Maximizing LinkedIn, Part 2: Advanced User Profile Settings

In a previous TechTips we provided suggestions on how to set up a basic LinkedIn profile. In this TechTips we will look at some additional advanced profile options that will help make your LinkedIn profile more visible.

Additional Information: Your profile’s Additional Information field lets you round out the “Story of You” with the URL for your website and/or blog, your Twitter account, honors and awards you’ve won, and your interests (the books you read, the sports you play or follow, or anything else you want to share). Remember, people buy from people they like. Sharing information about yourself makes you more human and provides additional networking points of contact.

Specialties: The Specialties section of your LinkedIn profile is another great field. You can use terms like “Commercial Insurance Sales” and “Risk Management,” but you can also talk about your Irish wolfhounds and salsa dancing in this field. Prospective clients and employers want real, live, entangled, interesting people on their teams. Business is personal these days, and your outside-of-work interests (the ones you care to share, anyway) are part of your professional persona.

Add Sections: A powerful new LinkedIn feature is Add Sections, which lets you amplify your profile with additional information about past jobs, projects, organization memberships, and more. Click on the Add Sections link to preview the various enhancements you can make to your profile just by providing a bit more background.

Personal Information: You can list as little or as much personal information as you want on your profile. It’s your choice.

Applications: This is a very powerful feature that allows you to add external information to your profile and have it updated automatically. For example, if you have a WordPress website you can link the LinkedIn WordPress application to your site and have new content added automatically to your profile. There are several applications and I could write multiple articles about them, but for now I’ll just say check them all out.

By following these tips you now have a LinkedIn profile that maximizes your visibility and networking prowess. In a future TechTips I will offer suggestions on how to begin building your LinkedIn network.