Stop Ignoring Your LinkedIn Profile. Best Ways To Update It Now

Robin Ryan

Today I worked with Susan, 59, an IT Manager working in the healthcare field. She has been working in her company for over 20 years. She has ignored LinkedIn as she likes her job, that is, until awhile ago. Her manager changed, and a promised promotion went to someone else. Her husband encouraged her to job hunt, and she contacted me to help her write her LinkedIn Profile. 

Susan didn’t have a profile. No connections, no professional experiences, no skills, — she had nothing. As a career counselor who writes 4 or 5 LinkedIn profiles a week, I haven’t had anyone recently who had no LinkedIn presence at all. Then, today I worked with Dominick, 60, and he just lost his job. He has decided to go ahead and formally launch his consulting business and wanted help creating his LinkedIn profile. He also didn’t have anything written on his LinkedIn Profile page, confessing he didn’t think he needed it before.

Last week, I had two people who had Profiles with nothing really on them besides their current job title and a photo. I thought, “Could this be a baby boomer trend from the coronavirus? Are people who have no profiles deciding to join the world’s largest professional network?” You have to wonder. We hear so much about the importance of a well written and up-to-date LinkedIn profile; I question how people are missing that career message. I can’t stress enough that you need a well-composed LinkedIn Profile. Ask any career counselor, and they will agree with that statement. 

Whether it’s because you lost your job, or are taking a new career path, or want a better position, your LinkedIn Profile is crucial to your job search. There are still some companies hiring. There are still recruiters searching for candidates on LinkedIn every day. You don’t want to be embarrassed when a recruiter, hiring manager, or a colleague comes to look at your profile. You want to be proud of who you are and what you have accomplished. Since 90% of America is stuck at home, now is the right time to make an effort to update your LinkedIn Profile. 

Making More Connections

You won’t automatically start getting all kinds of action if you don’t have any connections. LinkedIn says that having connections with people you know is vital. It is also how the algorithm works. You want to try to connect with 300 or more people. You need that many to make LinkedIn effective in noticing you. Who makes good connections? Current and past bosses, coworkers, professional colleagues, association and club officers, friends, college classmates, and business owners. Start making requests. Just note that you are limited and can only send 30 individual invitations per day.

Here is a much faster way to get connections. LinkedIn has made it easier to add your email contacts to build your social network....  Read the full Forbes article to find out how and more tips and tricks.