn optimization is one aspect of social media improvement you should not overlook. As of 2021, LinkedIn evolves as a large, professional social media platform with over 700 million users across the globe. So, nowadays, to stand out as a professional, you need to optimize your LinkedIn profile.
Day by day, the world keeps developing in terms of technological advancements. Social media is not an exception to these advancements. Living evidence of this is the development of LinkedIn. LinkedIn successfully accumulates a large percentage of professionals over the years. Moreover, this makes LinkedIn a perfect online gathering for professionals. Thus, the real deal now is your LinkedIn optimization.
As a professional in any field, a business person, a job-seeker, or even a student, LinkedIn is a place you must be. This is why you need to embrace LinkedIn optimization. You can’t be recognized as a professional without having an online presence on LinkedIn.
Having an online presence on LinkedIn gives you visibility, credibility, and good positioning. In short, it helps you build a personal brand. However, having an online presence on LinkedIn isn’t as easy as that. You must pass through the LinkedIn optimization process.
LinkedIn optimization is the process of filling in all areas of your LinkedIn profile with the valid and necessary information which paints you as a professional in your field.
So, this article will lead you through how to optimize your LinkedIn profile as a Nigerian or foreigner. Moreover, this is to enable you to make the most and enjoy all the benefits that the platform has to offer.
Table of Contents
LinkedIn Profile Optimization: Getting Started On LinkedIn
LinkedIn optimization begins with the primary step of having a LinkedIn account. Signing up on LinkedIn is easy if you have all the requirements to set up your profile. You only need to download the app and follow the steps below. Then voila, you become a member of LinkedIn.
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15 Steps To Take On Your Journey To LinkedIn Profile Optimisation
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Get the LinkedIn app
You can download the LinkedIn app via the google play store or APK pure app. If you are using an iPhone, you can get it at the apple store. Just type “LinkedIn” in the search box and it will lead you to the app. So after this, what’s next?
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Sign up/Create a LinkedIn profile
After downloading the LinkedIn app, the next step is to create and optimize your LinkedIn profile. The following points below will take you through the step-by-step process of how to optimize your LinkedIn profile. Let’s go!
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Enter your full name
LinkedIn is a professional platform and as such, it is important to use a name that will portray you as professional. It is advisable to use your full name for this and not nicknames. Although it is not compulsory to use your full name. But, using it portrays you as a serious person.
Remember that LinkedIn is not a gathering of day-old chicks, this is why you should take your LinkedIn optimisation seriously. No one will connect with you on LinkedIn if you have a poor profile.
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Use a background picture and profile picture that is on point
A good picture you took at a studio or by a professional photographer is important when you aim to optimize your LinkedIn profile. Don’t use random pictures taken at random places with random poses. However, you can also use a camera picture on your phone if it is clear and standard enough.
Your profile picture should contain only you and you should dress well in it. Also, it shouldn’t be the full picture. There is another section in setting up your profile that asks for a background picture. Your background picture is a banner that states what you have to offer in a few words.
Although many people don’t use it, it also contributes to LinkedIn Optimization. The official size for it is 1584px by 396px. A higher dimension than this will make some of the info on your banner cropped out. People with good professional pictures have a very higher chance of being hired than ones with random pictures.
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Use a captivating headline
Your headline is an opportunity to state in clear times who you are and what you do in 120 characters. It is the first thing that people, recruiters, and other professionals alike, will see in your profile.
So, ensure that you write your headline carefully and creatively. State also in your headline what you can do or how you can be of help to a business or company. Your headline can work wonders in LinkedIn optimisation.
Read also: Easy Ways To Secure A Good Job in Nigeria
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Let your summary be all about you
The summary section is a much more detailed section for you to express yourself better. You have 2000 characters to do this, so maximize it.
Remember it is a professional platform, so express yourself as professionally as possible while being creative and engaging. Leave a call to action at the end and your contact details as well, such as your email and phone number.
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Add your Experiences and Education
While still on LinkedIn optimization, there is a particular section where you add your experiences, It comprises where you’ve worked before, the work you did there and the number of months you spent there. Ensure you fill all these as it contributes to your LinkedIn profile optimisation. Also, don’t add irrelevant jobs in the cause of making your job list catchy.
