This is part 2 of 15, expanding on my earlier plog.
Reassess your Photo and Headline–they follow you all over LinkedIn.
Anytime someone clicks on your name on LinkedIn, this bubble pops up (mine below):
1. Photo
Does your headshot make you look professional yet approachable, and does that photo still look like you (new hair color, new dramatic cut??) If you can’t or won’t get a professional headshot (really, it doesn’t hurt and I can refer you to some great photographers!), find a digital photo and Photoshop it to make yourself look great. People call you on the phone while looking at your photo, so have a great one LinkedIn.
The worst photo I EVER saw?
No photo at all.
2. Headline
Does your Headline succinctly describe who you really are, not blandly list your title and company name? In today’s world, you get only a mere 120-character headline to make an immediate electronic impression. Some good ones:
Of course, I have worked hard on mine (120 characters including spaces):
Hint: save precious characters and use the “|” key above your enter key to separate 2 different ideas or roles.
So take pains to make yourself friendly and professional to look at, and your work easy to grasp, in a quick glance. You never know where it is found and who is going to be looking at it to ascertain if you are the business connection they want to try.
Marc W. Halpert
LinkedIn coach and evangelist, having a great time pursuing my passion of connecting professionals so they can collaborate better!