10 Common LinkedIn Mistakes

As a career coach, LinkedIn is one of the most powerful, important tools that you could be using in your career. And not just for job searching. But yet, it is still not being used to its full potential. Time and time again, I see professionals making these mistakes:

Mistake no. 1: Not Having A Profile At All

If you are not on LinkedIn at all, you are missing out on so many opportunities. Not just access to one of the best job boards, but to people, companies, groups, and events that you might never have crossed paths with in regular life. ?LinkedIn also helps establish credibility with recruiters and hiring managers. If they have nothing to verify, they might question moving forward with your application.

Mistake no. 2: Having a Bare Bones Profile:

Having little to no information on your profile is just as bad as having no profile! At a bare minimum, you want a headshot, headline, your current and at least one past role, education, and skills. This will allow your profile to be searchable and have enough content to help recruiters make a decision about you.

Mistake no. 3: Not Checking it Regularly

When I was a recruiter, I reached out to this candidate who I thought would be perfect for an opportunity that I was sourcing for. Didn’t hear back from him for 3 months because he “was never on here”. Log in AT LEAST 2x per week. If you don’t, you could be missing a great opportunity.

Mistake no. 4: Not Utilizing LinkedIn’s Features

LinkedIn is so much more than just a digital resume or job board. It allows you to dig in deep into a company, its people, and its projects. It allows you to understand what skills are needed for jobs, learn new skills, and expand your industry knowledge. Take some time to explore all of LI’s features. You never know what it could lead to!

Mistake no. 5: Focusing on Your Own Needs (aka being selfish)

I get it. In today’s world, you are the only one to advocate for yourself. But reciprocity goes a long way. Take time to see what others are doing and asking for. Help out where you can, even if it’s a simple introduction or sharing of a post. You never know how your kindness might be returned.

Mistake no. 6: Not Reaching Out to Hiring Managers and Recruiters

This I get. When I was a youngin in the corporate world, reaching out felt so intimidating. I am very shy and introverted and never knew what to say. But as I developed my career in recruiting, I loved when people reached out to me. Having that opportunity to connect is gold! Think about it this way. You might be the perfect candidate that they are looking for and without reaching out, you might never get in front of them. ??

Mistake no. 7: Ignoring Your Current Connections

The power of your network is huge. Just like you, people move jobs, and industries, and are consistently connecting with different people. So if you think your current connections have no value, you are wrong. Start by scanning who you know, where they work, and who they know. You never know if you could find a great little golden nugget there!

Mistake no. 8: Not Completing or Optimizing Your Profile

A complete profile is a discoverable profile. Recruiters use job titles, degree types, and skills to find candidates then they want to learn more about you, your personality, your projects, and so on. Complete and optimize your profile to get more connections, more visibility, and more interview requests.

Mistake no 9: Having Your Settings Too Locked Down

I get that it’s important to have some privacy settings established but if you have too much locked down, people outside of your current connections, such as recruiters and hiring managers, won’t be able to see your profile and reach out to you. Ensure that your visibility and connection settings are open enough to be found.

Mistake no. 10: Not Having A Profile Authentically Aligned With Who You Are and What Your Value Is

The key to attracting the right opportunities is being authentic to you. While anyone offering career advice, including myself, can give you tips and tricks to setting up, optimizing, and utilizing your profile in the best way, you want to stay true to yourself. Let your personality and value shine through your profile and you will be sure to connect with amazing opportunities!

Avoiding these ten common LinkedIn mistakes will help you enhance your professional image, build meaningful connections, and make the most of this powerful networking platform.

In next week’s LinkedIn Workshop, we’ll address each of these mistakes and make sure your profile is ready to take you to the next level in your career. Click here to grab your spot.?