Congratulations! You're an All-Star.

If you received this message from LinkedIn, well, I hate to burst your balloon, but an All-Star profile rating has very little to do with how successful you'll be on LinkedIn. And because of the significant profile changes that are part of the new desktop redesign, you need to rethink many of the profile strategies that have worked in the past.
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Be sure to check out my special, limited time offer below for 50% off a one-hour LinkedIn consultation that includes an in-depth profile critique.
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In my opinion, to have a truly exceptional LinkedIn profile that will help you accomplish your most ambitious business goals, you need to embrace these two important strategies:
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• Capitalize on the LinkedIn search algorithm in order to come up higher in the search results
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• Provide a very clear description of what you do, who you help, and why you are better than your competition

Each and every entry you make on your profile should be made with those two strategies in mind.

Simple ways to create an extraordinary LinkedIn profile

When I work with my individual and corporate clients to create LinkedIn profiles that get results, I focus on the following features and techniques:

Keywords. Include your most important keywords throughout your profile but especially in these three sections: Headline, Job Experience Titles, and Skills. This will significantly improve your placement in search results.

Headline. Make sure your Headline grabs your reader's attention and encourages him/her to read more.

First Job Experience entry. With the new profile layout, your first Current Job Experience entry is completely visible and doesn't require the reader to click See Description to view the details. This is your opportunity to make sure the reader gets a full picture of what you and your company do, the types of clients or customers you serve, and what makes you better than your competitors. Only the job title and company name are visible for all other Job Experience entries.

There are 2,000 available characters for each Job Experience entry, and you can also add media. So don't hesitate to "show and tell" the world why you're the best at what you do.

Other Job Experience entries. With the new profile layout, all the details of your other Job Experience entries are hidden, requiring the reader to click See Description to view any of the details you've outlined. Therefore, I highly recommend that you expand your Job Title entries. There is a 100-character limit, but that's ample space to give the reader a preview of what specific things you did in each job.

As an added bonus, any words you add to your Job Experience titles seem to have increased weighting in the search algorithm, thereby helping you move up on the list while improving the clarity of your story.

Recommendations. Two recommendations are given a very prominent position on your new profile, so work hard on getting a couple that really highlight your strengths and differentiate you from your competitors.

Remember—this is the only part of your profile that other people contribute, and readers will appreciate hearing about you and the great work you do from the perspective of others.

Accomplishments. This one is simple—if you don't have anything listed in your Accomplishments sections, it looks like you didn't accomplish anything.

Subsections of the Accomplishments section include Honors and Awards, Test Scores, Publications, Projects, Certifications, Organizations, Languages, Courses, and Patents. Include any appropriate subsections and provide details that will inform readers of your unique and important accomplishments.

Contact Info. Add business-related contact information if you feel it's important for readers to get ahold of you without sending you a LinkedIn connection request. I recommend you include contact information in the beginning of your Summary and in your current Job Experience entry.

Once you complete these specific steps, I'm confident you'll stand out from the other players on the field, and you may just earn a spot on the real all-star team—the team that gets all the new business, secures the perfect jobs, and has the most effective relationships. Good luck!

Special Offer

If you'd like me to provide a detailed critique of your profile and help you develop a winning LinkedIn strategy, be sure to take advantage of my May special offer: A one-hour, one-on-one consultation for just $175 (50% off my regular fee).

This consultation will take place on the phone, and I will share my computer screen with you. There are limited spots available, so don't delay. Book yours today by clicking here.