Top 10 Biggest Strategic Mistakes on Your LinkedIn Profile

Your LinkedIn profile is the gateway to business, professional, and career success. First impressions matter. Important conversations may end before they start if you don’t have your LinkedIn house in order. This article will help you avoid the Top 10 Strategic Mistakes on your LinkedIn profile. Read on, make an honest assessment of your profile, and take action!

1.    Too Stiff or “Brand-less”

LinkedIn is the “professional” social media platform, but you don’t want to appear stiff and overly formal! Your LinkedIn profile should convey that you are friendly and approachable. If you don’t have a photo or you aren’t smiling, you’re making a mistake. You also want to avoid writing in the third person. Social media is online conversation and (hopefully) you don’t refer to yourself in the third person while talking to people. So always write in the first person. Remember, you are positioning your LinkedIn profile as a conversation starter, not just a place to upload your resume or bio.

As you edit and refine your profile, your personal brand should shine through. Include a thread of your personality and share your personal interests. Add a glimpse of the real YOU into the LinkedIn equation. You are more than a list of credentials and accomplishments. People buy from and hire real people that they can relate to.

Consider adding video to your profile so your viewers can get a sense of how you work, explain ideas, or discuss industry topics. You can include this content in the Featured or Experience sections and as a cover video.

2.    Confusing or Incomplete

Have you ever seen a skeleton profile? I had one client hire me who had “Profile in Progress” in her Headline! Don’t let that be you. An incomplete profile is a flawed profile on so many levels. It impacts your ability to be found in search AND it confuses people about who you are and what you do.

Some people don’t know what to say or how to say it, so they say nothing. But that’s just giving up on opportunities because any viewers you have will turn elsewhere. Similarly, if your content is out of date, displaying old skills or certifications, your viewers won’t know what you have to offer.

If you have a portfolio career or a side gig, it’s important to organize the content of your About essay and Experience section to create as much clarity as possible about your brand. What ties all your work together? Convey that in your About essay.

3.    No Motivation

An effective profile motivates viewers to learn more and reach out to you. Pay particular attention to the Introduction card. This is the “above-the-fold” section of your profile. If you lose a viewer’s interest there, they are unlikely to scroll down and read the rest, no matter how great it may be.

Your Headline, photo, and banner are key to avoiding this mistake. The words and images should provide a unified look and feel that is strategic for your brand. In addition, make sure your most impressive school and current company are displayed with a hyperlink. 

4.    Poor Word Choices and Placement

Using vague or out-of-date words in your profile is a mistake that can impact your visibility in search results. Start by identifying your personal keywords or key phrases. They should be the words people will use to find someone with your expertise. They will also create an impression of you and your capabilities when someone views your profile. Your Headline, About essay, and Experience, and Skills sections are all great places for these terms.

Do not add keywords to your name field. It is prohibited by LinkedIn and makes you look uninformed. Only your name and any professional designations should appear in the name field.

Last, always use active verbs in your writing on LinkedIn. Passive tense sounds….well, passive and may make a poor impression on the reader.

5.    Hard to find 

There are close to 800 million LinkedIn profiles, and too many of them are difficult to find. If you are going to sales meetings, events, or interviews, you can count on people searching for you on LinkedIn. But something as simple as using a version of your name on your profile different from how you introduce yourself in person can create problems finding you.

There are other mistakes that make it harder to find your profile. Incomplete profiles are always weighted lower by LinkedIn’s search algorithm. If your account has very few first-level connections, it will also limit your visibility in searches.  And be sure to customize your URL and turn on all the visibility settings for your public profile so that you can be found via Google.

Last, if you are a freelancer or service provider and haven’t set up a services page, you are missing out on a great opportunity to be seen and found by prospects or clients.

6.    Boring

Nobody reads anything very long if they are bored. It’s your job to make your profile interesting, to grab and keep the viewer’s attention. Your Headline should include current and strategic keywords. Your About essay needs to have a “hook” opening line or two that compels the reader to continue. Avoid leading off with dry statements about how many years of experience you have. Think about why you do what you do. Tell your story.  

In addition to the written sections, LinkedIn users have many ways to add pizzazz to their profiles. Upload a compelling background banner in addition to a current professional-looking headshot. Be sure to add media and visual elements to the Featured content and Services page. Include a cover video to introduce yourself. Record the pronunciation of your name. Adding multimedia is a great way to avoid being boring.

7.    Boastful

You’re amazing. But don’t make the mistake of putting people off by appearing boastful. Why say, “I am the #1 most successful tech salesperson in the US?” If I am a potential buyer, I don’t want someone who says they are the best salesperson. I want someone who explains how they can help clients in a practical way. So, instead, describe your journey, key learnings, or passion for the work. Explain a behind-the-scenes story or your professional story in an interesting way.

Your accomplishments do have their place on LinkedIn. Add your awards to the Honors and Awards section. Display your patents, publications, certifications, etc. in those specific sections. But use your About essay to round out the viewer's overall impression of you and tell a captivating story. In my book and online course, I shared my “5 H Format” which includes a Hook (compelling opening), Help (how you help), Human (personal info), Hot words (keywords), and Hello (contact info).

And why not let others do the talking for you? Request recommendations to display on your profile. Display your most strategic skills to gain endorsements.

Remember, your exceptional talent and track record of success will be clear if you take all those steps. Let readers come to their own conclusions.

 8.    Too much information. Not prioritized

People can only absorb so much information. Don’t make the mistake of overwhelming them with unnecessary detail. Your profile should be focused and current. Don’t be afraid to delete or streamline information.

This is especially true for people who have been working for some time. You may have worked for 30 years and had 19 individual jobs at five companies. Look to consolidate some of those positions. You can also reduce the descriptions in older positions within your Experience section, especially if they are no longer relevant.

Regardless of how long you have been working, organizations, publications, volunteering, or certifications that no longer apply should be deleted.

Think about giving your profile a “Spring cleaning” at least once a year to ensure your profile is aligned with your brand and clearly presents you.

9.    No call to action or contact info

I use LinkedIn to find people I wish to work with or refer. Half the time their profile doesn’t include any contact information. I just move on. It’s so easy to avoid this mistake. Just add your email and phone number in multiple places on your profile.

A related technique used on effective profiles is a call to action in the About. Give a reason for people to reach out and contact you. Invite them into conversation or suggest a next step.

10. Sloppy or hard to read

Your carefully crafted writing might not do you any good if your layout is hard to read. Profiles that lack white space are a major turn-off. I just won’t read them. Write short paragraphs and space in between. Consider using bullets, icons, or emojis to make lists of details easier to read but do it in moderation.

Write your drafts in Word or another tool before uploading. Use an app to check your spelling and grammar before posting anything. Send them to a friend or a professional for honest feedback. Nothing beats actual readers to tell you whether the writing is compelling and clear.

Conclusion

LinkedIn is an ever-expanding platform you can use to build and shape your career or to make sales, build partnerships, and find talent. You have a lot to gain by using it well. The basics of avoiding the mistakes I’ve outlined are simple: Make sure your profile is complete. Make sure your profile is current. Pay attention to how you look and what you say.

Last, if you realize you have a lot to work on, don’t let that stop you. Pick something and fix it. Then adjust something else to improve. Before long, you’ll have a much more impressive profile that is also easier to find.

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