Creating a LinkedIn Profile (2024). Job Change at 30s, 40s, and 50s.

Hello, busy professional. Are you looking to boost your digital personal brand? Are you new on LinkedIn and need guidance on building your professional-looking profile or where to start? During my almost 20 years of career, LinkedIn helped me expand my professional network and relocate for an international career. Thanks to LinkedIn, I moved between countries, made great business connections, and was offered opportunities through my online network. If I and many others did it, you can do it, too. Here is exactly where this blog post will help you. You'll learn step by step how to create a LinkedIn profile that is attractive and professional so that you can act today. Remember: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." (Lao Tzu)

For beginners, I recommend the following nine steps to create a good, professional-looking LinkedIn profile:

1) Sign Up on LinkedIn and Create a Profile

2) Add a Headline

3) Use a Photo

4) Write an Introduction 

5) Write Your Summary Section

6) Add Skills and Expertise

7) Check and Edit your Privacy Settings

8) Add People to Your Network

9) Join Groups on LinkedIn that are Relevant to your Business Area

Let`s go into the details on how to do each step.

Step 1: Sign Up and Create Your LinkedIn Profile

If you don't have a profile already and will create one, here is your first step to Sign Up on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/reg/join

You'll be asked to fill in the basic information here. 

TIP: If you are a founder, coach, or business owner, this tip is especially for you: remember to use a CTA call to action under the "Custom Action" section. For example, I use the following so that there is a clear link for the services and offers, and visitors to my profile can click to go to my website.

Link Text: Career & Digital Growth Offers

Website: www.coachdigital.ch 

Step 2: Add a Headline

The information on the Headline will appear below your picture on LinkedIn on search results, plus whenever you apply for jobs or comment on someone's post on LinkedIn. You will have a character limit of 120 words, and I recommend considering the following:

- What keywords are relevant to your business area or expertise? The tip is to optimize keywords; please remember not to stuff your profile with keywords.

- Which keywords would you like to be found when a recruiter or potential contact searches for an expert, founder, coach, executive, etc., like you?

- What is your / your business's added value?

✅Here is how I use keywords so people can find my profile on searches. 

✅And there are also creative ways to do it differently. Please check here to get inspired: 10 Eye-Catching LinkedIn Profile Headlines to Inspire Your Own.

Step 3: Add a Photo

A profile picture is the first thing people see when they visit your LinkedIn account. It's part of a first impression. This picture will appear on your homepage of LinkedIn.

A good rule of thumb is to have a photo taken in front of a plain background with natural lighting. If you cannot decide, I recommend the following:

1. Use a photo that looks like you😊

2. Make sure your picture is a high-resolution one.

3. My tip is using a picture you would be comfortable using on your CV or in a business setting as LinkedIn is a professional social network.

4. Pay attention to the background of the picture. 

5. If you crop it from another picture, ensure you are the only one in it. (For example, if it is from a team event, conference, or a business occasion with many people around.)

6. Pick an up-to-date - photo.

Step 4: Add a background photo (LinkedIn banner)

The other visually important part of your LinkedIn profile is the background section. You can use this section to highlight your skills and expertise in an eye-catching way by using a background photo or design. Moreover, you can use this area for a call to action if you have a business or project you'd like to highlight. (e.g., Visit xyz.com website.)

Many great tools can help you create a stunning LinkedIn background without design skills. Canva is the one I used. You can go to www.canva.com, search for "LinkedIn Banner" and create your own. 

Here is how:

1. Go to Canva.com.

2. Go to "Search" and type "LinkedIn Banners."

3. Choose a template & customize it.

4. Click download (as jpeg or png).

5. Go to LinkedIn & click "View Profile" under "Me."

6. Click the background photo. (The pencil icon)

7. Click "Change Photo" on that background page.

8. Select the Canva picture you saved on your computer.

9. Change the position and size by dragging the photo.

10. Click "Save."

Step 5: Write a good summary.

The summary section is an area that you can use to introduce yourself briefly. It is like your elevator pitch.

Some questions you can ask when writing this section are:

• What are the top 3 sentences I would like to share with visitors of my profile to give an overview of my professional background? 
• How would I answer the "Tell me about yourself" question in 3 sentences in a job interview?
• How can I highlight years of experience, the diversity of industries, and the different countries I have worked in?
•  What are the top 3 skills, achievements, and strengths I want people to know about? 
• Is my summary to the point? 
• Did I include the results/impact of my work, not just tasks & responsibilities?
• Particularly if you are a leader, coach, or founder, what is your "why"? Why are you doing what you are doing? I recommend showing your vision (why) here before your mission.

Here is a resource to find 80 different examples from Hubspot. 

Step 6: Add Keywords and Skills

According to LinkedIn resource here, 40% of hirers now use skills data when hiring on LinkedIn. Add as many relevant skills as possible. This is important for people to be able to endorse you and for recruiters, potential contacts, and clients to be able to find your profile when using LinkedIn Search.

When filling out your LinkedIn profile, look for popular keywords in your industry. Remember, the tip is to optimize keywords, not to stuff your profile with keywords.

You can use keywords all over your profile, and the most important sections I recommend you focus on in the beginning are the following four:

· Headline

· Profile Summary

· Experience

· Skills

Step 7: Check and Edit your Privacy Settings

Do you want people to see you when you visit their profile, or want to stay anonymous? When you post something, do you want only your network to see it or all LinkedIn networks? You can adjust these settings.

I highly recommend changing these settings based on your preferences.

How? You can update these and other important settings on the Privacy Settings page here, Account preferences (linkedin.com).

Step 8: Add People to Your Network

On the search area next to the LinkedIn logo in the top left corner, you can type the name of the person you would like to connect with.

Once you find the person and click on their profile, you'll see the Connect or Follow option below their picture. If you choose Connect, you can send a connection request and write a note to make it personal. If you don't see it automatically, I recommend clicking on the "More" tab; it will appear there.

Step 9: Join groups on LinkedIn that are relevant to your business area

Here is the Groups | LinkedIn page, where you can search for the name of the groups you are interested in and join.

Let's say you are a science teacher, small business owner, doctor, CEO or founder and would like to join the relevant groups, here is how:

• On the search box, if you type teacher, CEO, founder etc., it will show you the groups related to your search.
• The next step is to read what these groups are about and find the ones that interest you or your business.
• If you want to join, hit the Join button.

To sum up, this is what we've covered:

1) Sign Up on LinkedIn and Create a Profile

2) Add a Headline

3) Use a Photo

4) Write an Introduction 

5) Write Your Summary Section

6) Add Skills and Expertise

7) Check and Edit your Privacy Settings

8) Add People to Your Network

9) Join Groups on LinkedIn that are relevant to your Business Area

Thank you for choosing to read this post, and good luck with taking your first steps toward building your digital brand on LinkedIn. You`ve got this!

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LinkedIn SSI Score Explained (2023). 6 Things You Didn`t Know. (coachdigital.ch)

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Explore more posts like this on the Resources Hub.

Resources:

• LinkedIn Resource About Profile Pictures 
• Hubspot Resource About Personal Branding Examples
• Our skills-first vision for the future (linkedin.com)