Skip to content

Time for a LinkedIn Makeover

Linkedin Merlin Wizard Image | Adriano Gasparri  -  Foter  -  CC BY-SA 2.0
Linkedin Merlin Wizard Image | Adriano Gasparri - Foter - CC BY-SA 2.0

If you are like most people, you have not taken a look at your LinkedIn profile for a while. There is a reason for this: we are too busy looking at other people’s profiles.

Think of it as getting ready for fall, just like you used to buy fresh pencils and binders. Set aside 20 minutes this week to hit the edit button and take stock of what the world is seeing.

Let’s start from the top:

Does your picture still resemble you? If it features your grade eight up-doo or a badly taken selfi, it’s time for a fresh one.

Do you have a new title or responsibilities? Let people know – you will be amazed at the messages that roll in after you do a job or title change.

Any new courses or certificates? Those really add credibility to your experience. If you put the time and effort in to learning something new, it should be reflected in your profile.

Are you doing any new volunteer activities? They can be work-based or community-based. It all counts.

Remember you are doing this so people can find you and learn more about you. And not just recruiters like me (although it’s good for us to find you) but also peers, neighbours, and anyone else who might benefit from what you know.

In large companies, people don’t use the company directory to find out about their fellow employees, they go to LinkedIn to get the whole story, not just what’s in the directory.

So keep it fresh and real. You never know who will land in your inbox!