3 Secrets to Creating a Killer LinkedIn Profile

Used by a whopping 94% of recruiters and boasting over 330 million members worldwide, it's safe to say that LinkedIn is a career tool that serious professionals can no longer afford to pass up. Companies and recruiters alike now have a massive talent pool constantly at their fingertips, and sophisticated computer programs make it easier than ever for them to process and evaluate huge volumes of resumes and potential candidates in the blink of an eye. As a result, it's now those professionals who understand how to most effectively pitch themselves to both human and machine audiences, rather than those who are simply the most qualified, who are seeing their careers take off.

So how do you make sure you're playing the online reputation management game at the highest level? The first step is to have a killer LinkedIn profile: here are the three secrets you need to know to create a profile can that speak equally powerfully to recruiters and algorithms.

1. Use strong, recognizable job titles.

Are you a Code Ninja? Or perhaps the Intergalactic Federation King Almighty and Commander of the Universe? Catchy and unusual titles can be fun, and are increasingly common, especially in Silicon Valley, but it's important not to sacrifice clarity for the sake of creativity. This is especially true given that it's often computers rather than people who are conducting initial analyses of online profiles—you don't want a computer to formulate an inaccurate picture of your career and accomplishments because it can't correctly interpret your quirky job title. If you do have an unusual title, or if your title is simply not very descriptive, make sure to include a clear, strong subtitle – think "Code Ninja a.k.a. Web Application Engineer"—that will plainly communicate to human and machine audiences what you do and ensure you’re not missing valuable opportunities.

2. Use the right keywords.

Unless you have a job with a very obvious set of responsibilities, like CEO or VP of sales, you'll need to include specific, material descriptions of your responsibilities in your profile. The descriptions should be no longer than a brief, tight paragraph—your profile is going to be read by a computer, or else extremely quickly by a person with a lot of other profiles to get through, so don't waste time padding your descriptions with unnecessary detail. Instead, judiciously lace them with industry-relevant keywords—correctly used keywords will not only help a computer to flag your profile for further review, but they tend to impress human readers as well.

3. Be judicious with your recommendations.

Recommendations can be a tricky social territory to navigate. Many people worry about offending current or former colleagues and direct reports if they refuse to give a recommendation, but it's very important to be selective if you are going to engage with this feature (or stay away from recommendations altogether if you're really worried about offending someone). There is room for nuance here—it will look different to viewers if you're trading vague recommendations with peers than if you are a senior manager primarily writing pithy recommendations for select direct reports. But regardless of your role, you do still run the risk of appearing indiscriminate if you do too many, so it's important to keep this in mind when evaluating requests.

If you do choose to write recommendations, make sure that the praise is specific and that the accomplishments you call out are genuinely impressive. These kinds of recommendations are far more effective than vague or overly effusive puff pieces, and they help to demonstrate your perceptiveness and acuity as a manager or colleague in addition to benefiting the person you are recommending.

Most of us already know that virtually every part of our lives is being collected by Big Data companies, but what I call Big Analysis is going to be the game changer over the next decade, and it's already having a huge impact. As a prime example, last month, LinkedIn published a report of the top 25 hottest skills of 2014, which were determined by data analysis of existing LinkedIn profiles.

Do you have one of these skills? If so, are those keywords in your LinkedIn profile? If not, you may have missed out on big opportunities, but the good news is that you can fix that today with a few judicious profile edits.

To learn more about Big Analysis and the massive changes ahead for digital reputation management, including tips on surviving and thriving professionally in this brave new world, check out my new book, The Reputation Economy.