How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile... And 18 Mistakes to Avoid

LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, hosts the profiles of nearly 800 million people in over 200 countries and 2.8 million locales -- and up to 47% of them are active users. LinkedIn reports 97 million monthly unique visitors worldwide, 57% of whom log on via mobile devices. In the U.S., 27% of adults (180+ million users) have LinkedIn profiles. Over 30 million companies have company pages on LinkedIn. Furthermore, according to LinkedIn, there are executives from every Fortune 500 company using this social network, and 95% of those companies use LinkedIn's licensed recruiting software to search for job candidates.

U.S. News reported in 2017 that about 95 percent of recruiters utilize LinkedIn as a major candidate sourcing tool. Evidence also suggests that most people who make hiring decisions have decided NOT to hire a candidate based on what they've found online. Here's the clincher: A whopping 89% of all recruiters report having hired someone through LinkedIn (as opposed to 26% from Facebook and 15% from Twitter). So if you're going to conduct a job search using social media, LinkedIn is the place to be.

Still not convinced? According to 2018-2019 research conducted by ResumeGo, job applicants who have LinkedIn profiles are 71% more likely to get called in for an interview, and the more comprehensive your profile is, the better.

If you happen to be unemployed, one of the top 3 most important things you can do is maximize your value on LinkedIn (writing a standout resume and networking are the other two). While there is no one right way to do this, I have provided my best advice on how to make LinkedIn work for your job search, from how to write an optimal Headline to how to use the robust LinkedIn Jobs feature. If you're looking for a job, you simply can't afford to have a mediocre LinkedIn profile.

How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile is the only book we know of that is updated to the new 2021 interface!

Here's just some of what's been changed in this e-book edition (16th Edition): Add Pronouns, Former Name, and Pronunciation Audio to Your Introduction Card (Mistake #1)New Career Gaps options with Stay-at-Home titles (Mistake #1)Tips for keyword searches (Mistake #1)Why it's a good idea to turn off "People Also Viewed" (Mistake #5)Auto-Away Messages & Unread Message Badges (Mistake #7)Emojis hover function (Mistake #7)Video Cover Story (Mistake #8)Future of Skills & Career Paths search tools (Mistake #12)New article ranking "dwell time" (Mistake #13)New search functionality (Mistake #13 & 16)Publish articles as your page (Mistake #13)Creator Mode (Mistake #13)Turning comments into posts (Mistake #13)LinkedIn Polls (Mistake #13)New Featured Section (Mistake #14)Volunteer Marketplace (Mistake #14)New "Open to Work" feature (Mistake #16)LinkedIn Learning Hub (Mistake #16)Tip for following hashtags on your Company page (Special Section for Businesses)New Product Pages (Special Section for Businesses)Tips for getting employees engaged in branding (Special Section for Businesses)How to set up LinkedIn Ads (Special Section for Businesses)"Open for Business" is now the "Showcase Services" (Special Section for Businesses)Services Reviews Feature (Bonus Tip #2)New Character Limits (Appendix B)