“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it really make a sound?” 

In the context of Linkedin, it resonates deeply – you’re a Pro and you know it, but if you don’t show it, then are you really a Pro? Today I want to share some effective LinkedIn profile tips that will ensure you’re seen by recruiters, connections, and potential partners, or anyone else you want, so let’s dress to impress.

Where and How Do People See You on LinkedIn?

Visibility on LinkedIn is both an art and a science. The platform is flooded with professionals, and while having an ordinary profile is a great first step, if you’re looking to get noticed, it might not be enough. Here are some of the best tactics I’ve learned and implemented that can help you increase your visibility. It goes from the easiest to the hardest, so stay focused. 

Top 3 LinkedIn Profile Tips: The Tactics To Get You Noticed 

1. Make It Pretty & Optimized

First impressions matter, especially on LinkedIn. It starts with visuals:

Above the fold:

• Profile Picture: Ensure it’s professional yet authentic. A friendly smile goes a long way. A study by LinkedIn revealed that profiles with a professional photo receive 14 times more profile views.
• Header Image: This is prime real estate for showcasing your personality or expertise. Consider a customized banner that reflects your professional brand or company brand.
• Your headline and summary should be compelling. Use action-oriented language and highlight your strengths. For example:
  “Marketing Specialist | Helping Brands Connect and Grow”
  “Software Engineer | Passionate About Innovative Solutions”

Highlight what makes you a pro: 

• About section: talk about who you are and what makes you a professional in your space. 
• Experience Section: Don’t just list job responsibilities; illustrate your impact. Mention specific accomplishments, metrics, and skills acquired.
• Skills: This is where you give a glance to your soft and hard skills.
• Certifications and education: Showcasing your education will give another peek into who you are and your accomplishments.

Highlight what makes you an amazing person to be connected to: 

• Featured content section: Here you can “pin” posts you feel represent who you are. A very engaging post from the past, photos from a conference or anything else you’ve posted and you feel shows your personality.
• Endorsements: The endorsement section is connected to your skills, letting others endorse you for those skills.
• Recommendations: Ask your favorite colleagues, managers and mentors to write you a recommendation. There’s nothing like others telling what amazing co-worker you are. They will be happy to do that for you. 
• Interests: What interests you? Who do you follow for guidance? What are you passionate about? Under the interests section you uncover another layer of personality.
• Profile User verification: a technical LinkedIn verification to verify you’re a real person. In a post-AI world, it’s hard to know what is real and what’s not sometimes…

2. Networking is Caring 

Building connections is the essence of LinkedIn, and by connecting with people you increase your exposure day by day. Now, it’s not just about quantity, but quality too:

• Connect with Purpose: Instead of sending generic connection requests, personalize your invites. Mention where you met or why you want to connect.

• Expand Your Horizons: Engage with people from different backgrounds, industries, and locations. Attend local networking events and discuss your shared interests, whether that’s your neighborhood, industry, or even your children’s school.

Remember: the more connections you have, the wider your reach. Each new connection can open doors to opportunities you may never have imagined.

3. Level Up: Make It Active 

If you leave today with one LinkedIn profile tip, it would be to authentically engage. While it may not come intuitively for everyone, engaging authentically is crucial to getting more eyeballs on your profile. Without it, your profile will be nice, but will not reach its full potential. 

When engaging on LinkedIn, your likes, comments and posts are visible to your connections, driving attention to your views and opinions, uncovering your professional personality. But most importantly, Linkedin will identify you as a conversation starter the more you comment, post, share and write authentic and engaging content. This alone will increase your overall impressions across your network.

Here are several ways to keep your activity lively, from the easiest to the hardest:

• Like posts: Whenever you like posts from brands or connections, your activity becomes visible to your network. For instance, if you like posts of people you appreciate professionally, their posts will show in your other connections’ feeds. 
• Comment on posts: Commenting on posts will let Linkedin know you’re a conversation starter, and will likely help you get more visibility every time you comment.  
• View and Engage: Make it a habit to review profiles of connections and others in your industry. Engaging with their content can encourage reciprocal visits to your profile.
• Post Regularly: Most struggle with this one, or seldom feel awkward (see the last headline on this article), but sharing insights from your work life, notes and photos from conferences, or even day-to-day experiences, helps your community and let people connect and know you better. 
• Tag people: Remember to tag people and companies when relevant; it widens your reach. For example, if you attended a webinar, share your thoughts on it, tag the speaker, and even the hosting organization.
• Use hashtags: While you don’t want to overuse them, popular hashtags can help categorize your content and make it discoverable for more people. Think about using niche hashtags relevant to your industry.

Last Profile Tip: Stop feeling awkward 

Number one barrier is feeling awkward, or feeling like it’s off your character to post on LinkedIn. But the truth is, we’re social animals, and sharing about your life is quite normal. Being you in not a cliche, mostly because in many parts you’re just like everyone else on this platform, and being authentic about who you are enables others to empathize with you.

Implementing these LinkedIn profile tips can significantly enhance your visibility on the platform. Remember that you don’t have to implement everything at once. Start with one tactic and gradually incorporate more as you become comfortable.

Engaging authentically will create a ripple effect, attracting the eyes of recruiters, connections, and potential partners. UC Davis once stated that “Networking is about making meaningful connections that can last a lifetime.” By cultivating your network and engaging with your LinkedIn community authentically, you’ll not only be noticed but truly seen. So, take your time, be genuine, and let your LinkedIn profile shine!