By Bryan Bennett

We’ve discussed your LinkedIn profile before (by all means search our blog for other thoughts) but here are 5 things we see that everyone could benefit by doing right.

1. Know Why You Are Updating:

If you think updating LinkedIn is like updating your resume, you are wrong. Your resume is selling you to people you are asking to hire you. Your LinkedIn profile is selling you or your business to people you may not even realize are looking for help. By the same token, though, there is no reason to put in that you are a graphic artist if you don't want to use that skill professionally. Give people the information they need to make them contact you - and only about the kind of work you want to do.

2. Fill in the Blanks:

You would be surprised how often someone from SMD goes out to talk to companies about LinkedIn and finds woefully incomplete profiles, both their personal and corporate. I once built a deck with a friend using brackets like these to connect the deck frame and post. Believe it or not, a guy buying deck supplies at the same time told us there was no need to use the bottom screw hole to connect the cross beams with the outside frame. Dave looked at him and said, “If there's a hole I'm going to use it.” The same holds true for LinkedIn. Give all the information you can that conforms with Point #1 above.

3. Honesty:

Don’t lie. If you lie on your resume, most companies will walk you out the door... even if you are great at your job. I’ve seen it happen to someone I worked with and trust me, you don’t ever want it to happen to you. If you have a friend in HR somewhere, just ask them what happens if you lie on LinkedIn.

Check out this guide on how to clean up those lies going forward.

4. Spelling:

Pease peas please, check your spelling. Have your mom check your spelling. Have that annoying friend who won the spelling contest in 3rd grade and won’t shut up about it check your spelling. Then read for context. Don’t think it matters because you used spell-check? You’re wrong. Spell-check doesn't care if you actually had a role at a company or a roll at a company.

5. Follow-Up:

When you have finished updating your your profile, it will get marked as changed and people will be notified. You will get invitations to lunch or drinks or just to touch base from people... even if you aren’t really sure why. You’ve put in the time on the profile. Take the free drink - you deserve it for completing your task. Then, listen to what they have to say. You may have found your new job!

Need some help? We’re kind of royalty on LinkedIn.

But there is way more to LinkedIn than a profile. Give us a call at (469) 248-0616 to learn the ins and outs.