I Reviewed 100 LinkedIn Data Analyst Profiles. These were the Most Common Errors.
Self-branding is important, and your LinkedIn is integral to your online presence. When you apply for jobs, recruiters look you up on LinkedIn. You want your profile to give a great first impression!
Making mistakes on your LinkedIn profile, or leaving certain fields blank, can affect your professional image. It can make you appear unprofessional, or uninvested in your career trajectory.
I analyzed 100 random LinkedIn profiles of data analysts to find the most common errors. If you are applying for data analyst jobs, avoid the mistakes below!
Most Common LinkedIn Data Analyst Mistakes
Error #1: Not leveraging recommendations (64% of profiles made this error)
It’s intimidating to ask coworkers for recommendations, but I highly recommend it.
Having LinkedIn recommendations is helpful because:
- They provide external validation of your skills, work ethic, and professionalism. Someone real is vouching for you.
- They can lead to networking opportunities, as your coworkers may have connections that notice your profile and want to connect with you.
- They set you apart from other candidates when applying for jobs.
- They make you seem trustworthy and credible.
I also recommend writing LinkedIn recommendations for your coworkers, because it strengthens your professional relationships and can lead to future collaborations or networking opportunities. There’s also a sense of reciprocity — if you write a recommendation for someone, they may be more inclined to do the same for you.
Error #2: Unclear job descriptions (50% of profiles made this error)
Your job description should showcase relevant skills and the impact you’ve made, using meaningful numbers. Use clear and descriptive job titles and link your jobs to the LinkedIn company pages.
Examples of poor job descriptions:
- Only listing a job title but no job duties.
- Not listing the data analysis tools they used.
- Vague job duties and impact: e.g. “Clean data” without describing the project, the tools they used, or the impact of their analysis.
- Unhelpful numbers: e.g. “Scanned 200 pages of documents.”
Error #3: Not customizing the LinkedIn URL (39% of profiles made this error)
Your default LinkedIn URL is https://www.linkedin.com/in/ followed by your full name and a random string. For example, my full name is Margaret Efron, so my default LinkedIn URL would be something like https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-efron-86860.
To change your LinkedIn URL to something more professional, go to your profile page and click on “Contact Info”:
Then, click the pencil icon:
Click on the profile URL pop-out under “Edit contact info”:
Then, edit your public profile settings.
Under “Edit your custom URL,” personalize the URL for your profile.
I changed my LinkedIn URL to “margaretefron.” Now I can see it in the browser search bar and under “Public profile & URL”:
Tips for creating a custom LinkedIn URL:
- Keep it simple, professional, and easy to remember.
- Don’t use spaces, symbols, numbers, or special characters.
- Update your LinkedIn URL on your resume, email signature, business cards, and other professional platforms.
Error #4: Unprofessional profile picture (34% of profiles made this error)
Your LinkedIn profile photo should be clear, well-framed, and show that you’re professional and approachable. Don’t post a blurry bathroom mirror selfie, a cartoon cat, or a picture of you holding a beer stein at a party.
Examples of unprofessional profile pictures:
- No profile picture!
- Picture not well-framed — either too close-up on the face or too far away/blurry.
- Bad lighting: the person is in shadow.
- The person is frowning.
- Cropped picture where you can see other people in the background. Many profile pictures looked like they were cropped from wedding party photos, with people’s arms and hands in the background.
Error #5: Ineffective or absent background image (34% of profiles made this error)
Your background image is one of the first things recruiters see, so make it relevant to your desired audience. Don’t waste space with a generic stock photo. You can be creative, using meaningful quotes, project screenshots, custom branding, or Maven Analytics badges.
Examples of ineffective background images:
- Low-res images with contact information I couldn’t read (too small and blurry.)
- Generic stock photos, e.g. of skyscrapers or a computer.
- No background picture.
Error #6: No summary (About) section (16% of profiles made this error)
Your “About” section should have 3–4 short paragraphs, using relevant keywords (such as “data analytics,” “business intelligence,” “SQL,” and “Excel.”) Let your personality show, but keep your summary polished and professional, avoiding slang or poor grammar.
Error #7: Unclear or absent headline (14% of profiles made this error)
Your headline should make it clear that you are focused on analytics. Use a data or analytics-focused headline, even if it isn’t your formal title or professional role (yet.)
Examples of ineffective headlines:
- Too many job titles in the headline, so it’s unclear what job they want. E.g. “Accountant | Teacher | Data Analyst | AI Enthusiast | Writer.” If you want a data analytics job, make it clear to the recruiter.
- Acronyms are unrelated to data analytics, with no description of what they mean. If you want a job in data analytics, use acronyms known in the data industry (e.g. “SQL.”)
- Undescriptive headline: e.g. “Self-employed”
Example of a superb LinkedIn profile
If you’re looking for LinkedIn profile inspiration, check out Isaac D. Tucker-Rasbury’s profile.
- Isaac has a well-lit, in-focus, centered professional photo.
- His creative background image tells us his job role, mission statement, and tech skills (SQL, GitHub, Power BI, Python.)
- His headline focuses on data analytics, social change, and his top tools.
Isaac’s experience section is also superb. He doesn’t just list his daily job duties — he talks about his direct impact.
- He lists the tools he used (AWS Redshift, SQL, DBT, Visual Studio Code, Github, Terminal, etc.)
- He states the organization’s mission: “Whether the goal is selling a product, signing up individuals for healthcare, turning out the vote, or mobilizing activists and donors, BlueLabs help their clients change behavior…” This is consistent with the rest of his profile’s focus on social change.
- He lists projects he’s worked on and their impact: “This provides beneficiaries with a more accurate and exhaustive record of their healthcare claims history.”
Isaac lists 3 data projects on LinkedIn, so hiring managers, recruiters, and followers can see his data visualizations. He links to his “Practicing SQL with DataLemur” GitHub project. This proves he has hands-on experience with SQL (and isn’t fibbing on his resume!)
Isaac also frequently posts data analytics content, showing he is up-to-date on industry trends.
Final Thoughts
When refining your LinkedIn profile, remember to:
- Take advantage of recommendations. Ask current and former coworkers to write recommendations for you, and provide recommendations for them as well.
- Be clear about your job roles, the impact, and how you used data analytics as part of your job.
- Customize your LinkedIn URL to something short, concise, and memorable.
- Have a professional profile picture that is well-lit, centered, and makes you look friendly and approachable.
- Be creative with your background image, because it’s one of the first things hiring managers see! Use a high-resolution image with the proper dimensions. Don’t waste time with a generic stock photo.
- Write an “About” section that is descriptive, but concise. Use keywords related to data analytics.
- Write a headline that emphasizes your interest in data. You can include your top skills and tools, your current position, and/or your education, if relevant to the audience.
Happy job hunting!
Further learning
Maven Analytics LinkedIn Profile Optimization Tips — Advice for Job Seekers [2024]
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