7 LinkedIn Mistakes That Will Make You Look Unprofessional

I am blessed to enjoy ~30K Connections on LinkedIn. According to LinkedIn statistics I rank in the Top 1% with respect to LinkedIn Connections and to my understanding once one reaches 30K Connections, from that point on you can only enjoy additional "Followers" (i.e., please correct me if this has changed).

However, let me be clear, being in the supposedly Top 1% of Connections is only mildly interesting and can get me a cup of coffee at Starbucks for the exact same price as anybody!

To this point, I know people who have connections/followers in the MILLIONS! However, people reach out to me all the time asking me if I can help them increase their connections and followers on LinkedIn.

So, I decided to proffer a post to help those in need increase their connections/followers by simply improving their LinkedIn profile (i.e., remedial to many of you who already enjoy a great following on LinkedIn, so please indulge this post).

So, here goes:

Your LinkedIn page and profile is your online billboard. It is your chance to show and share your personal brand.

Simply put, below is a list of seven common LinkedIn mistakes that make you look unprofessional.

1.?????? No header image - The header/background image is the first thing people see, even if it is the boring default image. Use this to your advantage to create interest.

2.?????? Weak profile picture - You are making a poor first impression.

3.?????? Weak headline - You are underselling yourself.

4.?????? Weak (or no) summary

Five elements to consider for your concise story:

A.? Who, what, why, when, and how

B. Core skills: commit to some primary skills versus a laundry list.

C. Why do you do what you do?

D. What big problems do you solve?

F.? Show any numbers.

5.?????? No (or few) recommendations - Lack of recommendations = not enough trust in your skills.

6.?????? No personalized message for your invite. Yes, sadly I need to list this mistake because I get invites like this too often and you likely do as well.

7.?????? No content worth sharing (or consuming) - Share content you feel is valuable to your network.

Source: LinkedIn and James Webb