7 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile

In our last blog we talked about why it is so important to build a professional personal brand. This time, we are going to take you step-by-step through setting up and optimising your LinkedIn profile.

1. Turn off Notifications

Before updating anything on LinkedIn, turn off Notify your Network (on the right-hand side of the page). Only turn this on when you want to alert your network to a new position, or something important.

2. Upload a Photo and Banner

· Ensure your profile picture is professional and keep the background simple.

· Select a banner picture. Your profile looks empty and unprofessional without it. You can select banners from LinkedIn, or upload your own.

3. Write your Professional Profile: Headline, Summary and Positions

Headline

Your headline defines who you are in a professional capacity. If you do not update this, your current role automatically populates it. Use key words relating to your career in your headline and be creative.

Summary

Don’t write your summary like a CV. We recommend writing in the first person and writing a snapshot of your professional career, what you do and what you focus on. Remember to include keywords relevant to your industry and include visual elements, such as photos, links, YouTube videos and SlideShare content. According to the Social Science Research Network, 65% of people are visual learners[JJ1] ; so tell a visual story on your LinkedIn profile.

Positions

Make sure your entire career history is up to date. Remember, you can be creative and include information and stories about past career successes and experiences.

4. Follow Companies, Media and Influencers

LinkedIn is more than a job site; today it is the largest B2B social and content platform. Following companies, media sites and LinkedIn Influencers, around 500 high-profile industry leaders, is a great way to absorb relevant news and insights about the subjects that matter to you.

To get started, follow the MetLife Asia page for daily updates on the latest happenings around the region.

5. Promote your Profile: Recommendations, Skills and More

Always seek to get recommendations from people for the work you are doing. Make a list of the people you want a recommendation from and ask them — this could be colleagues, customers or friends. You can also reciprocate and recommend people who have done great work with you and for you.

Also make sure you list out your skills, which functions a bit like SEO: they can help your profile be discovered. You can also recommend and be recommended for them.

If you are involved in any extracurricular activities, you can also list the causes you volunteer for and care about. This gives future customers, partners, employees and employers insight into the sort of person you are.

6. Join LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn groups are a terrific resource. They connect you to industry peers and are a great source of information and news about your industry or your job function and role. You can join up to 100 groups, although we recommend just joining the ones you can actively engage in.

The Linkedin groups of Insurance Journal and Global Insurance Network keep you updated on the latest news in the global insurance industry while also allowing you to share your experiences with like-minded colleagues in the same industry. Closer to the Asia-Pacific region, check out General Insurance Professionals in Asia to link up with more than 4,500 members. If you are looking for a job in insurance or anywhere in the finance sector, keep your eye on the Finance Jobs in Asia group. Getting into conversations with people in disruptive technology and other related fields may also give you fresh insights on developments in the financial industry.

7. Keep it Fresh

If you do everything suggested, you are going to have a pretty great LinkedIn profile. However, it should never remain static. Keep going back, refreshing the images and links and updating the content to ensure that it is up to date.

These are the foundations to an active and visible LinkedIn profile, but what else would you like to know about when it comes to using LinkedIn?

Let us know in the comments below. You can also follow us at MetLife Asia.

Next time, we’ll be looking at ways you can really stand out in LinkedIn and create an all-star profile. See you then!

[JJ1]Source: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=587201