A complete profile – does it matter?

Is Your LinkedIn Account Incomplete

In a nutshell, Yes. Screaming from the top of my desk, YES! Now, before the guys with straightjackets come to pull me out of here; YES. Your profile is important and it should be complete – it speaks for you; and it’s someone’s first impression of you. It should give a good overview of you and what you do – this will help people determine if they want to be connected to you and if you have/are involved with something that can be of some value to them. LinkedIn is your branding tool for your career.

The Summary

If you’re looking for a job or the next contract, Summary matters. It is probably best to update it regularly, to ensure that others – such as hiring managers – notice you. Make sure to use enough keywords that your target audience is searching for — sounds a lot like SEO, doesn’t it? Your summary should reflect who you are. 

Hobbies?

Hobbies help demonstrate diversity and give you a personal side. We don’t work our entire lives and it’s safe to say that most of us, if not all, enjoy a few hobbies in our personal time. These tidbits of information give the reader a piece of your overall life. If you’re concerned, leave out the “weird” hobbies, like duct tape art.  BBC Agrees.

What about my picture?

Your picture gives a face to the words on the screen, making a more personal connection. And, it can create familiarity if someone starts to see you in various places – familiarity is always good. Look at my mugshot – who can forget that?

Work Experience?

If you’re well into your career, it is probably safe to leave off the jobs you had in high school and early college. Working at a grocery store or fast food restaurant may not be applicable any longer, and while these jobs aren’t a point of pride to you now, they may still be relevant if you’re just getting started. In that case, leaving your previous jobs on this section demonstrates your ability get – and keep – a job. As your career develops, you can begin to prune them from your profile.

I recommend going back as far as your undergraduate — it gives the reader a scope of where you’ve been, as well as what you have been able to achieve. This choice really depends on the purpose: If you really want someone to be focused on your latest experiences, just list the last position, with details and results. A safe rule of thumb is the last 3 jobs or 15 years in the case of working for the same company with multiple jobs in the company. 

Should I join Groups?

Groups are great because they allow you to interact with large numbers of people and also allow you to get your message out to large numbers of people at once. I frequently post discussions and articles in various groups and generally get a decent response. By posting articles from my website and this blog, I get visitors and people are able to see the resources I make available, as well as become more familiar with me. 

You may find people in groups who want to connect with you, or people you want to connect with. But the key is to participate; just joining a group won’t do it. You need to be active so only join groups that really interest you/are relative to you and participate in them. You can find and share valuable resources within groups. Some groups even share job postings.