This post has been modified to reflect new information since its original publication.
With roughly 3 billion users, Facebook may be the king of general social networking, but when it comes to professional networking, LinkedIn is definitely on top.
Since its launch in 2003, LinkedIn has become one of the most popular professional social networking websites, boasting over 1 billion members in more than 200 countries and territories across the globe.
Best of all, those users aren’t there to share inane details about their lives. They’re there to connect with professionals in their field, expand their skill sets, and promote their reputations online.
If you’re not already using LinkedIn to promote your good name online, you should be. Besides helping expand your professional network, a strong LinkedIn profile can help offset any negative content about you online (or protect you from slander or inaccurate content in the future).
As such, it can be an effective online reputation management tool.
Here are some tips to make your LinkedIn profile a great tool for managing and promoting your positive online reputation.
Make your summary shine
One of the most important parts of your LinkedIn profile is your summary. It’s here that you can tell the world in your own words just why you’re the best accountant, veterinarian, contractor, or whatever profession you belong to (and why employers should want to work with you).
In many ways, your LinkedIn summary is like a cover letter to the world. It’s an opportunity to explain who you are, what you’ve done during your career, and why you’re good at it.
When writing your summary:
- Don’t focus too much on specific accomplishments. Instead, focus on your core skills and experience.
- Open your summary with a thought-provoking statement or question to grab the reader’s attention. Use the first 300 characters wisely, as this is what will display before the “see more” prompt.
- Distill your summary into one or two paragraphs to avoid boring the reader or sounding self-aggrandizing.
- Use strong keywords related to your profession so recruiters can find you. You can list relevant keywords in the “Specialties” section.
Recognize that the summary is the core best online reputation management tool on LinkedIn.
Use your vanity URL
All LinkedIn profiles come with the option of creating a customized vanity URL for your public profile. It’s important to use your vanity URL so that individuals searching for you on Google can find your information more easily.
To create your URL:
- Click on the image profile tab and select “View Profile.”
- On the right side of the screen (desktop view), click “public profile and URL” and then select the “edit URL” pencil. This will open a new page.
- On the right of the screen, you’ll see “edit your custom URL.” Type in your new vanity URL.
To maximize the effect, use whatever name someone would most likely search for when looking for information about you. If you have a common name, such as John Smith, you can add a qualifier like your city or job function (e.g., John Smith Tuscon or John Smith CPA).
Be specific about your experience
Some call LinkedIn your “online resume,” but that doesn’t quite capture its usefulness.
Typically, because of the length and design restraints of most resumes, you don’t have much space to talk about your previous positions. With LinkedIn, you have lots of space to talk about your former jobs, and you should use as much of it as you can.
Under each previous position, make sure to add your specific job function along with specific accomplishments that set you apart from your peers.
While this should go without saying, don’t lie or exaggerate your work history to try to sound more experienced than you are.
If a past position doesn’t seem like it’s anything worth writing about, consider how your role fits into the greater context of your company and work on crafting a strong sentence or two about that.
What to add in your About section
The About section is also an important part of your LinkedIn profile. In fact, it’s what many people view next after reading your summary.
Try and add your personality in your About section so people get a grip on who you are.
Here are some tips:
Personal story
Share a bit about your background, what inspired you to pursue your career path, and what drives you professionally. Infusing some personality into your profile can help readers connect with you on a personal level.
Key accomplishments
Highlight your most impressive achievements, quantifying your impact whenever possible. Specific examples demonstrate the value you can bring to potential employers or clients.
Formatting
Break up your About section into short paragraphs and use bullet points to enhance readability. Bold important keywords or phrases to draw the reader’s eye.
Call-to-action
Conclude your About section with a clear call to action, encouraging readers to reach out to you or visit your website. This can lead to valuable connections and opportunities. Plus, it gives visitors a chance to make their own opinion about your online reputation.
Get recommended
The reputation value of having a strong and honest recommendation from a former manager, coworker, or client is immeasurable. There are some tricks to getting a good recommendation though.
How to get recommendations on LinkedIn
Before asking someone for a recommendation, make sure the person has first-hand experience with your work. It might sound good to have the CEO write you a recommendation, but if he or she only offers vague praise about your being a hard worker, it’s not as valuable as you think.
Seek recommendations from the people who know your skills the best, so they can give you a specific shout-out that clearly demonstrates your value as an employee.
Similarly, if someone asks you to recommend their work, and you’re comfortable doing so, give them specific praise. Always remember, however, that you don’t have to give a recommendation if you don’t want to.
Your reputation depends not only on who says good things about you, but also on who you’re saying good things about.
If you give someone a positive recommendation just because they asked, even though you don’t have much knowledge of their work, and they end up messing up somewhere down the road, it could reflect poorly on you.
Connect your LinkedIn profile to your greater online identity
Do you have your own blog or use other web tools such as Facebook or Twitter?
LinkedIn makes it very easy to share your other web accounts via its website section.
- Professional websites: You can add links to your professional websites. For the best search engine optimization (SEO) benefit, customize the link title with your name and profession.
- Twitter: LinkedIn allows Twitter integration. Although native integration with Twitter (X) was discontinued in 2023, you can still manually post updates to LinkedIn.
Join a group
Unlike Facebook, which has many irrelevant or silly groups, LinkedIn groups tend to be useful for expanding your professional network.
An additional benefit of joining a LinkedIn group is that it can increase the number of people you can contact through a direct message.
Typically, the only way to send a direct message to someone is if you’re a first-degree contact or have a paid plan.
For second- and third-degree contacts, you typically must ask for someone to arrange an introduction.
However, if you share a group with someone who has his or her account set to accept messages from other group members, then you can connect with the person directly.
Often, LinkedIn groups revolve around geography, so if you’re a member of a regional network (Software Programmers in Silicon Valley, for example), you’ll frequently find yourself receiving invitations to networking events and meet-ups.
Attending these activities can help you take your online brand offline and meet face-to-face with individuals you’ve only known digitally.
Here’s how to join a LinkedIn group:
1. Use the search bar:
- Navigate to the search bar at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
- Enter keywords related to your interests, industry, or specific group names. For example, typing “marketing” will show relevant groups in the search results.
- Once you see the results, filter them by selecting “Groups” to view only group options.
2. Explore the groups page:
- After you filter the groups you will see all the groups available.
- Scroll the page to see what groups are available.
- At the bottom of the page, you will find more page numbers giving you options to see more groups if you don’t find one you like on page one.
3. Check member highlights:
- When you find a group that interests you, click on its name to view its profile page.
- Review the group description, rules, and member highlights, which show how many of your connections are in the group and other relevant statistics, including the admins.
4. Join the group:
- If you decide to join, click the “Request to Join” button. Some groups may require approval from the group admin, while others may grant immediate access.
5. Access your joined groups:
- To access groups you’re already a member of, go to the “Groups” section on the left pane of your LinkedIn homepage. Click “Show more” if you belong to many groups and select the desired group to engage with its content.
Time to be proactive
Now that you’ve built a world-class LinkedIn profile to protect your reputation online, don’t just sit back and relax.
To truly manage your online reputation, you need to be proactive. Connect with others in your field and build your professional brand.
Get out there and start connecting with others in your field today to build your professional brand and make yourself an indispensable asset for your company.
If you’re looking for a deeper dive into your online reputation, grab your free reputation report card. It’s a great way to see how others view you online and start making adjustments to remove or suppress negative results when your name or brand is searched.
Instantly discover details about your online reputation for free.