This blog post is not a checklist of the things that you should incorporate in your LinkedIn personal profile, it’s quite the opposite! These are the LinkedIn personal profile mistakes we see people make time, and time again.

Mistake 1 – Using A Default Email Address

Ideally, the email address that is showcased on your LinkedIn profile should be a professional one.  Your company email address, or even a Gmail account is acceptable, but not a Hotmail or Yahoo account.  For starters, you really do not want the world to know your personal email, and this becomes even truer when it’s something embarrassing like cuddlykitty123@…!

You can have multiple email addresses linked to your account – so if you want to keep THAT email address, just make sure it isn’t being used as your primary email on LinkedIn.  I always encourage people to have more than one email linked to their account. That way if you ever have any issues accessing your profile with your primary email address, at least you’ll have a back up in that you’ll be able to access the account via your alternative email address.

To update your email, visit LinkedIn and go through the following: >settings and privacy >account >email addresses >change 

Mistake 2 –  Inappropriate photo as your personal profile picture

Photos of you celebrating during a champagne-fuelled night out… not appropriate on LinkedIn. It seems like something we shouldn’t have to say but it’s amazing how often we see this type of image, or holiday snaps (Please don’t do this), being used in place of professional headshots!

Your headshot doesn’t need to be taken by a professional, the camera on your phone will do. When you upload the photo to your LinkedIn account you can then add filters.  For example, you can change your photo to a black and white image to make the photo look more professional.

Mistake 3 – ZZZzzz… Your Professional Headline Sends People To Sleep!

Standing out on LinkedIn is about getting creative with certain aspects of your profile. Your professional headline is an ideal place to start.

Your professional headline is the wording which lies directly underneath your name.  The default is to display your job title and company name – Boring!  So, for example, mine would say ‘Managing Director at Green Umbrella Marketing Ltd’, if yours reads like this it’s time to get creative! Here are a few ideas to start you off:-

• What have your competitors used for their professional headlines?
• Who do you respect on LinkedIn? Check out the professional headlines of the thought leaders in your sector.
• Use the LinkedIn app on your mobile – you’ll get extra characters to use and also be able to add emojis.
• How can you add some personality to your professional headline?
• This area of your profile should be optimised for search – so make sure to include relevant keywords that will help you to be found!

Mistake 4 – You forgot to link your company page to your profile

Take a look at the experience section of your LinkedIn profile.  You should be looking at a small version of your logo and not just a grey square!  If you’re seeing the grey square, one of two things has probably happened.

1. You added your experience before a company page existed.
2. When you added your experience, you’ve used a different version of the company page than the official one that exists on LinkedIn.

It is essential to make sure you have linked to the correct Linkedin Company page. Not only does that little logo help with brand awareness, but it also gives access to your company page with the press of a button.

To link to the correct LinkedIn company page, visit the experience section of your LinkedIn personal profile and go through the following:-

Click the pencil in the top right corner > over type the company name > then select your company from the drop-down menu > click save.  

Mistake 5 – Your birth date is in public domain

Given that we live in a world where cybercrime is rife, I am amazed that people still display their full birth date details on their LinkedIn profiles.  LinkedIn is in the top ten websites for being hacked, therefore do not let the hackers have an easy ride by giving them full access to your personal data.

Summary

These are the top five mistakes that we see on a regular basis.  If you are looking to enhance your LinkedIn profile then you can download our free checklist here – see below.