3 Reasons To Update Your LinkedIn Profile

By Laura Smith-Proulx

SOURCE: CAREEREALISM

Every week, I receive calls from professionals and executives who, in the  midst of their busy lives, have either spotted a great opportunity, or who have  received a call from a recruiter about a choice job.

No matter how it happens, the scenario is the same: they’ve been too  preoccupied, too unsure of their value proposition, or just too confused to do  more than leave a bare-bones LinkedIn Profile lingering online – and now they’re  paying the price by rushing through a quick update.

If this half-hearted effort sounds familiar, consider that you’re not only  neglecting an important piece of brand messaging by ignoring your LinkedIn  Profile, but also leaving your digital identity to chance (not a good move in  today’s competitive market!).

3 Reasons To Update Your LinkedIn Profile

Need motivation to update your LinkedIn Profile? Here are three compelling  reasons to stop procrastinating, along with strategies to help maximize your  efforts almost immediately:

1. No One At Work Will Know You’re Looking Elsewhere

Updating your LinkedIn Profile regularly is one of the best ways to throw  your boss and colleagues off track. By keeping the information current and even  somewhat promotional, you won’t have to worry about hiding your tracks (the way  job seekers often do when they add a sudden surge of information).

But what if you’ve not started these LinkedIn updates yet? Won’t your team or  co-workers notice new changes? They might, but there’s no law that says you have  to add all of your relevant data on LinkedIn at once.

Start by adding a new paragraph under each job that describes your  achievements. Then, a few days (or weeks) later, expand your Summary section.  Add a new word or two to your Headline that represents your career level and  goals. Keep updating your LinkedIn Profile until every visitor sees a  consistent, well-documented story.

This slow-but-sure pace of updating your LinkedIn Profile will allow you to  both populate it fully, and also watch your LinkedIn traffic to see the  difference in results.

2. More Content On Your LinkedIn Profile Will Draw Better Visitors

Like a search engine, LinkedIn has an internal search algorithm that allows  anyone to find you based on the terms you add to your Profile. However, most  people don’t add enough data to be found on more than a few basic terms.

To change this dynamic, you’ll need to get serious about LinkedIn SEO  strategy – the kind used by professional LinkedIn Profile writers.

The easiest way to do this is by looking around at job postings that  represent your ideal role. Pull out the skill sets and job titles that appear  most often, and you’ll have a solid set of keywords to add in your LinkedIn  Profile.

Where should you add these keywords? Your Headline and Job Titles will carry  the most weight in LinkedIn’s indexing scheme, but you can also update your  LinkedIn Profile to use these terms in your Summary, Experience, Skills &  Expertise, Interests, and Projects. In fact, they’ll count nearly everywhere  except the Contact section.

Still stumped for keyword ideas? Conduct some competitive intelligence by  taking note of Profiles for LinkedIn users who already hold your dream job.  You’ll quickly see some commonly used job titles and competencies that could  make sense for your own LinkedIn Profile.

3. Recruiters Will Find It Easier To Source And Approach You

With recruiting activity on LinkedIn at an already hectic pace (and 93% of  recruiters using the site, according to a recent study cited by Forbes), it’s the place to be seen and  courted.

Therefore, if your LinkedIn Profile looks like a wasteland of information,  you’re missing out on the most obvious place to market yourself.

Recruiters spend considerable time and fees on high-end LinkedIn memberships,  allowing them to scour the site for talent. Make it easier for them by including  a robust set of skills, projects, job goals, and competencies in your LinkedIn  Profile as a serious keyword strategy, increasing your ability to pop up in  searches.

By doing this, you’ll also project a more welcoming demeanor, and are more  likely to be contacted for an opportunity that fits your goals.

In summary, don’t expect your LinkedIn Profile to work for you unless you  spend time getting it on top shape! By updating it now, you’ll be ready to not  only pursue a great job, but could also be contacted by employers seeking the  ideal candidate.

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