LinkedIn header image evolution, software engineering, and persistence.

Hello and welcome to BetterMe - Better You.

This is an evolution from my regular Monday morning posts with everything I saved from LinkedIn - I realized that a Newsletter with its longer length will help me to pass all the useful knowledge to you without compromises, and also - let's be honest - it will be more directed to those who care, and less annoying for the others.

Let's get to the first topic - the LinkedIn Profile header. If you are not interested feel free to scroll down to SAVES FROM THE LAST WEEK.

My LinkedIn Banner evolution.

I don't want to talk too much about how to make a great banner for your profile - I simply don't know.

What I know is that it is by far the most visible area of your profile - and it's a shame to waste it on a nice photo of mountains, kittens, or garden birds...

I used this banner for a long time:

Not great, not terrible. It has one advantage - people immediately connect you with the company.

That can be an advantage when you aim for internal connections - I talked about that way of using LinkedIn in a recent post

Over time you will probably realize that it's not just your company you want to showcase on LinkedIn , and you will try to experiment with your message. So that people know who you are.

This banner is quite too shining out - but sending the message I was aiming for - to show the REAL me and also to tell people that I am a software engineer, I like storytelling and leadership.

I had nothing to offer though, at the time. And you can feel it.

This is the 3rd evolution of my banner - I tried to aim for a more clean design and to shout out to people something about my projects - more and more I am getting into helping others with my LinkedIn presence, and I also started a newsletter.

But I realized it is still not it and too much clutter - so the latest evolution a few days ago:

How do you like it? Let me know :D

Anyway, if you want to have a look at some actually GOOD banners, I recommend Jane Kisnica - check her profile, you will find a lot of inspiration, and if you want to get it right without experimenting like me - she is offering her designing services at a reasonable price.

Take Home Message? The banner on your profile is important. Don't underestimate it.

What I saved from LinkedIn last week:

A personally vetted assertion of posts I found out to be interesting enough so that I will save them and get back to them. All these provided a lot of value. Categorized by overall topic so that you can easily skip those that are not interesting for you personally.

LinkedIn

Richard van der Blom and his 20 burning LinkedIn facts - did you know only 3% of people hit "see more" on your LinkedIn Bio?

Robert Coe and 5 questions to ask yourself when questioning the value of your LinkedIn Posts

Carina Farrell and her 7 actionable ways to optimize your LinkedIn profile in 2024

Jasmin Ali? says "Don't let them think" - your no. 1 LinkedIn Strategy. 7 ways to optimize your brand for action.

Software Engineering

Jade Wilson and her post about "The types of Lead Engineers I have encountered throughout the years"

Caleb Mellas and the qualities of the best software engineers he knows.

Anemari Fiser and her "5 non-tech skills to develop in 2024 as a tech person"

Let's get in touch

This is the least saved I did here in a long time - but never mind see you with a new batch next week.

How do you like this format? I would love to hear from you - drop me a message!

I have TWO newsletters

This is BetterMe - BetterYou, where I share personal growth tips, and bits about personal brands and alike, accompanied by the selection of posts from last week I found useful.

My second newsletter is called Soft-Skilled Engineer.

It helps software engineering professionals to fuel their growth by leveraging soft skills.