It’s time to stop listening to your friends, life coaches, and some career advisors about your LinkedIn profile. There’s too much ‘I think’, ‘I’ve heard’, and ‘they say’ personal branding strategy advice floating around.
Just complete or refresh your LinkedIn profile today!
Did you know that LinkedIn profiles with an All-Star status are 40 times more likely to be found in searches? But what exactly is an All-Star status, and how can you reach it?
What is LinkedIn All-Star Status?
Achieving All-Star status is actually pretty easy. You need to spend some time completing your profile and keeping it up-to-date. To check your current level, visit your profile dashboard and look in the top right corner. Click the “me” button and then “view profile,” and then your status is noted under “Suggested for you.”
LinkedIn awards five levels depending on the completeness of your profile. You start at Beginner status with less than 50% completion, achieved by registering your profile and filling in the basic information. When you reach 50% completion, you achieve Intermediate status, followed by Advanced at over 75% and Expert at 90%. The All-Star level is achieved with 100% completion.
Having a complete profile can give you an advantage in LinkedIn search results, so it’s worth taking the time to make sure your profile is up-to-date and complete.
Understanding the proven research and native behavior of your network is critical to building a successful LinkedIn profile. If you’re not using the facts, then you’re building a reputation destination based on hearsay.
12 Reasons to Believe You Need to Complete Your LinkedIn Profile
- Profile Picture. Members who include a photo receive up to 21 times more profile views and 36 times more messages. Source: LinkedIn
- Headline. 95% of recruiters use social media to help fill open roles. Your headline is one of your profile’s key components to catch their attention so they read on. Source: Money
- Location. More than 30% of recruiters will use advanced search based on location. So, the more details you have, the more likely you will be found and connected to your next opportunity. Source: LinkedIn
- Connections. LinkedIn members can have a maximum of 30,000 1st-degree connections. Yet all you really need to create that psychological barrier is to secure 500 of them. However, you only need 50 connections to work toward a complete profile. Source: LinkedIn
- About Section. A summary of 40 words or more allows your profile to appear in search functions. Consider calling out your specialties for keyword searches. This call-out will help you show up. Showing up on LinkedIn search is vital since there are over 1 billion annual searches on the platform. Source: LinkedIn
Understanding the proven research and native behavior of your network is critical to building a successful LinkedIn profile. If you’re not using the facts, then you’re building a reputation destination based on hearsay.
Gerry Moran
- LinkedIn Experience Section. Members with up-to-date positions are discovered up to 18 times more in searches by members and recruiters. Source: LinkedIn
- Skills. Members with five or more skills listed are contacted (messaged) up to 33 times more by recruiters and other LinkedIn members and receive 17 times more profile views. Listing five skills also moves you closer to a complete profile. Source: LinkedIn
- Education. Over 90,000 schools are listed on LinkedIn. You will need to add yours to move toward a complete profile. Source: LinkedIn
While completing the next four steps aren’t required for All-Star status, it’s a nice finishing touch for your profile.
- Background Image. Nearly 40% of recruiters are looking for candidates with personalities, and the 1584 px x 396 px image is the easiest place to show your personality. Every picture tells a story! Source: LinkedIn
- Endorsements. There have been 11 billion endorsements on LinkedIn. So securing one for your skills will not be as hard as you think. The more endorsements you have, the greater your social currency will be. Don’t be afraid to ask your contacts for an endorsement—and let them know you’ll provide one for them! Source: LinkedIn
- Featured Section. When people consume information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of it three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later. The Featured section is your best section for visualized messaging. Make it count to capture the attention of your readers. Source: Brain rules
- LinkedIn Activity Section. There are 9 billion content impressions in LinkedIn feeds every week. Your posts are all part of that content stream and can be found in the Activity section of your profile by anyone who visits. Source: LinkedIn
Here’re Some Posts to Help You Build Your LinkedIn Profile
- The Perfect LinkedIn Profile Blueprint
- How to Conduct a Simple LinkedIn Profile Audit
- 2023 LinkedIn Character Counts for Your Personal Profile
Have you seen a LinkedIn profile statistic that I’ve not mentioned and resonates with you? If so, please comment below. Or, contact me at gerry@marketingthink.com or set a 15-minute appointment with me.
Telling stories is one thing, but storytelling using concrete facts is another. Your LinkedIn profile is the best digital destination to tell your story. And these facts help you think through the different chapters to keep your readers engaged until the end.
