The essentials
Your profile picture is ‘corporate' : you look your authentic self, not smiling too widely and you're in a professional setting (i.e. you're not at the beach with a cocktail in hand!).
Your banner conveys precisely what you want people to remember about you (e.g. if you work in cybersecurity, you could have an image of a safe).
Very important : your introduction is where you can pitch yourself! Tell a story - your story - shortly and concisely using bullet points. Feel free to use emojis to hook the reader in, but don't use hashtags (they're not necessary here).
Your professional experience is completely up to date. You've given details on your missions (ideally two sentences) and provided context (the company, link to the website, PDF, logo, etc.).
Have you included missions within NGOs or charities? Well done, that's what we like to see!
Your training, whether that be academic or professional, along with the name of the school/university/organization, title, and skills gained, is clearly stated on your profile.
A vibrant network
You've picked keywords that best describe your skills and have asked your (ex-)colleagues to endorse them with a simple click of a button.
You've asked a few ex-colleagues to write up a referral for you (proof of experience)…
… and you've written up recommendations for them as well.
Build up your network
Your connections consist of everyone you know, from both your professional and personal circles.
Search by industry or company.
Add every person you encounter (in real life).
Follow companies and people that inspire you.
Join groups that align with your interests.
LinkedIn routine
Every day : 5 minutes in the morning to see what's going on and to like, comment and share.
Every day : make 4 new connections… By the end of the year, you'll have over 1,500 contacts, just like that!
Each week : write a post to keep your connections up to date.
Each week : put some time aside to directly communicate with your new connections.
The rule of 3
One in every 3 posts : content linked to your work.
One in every 3 posts : content linked to your organization or community.
One in every 3 posts : content linked to something more personal.
Professional-organization-personal : this gives a complete, authentic overview of your personality.
Maintain an active profile
If you're not comfortable with writing, share interesting articles instead.
When you feel ready, start by writing posts: short texts (one paragraph) with three hashtags at most.
Illustrate your posts with (royalty-free) photos or videos.
Feel free to tag connections likely to be interested to garner a reaction.
When you feel very comfortable, you'll be able to move on to writing up articles with a title, subheadings, photos, quotes, etc.
Heart and reason
To write up impactful posts, try and find a balance between :
- Your professional growth strategy
- Your values and beliefs
- Hot topics and current affairs
- Your take (originality)
Don't be scared to start your posts with your point of view on the topic to personally and directly speak to your readers.
Stay on top of the news to keep ahead of everyone else.
Finally, make it a habit to devote some of your time to updating events as they happen with selfies, video links, and text.