With recruiters finding their prospective employees and with networking speeding up every second on LinkedIn, this platform is the new digital abode for businesses.
It has become world’s biggest professional networking site with around 238 million people. And the ‘professional’ tag that accompanies LinkedIn implies that you can’t afford to make any mistakes here.
Find out if you’re committing any of the below mistakes. If yes, get on your machine now to rectify it (you never know who has his eyes on your work).
1. Yes, my profile is incomplete
You want to buy a car, and the salesperson in the car showroom gives you a blank look when you ask him about the engine specs. Your profile gives the same blank look to a person that views your incomplete profile.
A page loaded with useful information is the best way to highlight yourself as a trade professional and get noticed by others. Tick each of the below as you do it right away:
- Upload profile photo
- Fill in education details
- Fill in previous employment description
- Touch atleast 50 connections
2. My cat is my profile photo
Leave your cat’s photo on Facebook. LinkedIn is a purely professional platform. You can’t take your cat to work. Similarly you can’t take its photo to LinkedIn. HSN Beauty found that 19% of recruiters only view the profile pictures of people while hiring. A profile photo of anything apart from you is a strict no. Here’s why:
- A photo of you and your child may convey that you’re not ready for a full time job.
- A photo of when you were younger suggests that you are a highly insecure person.
- A photo of yours dabbed in loud makeup conveys the idea that you tend to cover up your faults.
3. An incomprehensible URL
Does your current URL embed random numbers and letters? Yes? Well, you can customise it. Add in your name in your LinkedIn URL. A customised URL talks professionalism. Also, people can easily remember it this way.
4. My redundant profile
So, if you meet a prospective employer, you wouldn’t tell him about your latest relevant achievements? You surely would, right? Your LinkedIn profile is your digital profile of work. Any moment, any prospective employer or any business looking for partnership can be viewing it. Keep it updated.
You can’t expect your profile to be stagnant while you talk about how you can deliver the best, as the ‘best’ work has to adhere to changing times.
5. No groups to follow
This mistake is more like losing opportunities every minute. Companies constantly post announcements regarding job openings, networking events. Once you follow them, this information will appear on your home page. You never know when an opportunity can change your cards drastically.
6. Endorsements- NIL
Any business works, survives and gather a good reputation based on others’ trust. This trust is translated onto LinkedIn based on the number of endorsements you receive. You should also know that this platform works on a ‘give-and-take’ philosophy. You’ll need to endorse people for their skills so as to earn endorsements. Also you could recommend people to your connections to establish rapports. This will pay off when you need to be equipped with a recommendation.
LinkedIn faux-pas’ can be career damaging. LinkedIn Career Expert Nicole Williams says that she sees these same mistakes over and over again. It doesn’t take a lot of time to rectify these. It is better than rectifying a whole career graph gone wrong due to one mistake on your profile. Sometimes, one mistake can cost you a lot! And sometimes, one little rectification can help you gain a lot!
