The top 5 mistakes LinkedIn users often make

The SeaFarer

You want LinkedIn to work for you but you are not sure how.You have heard people buzzing about how great LinkedIn is for job search or building your business. Unfortunately, no one taught you how to use LinkedIn correctly.

Don’t let these common LinkedIn mistakes ruin your networking

1. You don’t use your banner heading effectively. The banner heading needs to feature your goals and objectives. Here is mine:They can be changed at any time but if you don’t set the banner heading in this top section, it will default to your most recent job. At no point do you want to say currently unemployed. Sell your value. If you search other people who have spent some time developing their banner headings you can see that the keywords and value they are selling will come up in searches. Don’t waste this space!
2. You aren’t connecting with anyone. Two to five people in your network does not make a LinkedIn network. With more than 131 million people on LinkedIn, don’t tell me you can’t find anyone to connect with. College professors, alumni members, former employers, former coworkers, community service connections. Your assignment: connect with 60 people right now. Grow that to 100 as soon as possible. Then keep going. LinkedIn will suggest people for you as you build the network. Think about connecting with the people who checked you out and watch who is watching you.
3. You haven’t set your name. You look like a newbie when you leave those numbers hanging off your name. Claim your name now. Specific instructions here.
4. Make sure that you leave a trail behind you. Set your settings so people know when you visit their profile. It could start a conversation. For one client, it was the secret to getting calls and offers from employers.
5. Never assume. Fill out your summary – 2000 characters waiting for you to write a compelling case for the value that you offer to them as a new employee. Complete the description below each position with clear accomplishment-driven statements. Don’t assume that they know what you do.

These tips should help improve your profile immediately. If you struggle with this, there are people like myself who can walk you through the process painlessly and get you up and running so you can use this tool to effectively market yourself.