5 Minutes to Avoid 3 Common Mistakes in Your LinkedIn Profile

Having a digital profile in social media is a must for today professionals, especially with career-oriented site such as LinkedIn.  HR professionals and Executive headhunters can learn a lot about your accomplishments, and many employment inquiries and business referrals have happened.  Unfortunately, the opposite is also true when decision makers passed on your profile due to one of these three common mistakes:

1. Bad Appearance – Do you really want to join an organization “where leaders are mad”?  As a veteran Toastmaster myself, I can assure you that our leaders are extremely nice and friendly. Somehow this tagline got cut off one letter too soon.  While it seems to be harmless, but in a world that dozen other clubs are recruiting a same pool of prospects, your bad appearance may be the difference of losing one instead of gaining a new member.
2. Conflicting Body Language – Do you know what your profile say silently with your profile image?  We’d all like to be “liked” as Dave Kerpen described in his bestseller “Likeable Social Media” and two other books “Likeable Business” and “Likeable Leadership”.  However, a latest selfie taken before you go to bed may not project the professional image that you convey in your summary.  Instead, ask a friend to take a few pictures of you in business attire with proper lighting and neutral background should be good enough.
3. Confusing Context – Do you at least run spellchecker or ask a friend read through your profile?  With the globalization of social media tools, millions of users are English as a Second Language (myself included), or third, or even fourth.  Nevertheless, please check for spelling errors and any potential “lost in translation” from your native language to English.  I’m sure in this example the profiler meant “social interaction” instead of the mentioned illegal activity.

There you have it!  In less than five minutes, you can do a quick ABC check on the Appearance, Body language, and Context of your profile.  If you think it has any of these common mistakes, you can update it with a professional picture of your appearance that conveys your “brand” with appropriate body language and validated context.  Best of luck to you and contact us if you need help.  Please feel free to comment or subscribe to our blog for practical tips to improve your leadership, managerial, and communication skills.

Blogger Bio

Jimmy Thai, DTM founded the Leadership Foundation Academy to develop future leaders with passion and compassion.  He speaks and coaches Fortune500 companies to re-infuse the American Pride in corporate America and the American Dream to the world.  He went to prison twice before turning 17, and today lives in American Finest City – San Diego, California.  Jimmy earned 2 Master’s degrees MBA and MSEE from California State University, and BSEE degree from the 20^th best university in the world - University of California San Diego.  He welcomes your comments and loves to collaborate with you on Change Leadership, Motivational Management, Decision Analysis, the ABC Secrets of Appearance - Body language - Conversation, and Asian Business Development. 

In 2015, Leadership Foundation Academy has donated over $10K USD to its Build a School – Leave a Legacy program, which built 2 kindergarten schools in Ha Giang and Yen Bai provinces.  Our 3^rd project is to construct a 30-m bridge in Tran Van Thoi district, Ca Mau to save little students from drowning on their way to school.