Creating Your Professional Headline That Gets People's Attention

Don't Make These LinkedIn Mistakes

 

 

Your LinkedIn profile represents your professional image on the internet and can be found through searches on LinkedIn or search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. When people search the internet for your name, your LinkedIn profile will most likely be one of the top search results so you want to make a great first impression.

Think of LinkedIn as your online resume and your profile as the introductory paragraph of your resume. As people scan your profile, they should be able to understand exactly what you do as they read your headline.

Your LinkedIn profile provides people with a comprehensive summary of you, your education, work experience, and your achievements. Your LinkedIn profile also links people to other social media properties and websites where you can showcase your expertise.

Your LinkedIn profile consists of:

    Your headline
    Your photo
    Status updates
    Vanity URL
    Summary
    Applications
    Experience
    Education
    Recommendations
    Additional information
    Personal information
    Contact information

PROFESSIONAL HEADLINE

Your profile headline is the single most important part of your profile. Your profile
headline will appear next to your name in the search results. As your name appears
in the search results, your headline must be compelling enough to make people want to click on your profile to learn more about you. You should never put just your name and company name in your headline.

Some people like to add symbols to their profile headline to attract attention. Some of the symbols I've seen include ♥ ♦ # * ◊ and many other unprofessional symbols. I searched Google to see how people added the symbols to their profile and they just copy and paste them from other people's profiles. You can also add the symbols from a Word document by using Insert, Symbols or Insert, Shapes.

Personally, I don't think it's professional to add symbols to your profile, and it diminishes your credibility. If you are really good at what you do you shouldn't have to trick people into reading your profile. When I see symbols in someone's profile, I think of those cheap restaurants with the flashing signs out front advertising their specials and cheap prices. You know the restaurant is a dive and the food is horrible, but they catch your attention with the flashing lights and cheap prices. You always regret eating there because you always leave with a stomachache, but you were seduced by the bright, flashing lights.

I usually feel the same way after wasting my time reading a LinkedIn profile that contains flashy symbols. If the symbols do catch my attention, I take a moment to read the profile and it's usually very unprofessional. The person typically overuses keywords, overstates his experience, and uses tricks to rank well in the LinkedIn and Google searches. Eventually, LinkedIn and Google catch up with profiles like this and lower their rankings, although they do get their 15 minutes of fame and maybe even a few clients.

Take a few minutes now to update your LinkedIn profile now. I guarantee you will see more activity on LinkedIn as soon as you update your profile.

Connect with me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/dougmyrick so I can take a look at your profile and give you feedback.

To your online success,

- Uncle "D"