Maximize LinkedIn: Above the Fold-Optimization

You never get a second chance to make a first impression; a phrase that has been used many times but only because it is so very true.

When a potential contact opens your profile, the first thing they will see if your general information box. This is where you need to make that first impression count - set a presence and tone that invites the individual to want to read more and reach out to you.

This general information box contains your picture, name, headline, location, industry, current position, past positions and education. On the bottom right corner is a small “Contact Info” box. These are the two areas we want to focus on and update today.

Here is a quick cheat sheet to use as a guide:

General Information

In the previous article, we spoke about completing your location, industry, education, current position and adding at least two previous positions. These will complete the section under your name and headline. For more information or to review that article, click here: LinkedIn All-Star Status Rocks

We also discussed the profile picture; however, for a more suggestions and tips to create the best possible profile picture, click here: I Did Not Connect With You On LinkedIn Because of Your Facebook Picture

Now, on to nine quick updates for a complete above the fold:

Name

You have 20 characters available for your first name and 40 characters available for your last name. I cheated on this. I put my entire first and last name in the first name box and utilized the last name to put keywords. This is not a recommendation for everyone to do so, it is only an option.

There is a downside: I run the risk of someone not being able to find me by my last name, which is a pretty common last name as it is; however, I leveraged the ability to put more keywords into my profile.

*To check how many characters you have used, in Word, highlight the text, click Tools then click Word Count. Look at the number after Character (with spaces) – spaces count as characters in LinkedIn.*

Headline

The easiest thing to do is to list your title and company in your headline and call it a day. Just because it is easy, does not make it your best option. You have 120 characters to use in this section – make it count.

If you choose to include both your title and your company, see if you still have space available to add keywords that represent you or your value.

Sometimes a title is not appropriate or available. If you are in transition and not sure where your next move might be, a title might not be appropriate. If you work for a company that gives goofy titles or one that does not really represent what you do (hold a director level position with a supervisor title), a title might not work for you.

In these cases put a value statement. Tell your potential contacts who you are, what you do and what you bring to the table.

One of my favorite clients is a project manager that leverages her project management and business expertise to deliver profitability, efficiency and results. That was her headline!

Do you bridge the gap between technology and goals to engage employees, propelling them to deliver exceptional client experiences? Finagle that taking out two characters and tada – new headline.

Or you could take a different approach and list impactful, relevant keywords that represent you and your value. Logistics, Transportation, Inventory Control, Continuous Improvement. That list is only 68 characters. You can make it stand out a bit more by adding characters between each word. Which draws more attention:

Logistics, Transportation, Inventory Control, Continuous Improvement ~ or  ~

Logistics ▲ Transportation ▲ Inventory Control ▲ Continuous Improvement 

LinkedIn may not allow for italics, bold or different font styles; however, it does allow characters:

Email:? ? ? ? ? ?
Phone: ? ? ? ?
Write: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Stars: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ╰☆╮ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ★ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Money: € ￡ ? ? $ ? ￠ ? ￥ ? ? ? ? 元 ? ? ? ¤ ? ? ? ? ? 円 ? ? ? ? z ? ? ? ? ? ? K ? ?
Hand: ? ?? ? ? ? ? ?
Copyrights: ? ? ? ? ?
Yes: ? ? ? √
No: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Triangles: ▲ ▼ ? ? ? ◣ ◢ ◥ ▼ ◤ ◥ ? ? ? ? △ ▽ ? ? ⊿ ? ? ? ? ? ?
Circled: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Quotes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ′ ‵ ‘ ’ ? ? “ ” ? ? ? ″
Round: ? ○ ? ? ◎ ● ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ⊙ ? ? ?
Boxes: ? ? ? ? ? ▁ ▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ ▉ ▊ ▋ █ ▌ ▍ ▎ ▏? ? ? ▓ ▔ ▕ ■ □ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Pointers: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ← ↑ → ↓ ? ? ↖ ↗ ↘ ↙ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Just copy and paste into your profile.

Contact Information

Visibility

Check your settings to make check the status of your visibility. If you want to change your visibility, follow these steps:

Under Account settings
Select Privacy & Settings
Select Profile
Edit your public profile ? (under helpful links)
Select Make my public profile visible to everyone
Choose what elements in your profile are visible to everyone.

Above the profile visibility is where you can change your URL

Customized URL

When you first sign up for LinkedIn, it assigns you a URL with a bit of gobbledygook at the end. Simply delete everything after www.dhirubhai.net/in: and insert your name. You have 29 characters to use. LinkedIn will let you know if the name has been taken.

Websites

You can add your company or personal websites, having 30 characters for the anchor text.

Contact Information

Be sure to list your phone number and email for people to reach out to you. You also have the option of adding an IM.

Phone – 25 characters
Email Address – 1000 characters
IM – 25 characters

Background Photo

There is a big blank space behind your general information box – use it. You can upload a picture to create interest or use as emphasis. The parameters for this picture are between 1000 x 425 and 4000 x 4000 pixels with a maximum file size of 4MB, in either JPG, GIF, or PNG format.

Chose carefully, as this very large picture behind your profile picture is another representation of you. You may choose a picture that represents your organization, shows you doing what you do best or as an emphasis on keywords or value.

I created a background that highlights what I do by a bold title (Brand Strategist) with a summary (Leveraging personal branding to propel careers and businesses) and a list of key components on the right. I also used color to create more impact.

This will fit behind the general information box so make sure that if you create your own all the important aspects are visible.

Just a few short clicks and edits and you will be on your way to maximizing LinkedIn!

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I help people identify and set a path to achieve their career goals by using the V Formula:

Your Value + Your Voice = Visibility

Visibility is the leverage to move up or move on in your career; expand your book of business, grow your company and strengthen your team.

--Lisa

 ★★★★★  P l e a s e   N o t e  ★★★★★

I am truly grateful for all my followers on LinkedIn; yet following me does not guarantee you are notified of new articles. LinkedIn has made changes that in essence, randomly choose whether to notify followers of new articles.

In order to be kept up to date, please visit: LisaKMcDonald.com and click the “Yes Please!” button on the right side. This allows you to receive an email when a new article has been published.

I respect your privacy and do not sell, spam or share your valuable information.

Lisa K. McDonald, Owner and Principal of Career Polish, Inc. is a favorite speaker and seminar facilitator at companies and professional organizations speaking to leadership, sales, teams, transitioning/downsized employees and networking groups about career mobility, personal branding, networking, creating executive presence and achieving career movement success. To find out more, visit Career Polish, Inc.