Being on LinkedIn and displaying yourself in the correct way is very important in the world today. What you chose to have on your profile could affect future job opportunities and the overall identity in the eyes of the public.
DO-upload a profile picture
Be smart about what picture you do upload however, it should be professional looking. Keep in mind that this is the first thing people see when looking for you or coming across your page. You always want the first impression to be the best. Keep your picture current; if your appearance has changed then so should your picture.
DO-connect to real colleagues and contacts
Don’t connect to Joe Schmoe just to have more connections. If you don’t know them in real life, then don’t connect with them.The true value in LinkedIn is in the quality of your relationships and trust built among them. Also, keep in mind that your connections are a reflection on you and you don’t want it to be a bad one.
DO-keep your profile current
Just like on your resume, you want your LinkedIn profile to be as current as possible. People will think better of you if you engage and update your profile instead of just having it sit there. When you neglect your profile, people will tend to neglect you.
DO-delete people who spam you
If people are using their connection list to just spam, then you can’t mean that much to them in the first place. It is okay to disconnect with people on LinkedIn if you feel the relationship is no longer working for you.
DO-spend time on your summary
Remember, it’s a summary not a novel. It should be a quick snapshot of who you are as a person without being too boring. If you feel weird talking about yourself, or think something is missing have someone check over it and give advice.
DON’T-use LinkedIn like Facebook and Twitter
LinkedIn is more of a professional network, so keep personal things to a minimum or share them on Facebook or Twitter. Only share personal content about yourself as it relates to your work life.
DON’T- confuse quantity for quality
Ask yourself one question: could I recommend this person to someone or would they recommend me? If the answer is no then they have no purpose being in your network. A network is only as strong as it’s weakest link (no pun intended). Having a big connection list is impressive, but not always the best.
DON’T-decline invitations, archive them
Don’t you hate when you burn a bridge and realize you need to cross it later? Try to avoid this habit in the virtual world as well. If someone wishes to connect with you and you don’t know them, archive it instead of deleting it. Later on down the road you may meet this person and want to connect with them, and it will be easier to find the invitation. If it becomes awkward at all, just use the “the check is in the mail” excuse and say you have been meaning to confirm the connection.
DON’T-ask everyone for recommendations
Unfortunately, there is no golden rule to follow when it comes to the number of recommendations you should have. A more personable recommendation will speak volumes for you instead of someone that barely knows you. So this would be another place not to confuse quality and quantity. On the plus side, you no longer need to have recommendations in order to achieve a 100% complete profile on LinkedIn, so that should take some of the pressure off. It is still important to have them, but now you can search out someone who will leave a good recommendation.
DON’T-forget to use spelling and grammar check
In today’s day and age there is no excuse for you to spell anything wrong! Your profile is a direct reflection of you, and you won’t want someone to think you are lazy or inadequate because you can’t spell. Check, and double check your spelling before hitting submit.
sources:socialmediatoday, pcworld, linkedin