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7 steps for creating a perfect LinkedIn profile

Published: March 1, 2023

7 steps for creating a perfect LinkedIn profile illustration

LinkedIn is an excellent platform for growing your business network and finding a dream job. It allows you to showcase your experience, just like a good resume does. However, LinkedIn gives you even more: an opportunity to get inspired and inspire others with your success stories, a possibility to connect with great people all around the world, and a chance to get noticed by the right people.
For all of this to happen, you need to create an appealing LinkedIn profile. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Add a professional profile picture

Your profile picture on LinkedIn really matters. It’s the first thing people, including recruiters, see. You do want to make a good first impression, don’t you? In fact, a LinkedIn study shows that if you have a profile pic, people are 14 times more likely to view your profile. Another study, conducted by Passport-Photo Online, showed that 80% of recruiters consider profile pictures an important ranking factor.

As you see, it is really worth investing in a professional photoshoot. If you don’t have time or the possibility to do so, experiment and try taking a good-looking selfie. Nowadays, you can take a professional-looking self-portrait even with your smartphone. And, if you did take a great self-portrait but you are not satisfied with the background, use the AI-powered apps to edit the background.

Step 2: Add a banner

A lot of people skip this step and miss an opportunity to strengthen their personal brand image. A good banner strengthens your written values visually and makes your profile stand out. Here are a few ideas for the LinkedIn banner.

1. Your product.

If you sell products, add them to your banner. People will most likely remember the image and associate it with you. This will also create immediate interest among your potential buyers or clients.

2. Things related to your mission, vision, or values.

Showing the impact you are already creating or are trying to create with your job elevates your professional image. It also helps people understand you share their values, and they will more likely connect with you.

3. Showcase your awards.

If you received an award recently, use a LinkedIn banner to boost your credibility and get more connections and followers.

Step 3: Think of an appealing headline

A headline is a short text below your profile picture. The LinkedIn headline appears along with the profile picture in different places: in the "People you may know" section, the job section, the search section, and in your posts, messages, and recommendation feed.

The headline is your short summary, and together with the profile picture, it creates the first impression of you. It also appears on Google search results. So make sure you use this tool to attract more people.

Take your time to create a great headline. Consider who you want to attract: recruiters, employees, colleagues, or clients. Think of what they are searching for, what could catch their attention. For example, if you are looking for customers, it may be a good idea to put your value proposition: what is so special about you that you can give to your clients?

Step 4: Write a summary

A summary, or "About" section, allows 2,600 characters, which is around 400 words. Here, you can talk about your skills and experience in more detail and with a touch of your personality. A few tips on how to write a good summary:

  • Make the first three lines as interesting as possible, as the reader sees only these lines before expanding the full text. Make them want to read the whole abstract.
  • Use keywords, they increase your profile's searchability.
  • Include data and numbers, they bring more credibility.
  • Include a call to action: don't leave your reader hanging; instead, direct them to the next step.

Step 5: Show your education and work experience

Update your profile with relevant education and work experience information that aligns with your career goals. If you want to show your work, it is possible to add media files in this section. You can feature

  • your LinkedIn posts.
  • articles that you have published on LinkedIn,
  • links to external websites, e.g., to your portfolio,

You can also upload images, documents, presentations, and videos.

Step 6: List your skills

Let people know what you are good at. List the skills that will show recruiters and colleagues how you can help them. Once your skillset section is filled, other LinkedIn users can endorse the skills. This serves as social proof of your skills, gives you more credibility, and makes your profile more visible when someone searches for a person with your skillset.

It is also possible to take assessment tests to prove your proficiency.

Step 7: Collect recommendations

Recommendations are another great tool to strengthen your credibility. You can request recommendations not only from your clients, but also from business partners and colleagues. Once accepted, recommendations are visible on your profile. However, if you think some of them are not relevant anymore, you can hide them.

Once you’re done filling out your LinkedIn profile, start building your network. You can also join professional groups to attract more people.