In this blog post you will learn how to establish your LinkedIn profile as an authority figure.
Before we start, let’s take a look at the breakdown of what you will be learning. I will be giving you the best tips on how to impress others on LinkedIn with a professional photo on your profile. Then I will guide you through how to make an eye-catching headline to secure prospects, as well as building a strong profile with power achievements, links to your work and recommendations. These steps will increase your appeal and boost your credibility to your targeted audience.
Your LinkedIn profile is essentially an online resume. It is a platform where you project your professional self.
It is a widely agreed fact that recruiters generally skip profiles that do not have a photo on them. Why? Reason being a profile without a photo displays no identity and credibility.
In a study conducted by TheLadders, an eye tracking heat-map shows that the first thing that catches people’s eyes is your profile photo. People generally spend 19 percent of the total time they spend looking at your profile typically looking at your photo.
LinkedIn also stated that profiles in LinkedIn search results with photos are seven times more likely to be clicked on than those without photos.
It is important to include a photo of yourself in your LinkedIn profile.
So how do you make sure your profile photo impresses? Here’s four great tips concluded by various researches and from professional recruiters and LinkedIn users.
First of all, choose a photo that looks like you in real life. The internet can be deceiving sometimes. Nobody likes being shown something only to find out later that it is not what was initially perceived or expected.
In person, you have less than 7 seconds to create a positive first impression and that is normally done through a hand shake, eye contact, the way you dress, how you carry yourself and your energy.
Online though, that window of opportunity is cut short to 3 seconds or even lesser. In this short time, the other person forms an opinion about you based on your profile picture and the accompanying information that is presented to them.
They will evaluate and form a perception as to whether or not can they trust you, are you friendly, are you approachable and even what kind of personality you have. First impressions are very important and that will help lay down the first layer of credibility.
Then you need to make sure you are making the right expression in your photo. Avoid making a straight face. Many might be wondering if it is appropriate to smile in a professional profile photo. The answer is yes. A pleasant smile has been proven to be able to stimulate positive feelings and increase engagement as it portrays approachability.
Dress as if you are going to work. Make sure what you wear depicts you in a manner that is appropriate in your field of profession. Here’s one tip for you, avoid wearing white colored top as it will make you look washed out or unnoticed among all other profile in the search results. Colors like black, blue, or even orange will be some examples of pleasing colors to the eyes because it is more soothing and inviting.
Next up I’ll be teaching you the most ideal position of your face in the photo. To draw focused attention, position your face at the center of the frame. Make sure that your face takes up at least 60% of the dimension within the frame as it is the ideal dimension that ensure maximum direct focus of the eyes on the person’s face within the frame.
Lastly, keep a clean and tidy background. This will avoid unnecessary distractions and keep the viewer’s eyes focused on your face.
The best color for your background would be white or light blue color because it will give a sense of clarity and professionalism.
Now let’s look at your headline. In LinkedIn, your profile headline is what defines you – who you are and what you do. It’s a short and clear description of yourself.
Here are three important principles of what you must include in your headline.
First up, explain who you are, what is your profession and what position are you holding. Then write down who can you help solve problems, which means who will need your assistance in your profession. Lastly, explain how you can help them and in how do you add value to them.
Here’s an example of how a good LinkedIn headline looks like. Notice how the headline includes the three principles we’ve talked about. This is how your headline should look like.
Let’s head on to your Summary field in your profile. Here’s where you fill in your abilities, profession, and achievements to tell people what you are capable of and why they should engage with you.
Write down your various functions and make sure they are all solution-oriented. For example, I am a professional recruiter and I have recruited 10 valuable employees and increase the company’s sales goals by 10 percent within a month.
Follow this structure of description when you list down your functions, prepare an introduction paragraph for each past experience you have. You can also add media files like videos, to further explain your achievements. This is a great way to increase interest and trust in you as media files are generally more intriguing.
The last step to strengthening your LinkedIn profile is by adding links and recommendations.
Make use of the three URLs you are allowed on your profile and link to it.
You should include links in your profile which lead viewers to relevant sites that showcases your work. For example,if you have a work-related blog or online portfolio, insert the link in your profile.This will further display your ability and profession to your prospects whereby they will be able to see for sure what you are capable of and how exactly you can help them solve their problem.
Recommendation is also another great tool you can use to prove your claims and worth. Get your ex or current co-workers or supervisor to write about how well you work and what are the great achievements you have accomplished. This works to create a concrete proof and support to your profile.
These are the essential components needed to establish your LinkedIn profile as an authority figure. Follow the steps above and you will create a strong profile that can kick-start your journey to successful and fulfilling engagements on LinkedIn.
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In the next blog post I will be discussing How To Use LinkedIn To Find Targeted Clients
Until next time.
Moni Arora
Moni Arora’s Blog
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