Here are some basic steps to take to clean up your LinkedIn profile:

1. Ensure your basic information are right

Make sure your basic information are still up to date. Are you still in the same location? How is your LinkedIn URL set up? How do others see your profile?

Click on your picture and choose „View Profile“, on the top right corner, click on „Edit public profile & URL“ to find out, how others can see you. On the right hand top corner you can change the URL of your profile, make sure it reflects your name correctly, without any strange numbers and letters.

Furthermore you can choose how others can see your profile, what kind of information are publicly available, which ones do you want to hide.

Go to your Settings & Privacy and ensure the account settings are still accurate and privacy is to what you are willing to reveal about you for all.

2. First impression counts

The first impression always counts, you have to make sure your profile attracts a visitor who wants to get to know you better. Ensure your profile picture is recent and update your background with a picture relating to your professional life. Make sure your headline (the 3 lines under your name) shows the benefit for your reader, this is where you reveal your own Unique Selling Proposition. Update your current position and ensure the most important degree is shown. But most importantly, use the summary part to give the reader in a few sentences a clear idea of who you are, what sets you apart and what you want the viewer know about you. It reflects a summary of the objectives of your resume, no matter if you are looking for a job or just want to connect and expand your network.

3. Experience and Skills

How long has it been since you last update your profile? Are you experiences and skills still reflecting what you are doing today? What about your latest training?

Review the experience and remove those, who are no longer relevant and just distract the readers. Update your skills, add some new skills and ask for endorsement from your colleagues. Add the latest training you have taken to show how these helped you to build your next step in your career.

4. Recommendation, interests and groups

Last but not least, update your recommendations. Start with giving recommendation to your co-worker, trainee or a provider who has brought great added value. Giving a recommendation is equally important to receiving. Investigate who you worked with closely and can judge your skills and expertise. It provides you a good opportunity to talk to people you work with, get feedback and improve your LinkedIn profile.

Update your interests, find out which company are providing interesting insights and start following. Search for groups in the area of your expertise and ask to join to expand your online network.

These are just some basic tips on how to improve your LinkedIn profile. If you want to have a professional review, look out for courses, meetups or even coaches able to help you to professionalize your profile.

More importantly though is expanding your skills and expertise. Want to know how? Sign up today and find out in our next blog!