These 3 mistakes can really hurt your chance at landing a job you love while also hurting your professional credibility and profile strength. But don’t feel too bad, these mistakes are very common.

Did you know that people judge a book by its cover?

Did you also know that publishing companies meticulously design and test book covers to make sure they have the best possible design for the book cover?

Your LinkedIn profile is your version of your book cover. Take the time to make sure that it reflects you in the way you want it to.

Mistake #1: Bad Profile Pic.

Most people know that this is important, but few people really understand what they are trying to accomplish with their LinkedIn profile picture.

Here are a few common profile pic mistakes:

• The Selfie
• The Cropped-out-group-pic
• The “I just used whatever picture was available when first set up my profile”
• The Shadow Creature (i.e bad lighting)
• The Vacation Pic
• The Trying-too-hard
• Overdressed pic
• The shrunk-down, too far away to recognize your face pic

Here is what you are going for instead:

1. Look matches your ideal work persona
2. Have good lighting
3. Use a high-res headshot only
4. Make sure you use a recent, updated picture of yourself
5. Use a picture that leaves a warm, welcoming impression.
   
   
   It is worth paying to have a decent picture representing you. Remember, you next job will probably come with a significant increase in pay.

   Mistake #2: Skipping the Headline and Summary sections

   Most people don’t understand the purpose of the Headline and Summary sections. So, they either skip the sections all together, or write a few words that sound somewhat nice or impressive.

   The result is a weak profile and lots of lost opportunity.
   
   Why do these sections matter?

   3 Big reasons:

   1. They are the two main sections visible to non-connections.
      When people who aren’t connected to you look at your profile, the most prominent information is your summary and headline.

   2. The keywords in this section are important.
      When recruiters are searching for talented people to fill their hot new job openings, they search for specific things to find people that match their job. Linkedin uses “keywords” in these sections to help those recruiters find what they are looking for. To find the right keywords, simply look at job postings for your ideal jobs and see the specific words they use often.

   3. They are the first thing people see about you- it’s a great chance to stand out. They see these sections before everything else. Use these sections to “frame” the readers perspective of the rest of the material. Show a slightly personal and unique side of yourself exemplifies your value to employers.
      
      For Example: “I literally thrive on challenges – that’s how I started running marathons and that’s how I’ve been promoted every 12 months.”

      Mistake #3 Reusing your resume… word for word

      Copy… Paste… Done… Right?

      Not so fast.

      Trust me, I get it. We all did this the first time we set up our profile. But employers these days are looking for a bit more.

      Use the experience section to expand and elaborate on your resume. Use the extra space to clearly explain what your company did, what you did specifically at the company, and what type of customers you served.

      Then highlight the specific problems you were hired to solve and explain how you solved them. Develop a narrative that shows a growth pattern that would make you uniquely qualified for the job you really want.

      There you have it! These are 3 of the biggest, most common mistakes that people make. There are some intricate ways to really optimize your profile, but you’ll be off to a big head start if you just avoid these 3 big mistakes.

      Grab the FREE checklist below to make sure you steer clear of these mistakes and don’t miss anything important! Who knows, your next sweet job could be just around the corner, and you’ll be ready for it.

PROFILE CHECKLIST