As a recruitment firm, we can admit that LinkedIn is one of our favorite talent-searching tools.
Even if you choose not to spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, or any time at all, it’s still worth taking some time to optimize your profile. You don’t need to be an influencer to make a noticeable profile for this virtual Rolodex.
If you’re ready to take your LinkedIn to the next level, it could just be a matter of deleting some things. Here are a few things you need to remove:
Unprofessional profile picture
Prospective connections are going to see your picture first. Ideally, you have already have a professional headshot as your profile photo. Blurry pictures, cropped group photos and selfies don’t belong on your profile.
If you don’t have a headshot, don’t fret. You don’t need a professional photographer, a fancy backdrop or a ring light. An iPhone in portrait mode can do wonders for you.
If you don’t have a picture, they’ll assume it’s an inactive profile, so add one.
Politics
Are you a politician or activist? Do you work for a company with a political affiliation? With a few exceptions, LinkedIn is a platform for establishing connections with professionals. It’s not a place to voice your grievances on certain policymakers. Even if you DO have a political platform, posts are going to be met with an abundance of “this is not the platform for that” or “leave politics out of LinkedIn”, so it’s better to save it for Twitter.
Your connections need to be able to view you without bias. You aren’t always going to work with people that align with your beliefs. Political LinkedIn posts are just going to alienate prospective connections.
Lackluster phrases
If you aren’t putting it on your resume, don’t put it on your LinkedIn. Infamous buzzwords are infamous for a reason. In your summary, you can delete anything along the vein of:
- Self-motivated
- Team player
- Experienced
- Accomplished professional
- Results-driven
They’re clichés. Whatever advice you apply to your resume, incorporate it into your profile.
Proprietary info
While it can be nice to include things like sales data to support what’s on your resume, you should remove information that you’re unauthorized to share. For certain plans, you’ll need permission, or you’ll need to redact company names.
Personal information
If you post on LinkedIn, it can be nice to give people a small glimpse into your life every once in a while, especially if you’re in an executive role. Outside of the more occasional post, things like your date of birth, address, ethnicity, and any other personal information don’t need to be listed on your profile.