The 5 Most Common Mistakes People Make on LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be a powerful networking tool, but be sure to avoid these mistakes to make the most out of your efforts.

It’s impressive the amount of people talking about LinkedIn lately. Especially now, when many of us will need to reinvent the way we work due to the after-effects of the pandemic, LinkedIn can play a big role on that change, right? You probably already have your profile on the platform, and are using it from time to time, but if you are not getting the results you want, it’s time to check what is wrong, and fix it! 

Maybe you accidentally fell under one of the 5 most common mistakes people do on LinkedIn… but don’t panic! There are things in life that are way more complicated than improving your LinkedIn profile! If you keep reading this article, you will definitely be able to review your situation and find valuable tips on how to make LinkedIn work for you in the best possible way. Shall we start?

1. Underestimating the importance of the “Headline” in your LinkedIn profile.

The “headline” is that line that appears right under your name. It has a massive importance on giving the right impression when people land on your profile (it will be one of the first things they will notice, together with your profile and background photo). But not only that: your headline will “follow you” every single time you comment on a post, share a content, post something or even click “like” on anything on LinkedIn. Everyone will see your profile photo and headline in any action you make on the platform.

Tips: Be strategic about the way you write it, chose the right key words related to who you are, your area of expertise, and main achievements. Make the most of the 120 characters you can use. Talk about the kind of things and projects you want to be considered for, and forget about mentioning your current job tittle and company only – you can do better than that!

2. Having in incomplete profile or not updating it 

LinkedIn algorithm rewards people who spend time on the platform. How? Showing their profile first and giving them more visibility, compared to incomplete profiles. LinkedIn also created a specific name to classify the profiles that, according to their criteria, are complete: “All Star” profiles. You don’t necessarily need to pay for one of the premium options on LinkedIn to get more visibility, but I can assure you that a complete and updated profile will work in your favour.

Tips: Review your profile from time to time, to make sure you didn’t forget to add that last project you are participating in now, the course you finished last week or the new skill you learned during the quarantine. Your current job or projects also must not only be listed, but explained in detail on LinkedIn. Your profile should reflect not only the things you have done already, but the things you are currently working on at the moment. Are you showing all of that in your profile?

3 – Keeping a passive behaviour

If you access LinkedIn every single day and spend hours on the platform, and you are not getting any leads, job offers or interesting collaborations, let’s face it: quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality. Watch out that you don’t cultivate a “passive” attitude on the platform, and think that scrawling down the page and reading other people’s content will change your life. Obviously, you can learn from their content, but you can do several other things during the time you spend on LinkedIn.

Tips: The more active you are (and by “active”, I mean commenting posts, sharing content, writing articles, interacting with others, etc), the more visibility you get. You move from “the shadow” of only reading, to being in the spotlight sharing your ideas, expertise and knowledge. It will directly affect your visibility, and make potential clients and companies remember your name when they need someone to hire or ask for advice.

4 – Using LinkedIn the same way you use Facebook, Instagram and other social media

The way you use LinkedIn should be different than the way you use other social media. I know LinkedIn is also a social media platform, but it definitely has a “professional tone” that others don’t have. 

Tips: Keep in mind that, when people are reading profiles on LinkedIn, they clearly have a problem they want to solve and are looking for a solution. If you can solve this problem by being hired to work for their company, by providing your consultancy services or by turning into their coach, they will contact you. Decisions are taken faster on LinkedIn. CEOs, hiring managers, startup leaders, and the entrepreneurs looking for a new virtual assistant are all on LinkedIn, using the platform, while trying to find the best person to help them. If you are the solution to a specific kind of problem, go ahead and show it!

5 – Not improving your network

None of the things I mentioned above will make a massive impact if you have only 67 connections on LinkedIn. If you are an amazing professional, but the only people you’re connected to on LinkedIn are close friends, ex-high school classmates and people from your hometown, your visibility is quite limited. It’s not about focusing only on quantity, but it also matters. 

Tips: Create a strategy about who you want to network with, and how you can do that. Target potential clients or business partners, companies you would love to work for, influencers in your area, and topics you consider yourself to be an expert in. Find those people, start engaging in their content, and add value. Be personal, share experiences, and start a dialogue. Use your time and energy towards people who can bring something good to you, but first, make sure you give something good to them, for free, with your content and interactions.

The list could go on and on, but if you make sure you are not making the mistakes above, you are already ahead of most of the people who use LinkedIn today. I remember how nervous and insecure I was when I started using the platform more actively, but with time, I’ve found my “sweet spot”, and I actually have a lot of fun doing that now. There is no magic here, just some tried and tested tips – so go ahead, and start with that!

Juliana Rabbi is a Career Consultant Online with +15 years’ experience as a Recruiter. She offers LinkedIn mentoring, career coaching, CV writing, interview preparation sessions, and all career related services. You can check her website and connect with her on LinkedIn.