Arrange them in order of importance. The better ones on top, it doesn’t have to be paid job experiences, you can add volunteering and internships, they are part of the experiences. Add your education as well, the schools you attended, course studied, grades, etc.
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Take Certificate courses and add them
There is also a section for Licenses and Certifications, add them. If you don’t have any yet, ensure you start taking them so that you can have something to add. You can add as many as possible as long as it is in line with your work. At this point, your LinkedIn optimization is on its track. You may also consider reading some of the best ways to make money on LinkedIn.
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Skills, Endorsements, and Recommendations
All these are a vital part of LinkedIn optimization, and it is a must to include them. There are skills on LinkedIn that are related to your work that you can add. For example, if you’re a writer, you can include skills like content writing, article writing, blogging, etc.
When it comes to endorsements for these skills, you can’t endorse yourself. It takes other people in your connections to endorse you for those skills you input in your profile. You can request endorsements from your close connections or, a popular way people do this is by endorsing their people, and these people, in turn, return the favour by endorsing you.
Recommendations work the same way as endorsements. You can request recommendations from clients you’ve worked with previously. Recommendations are a great way to optimize your LinkedIn profile.
Read also: How to Become A Successful Business Coach in Nigeria
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Customize your URL
Close to the end of your profile page, you will see your profile link. You can customize this by removing some irrelevant numbers that are part of the link. It will make it more attractive and presentable when you send it to recruiters. Do this by clicking an edit button that is located very close to the link.
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Make use of Video features
You can take your LinkedIn optimization a step further by making use of video. A video profile feature has been added to LinkedIn, where you can briefly introduce yourself via video. Its edit icon is close to the background photo.
Make use of it to make your profile more personal and catchy.
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Use Keywords
Keywords are used by recruiters to search for their desired candidates for particular job offers. If you want to appear in the search results of recruiters, ensure that you make use of these keywords in your profile. Fit those keywords that relate to your job into your profile. This is the very key to LinkedIn optimization.
Optimize your LinkedIn profile better by checking pictures of other professionals and experts in your field to see how they wrote theirs. Then, you can learn how to write yours.
Moreso, you don’t have to get it perfectly right the first time. As you keep using the platform, you learn better ways to optimize your profile. All of these tips culminate in achieving the feat of LinkedIn optimization. Now that you’ve set up your profile well, check how optimized your LinkedIn profile is. How? View your profile status by clicking on the profile strength meter that is located beside your private dashboard.
Provided you filled in all the spaces in your profile, your profile strength will be an All-Star, which is the best status to have. Now, you might think this is all about LinkedIn optimization, but it doesn’t end there. Let’s see what’s left.
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Grow your network
Most likely, you currently have 0 followers and 0 connections. So start working towards increasing your audience. Follow and connect with influencers and other professionals in your niche so that you can learn from them and update yourself on current happenings.
Follow recruiters on LinkedIn who are likely to need your services. You should also start posting relevant content to engage your network. It will appear on their connection timeline as well. If it is relevant to them, they will either follow you or send connection requests to you.
All of these will help to build your audience to know you and what you represent. The content you post contributes to your branding so ensure it is what you want to be known for.
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Engage yourself
Engaging in posts, articles, and videos posted by others and participating in groups will also contribute to the growth of your network. It’s a significant ranking factor in the LinkedIn algorithm. Do it often and ensure they are relevant to you. Interact with others and build meaningful connections.
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Stay Active
If you’ve done all the above processes, congratulations on passing through the LinkedIn optimisation stage. Now all you have to do is be active on LinkedIn. If you optimize your LinkedIn profile and it is not active, it is as good as not having any.
Post appropriate content at least once a week. The more you can, the better. Consistently engage with the people in your community as well. Attend events and hangouts relevant to your industry.
LinkedIn is a very cool platform to be and LinkedIn optimization is an effective way to build a professional personal brand. Perhaps you haven’t optimized your LinkedIn profile, so why not give it a try now? The result will speak for itself.
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About Author
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Oluwanifemi Akintomide is an exceptional content writer who helps brands come up with impressive content that engages their audience and turns them into loyal customers.
She has interests in personal growth and development, entrepreneurship, and lifestyle.
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