Executive LinkedIn Profile Creation

You’ve got a LinkedIn profile, but how good is it? Most executives aren’t really sure. Here’s some tips on some simple steps that you can do to make sure that your LinkedIn profile is at the level required for a senior manager or executive.

Find out what your SSI is​

SSI, what’s that? Standing for Social Selling Index the SSI has been created by LinkedIn to help you get an indication on basically how well your LinkedIn thinks you socially sell yourself on the platform. It measures how well you:​

• Establish your professional brand (probably the most important one)
• Find the right people
• Engage with insights
• Build relationships

​Click here to get your free SSI score and LinkedIn’s tips on how you can boost your social selling index.

The top of the page is key​

The top part of your LinkedIn part is absolutely critical and where you should really focus your attention. First impressions are just as important on a digital platform, and a well put together top component of your LinkedIn profile gets you off to a great start.

• Photo: should be a corporate photo that is professional yet friendly.
• Background/banner image: Create something that is unique yet professional A tool like Canva allows you to make one for free.
• Brief description: A few words stating who you are. For example “International Accounts Director”
• About: One to two sentences briefly explaining who you are and what you do best.
• Featured: This section gives you a great opportunity to link to anything that you might have done – featured work, media articles, YouTube videos.

Contribute​

Don’t forget that LinkedIn is a social media platform, and relies on the contribution of its members (you!) You can contribute by:​

• Simple status update
• Share a professional photo or video
• Create a poll
• Write an article
• Share a document or article
• Find an expert
• Celebrate an occasion
• Offer help

Contribute regularly, but deliberately. Even if you aren’t looking for work it’s a great idea to contribute to LinkedIn once a week at a minimum. Contribute content that others will value and you will improve your profile as an expert in your field. Think of it as an investment in your future.

Connect

The more people you connect with, the more connected you become. Go through and connect with everyone you have worked with in your career that you admired or respected even if it was many years ago. You never know where it could take you!

Highlight your achievements

When listing your work history, don’t make it as long as your resume. Focus on your main two or three responsibilities, but more important highlight your achievements and how well you did.

Finally, when connecting with people on LinkedIn don’t be shy to let them know if you are looking for work. The platform is designed for you to connect with other people and for it to improve your career.

Good luck!