5 Things That Shouldn’t Be On Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is the place to not only find others but also to be found.  And that is why you need a profile that not only helps you get found but also will entice people to contact you once they view your profile.  I see many people making fundamental mistakes that actually work against them in this aspect.  If you’re going to spend time putting together a profile, we assume you want to maximize your chances of being contacted by the right people, right?

With that in mind, Here are 5 things that shouldn’t be on your linkedIn profile …..

1. Your unemployed status

Don’t use your headline to write that you’re unemployed, even if you use the somewhat gentler-sounding looking for my next opportunity. “This is prime real estate for branding yourself and including some keywords.” The odds that a potential employer will be searching for “unemployed?” Zilch.

2. A bad picture

There are too many fake profiles on LinkedIn, so you want to show that you are real.  If you have taken the time to complete your online presence on the social networking platform, why wouldn’t you display the right photo?

3. Lies , Exaggeration

Just don’t. It’s so easy to fact-check almost anything about a person’s work history these days, this is almost guaranteed to be a fail.

4. Bad status update

What do you use your LinkedIn Status Update for? It is part of your branding exercise, and it should be something appealing that will both inform the reader of your latest activities as well as hopefully add to, not subtract from, your Brand.

5. Anything out of date

If you don’t update your resume often, it’s not the end of the world as long as you’re not looking for another job. LinkedIn is different, though; you have to approach it with the attitude that you’re always open to job-seekers, which means keeping your profile up-to-date in every way.