7 LinkedIN Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

Creating a powerful LinkedIN profile is an art. And inspite of the fact that LinkedIN is one of the simplest services that I have ever used, I have found lots of people making a few common mistakes. These mistakes often ruin their chances of building up a strong relationship with their prospective employers on LinkedIN.

Here are 7 common LinkedIN mistakes that people often make. I have also provided some suggestions on how to avoid these mistakes.

1. Sending an invitation without a personal note attached - When you are sending an invitation, make sure you edit the body of your invitation to prompt a recollection. This can be done when you go to the 'invite page.' At the bottom, you have the option to add a 'personal note' which may be edited to reflect your personalized message. This would reduce the chances of your invitation getting rejected.

2. Sending direct connection requests to unknown people - Click on the 'Get introduced through a connection' link if this person is connected to someone already in your network. This would again reduce the chances of your invitation getting rejected. Remember, if your invitations keep on getting rejected because of your connections stating that they don’t know you, your account would be restricted. And then, the next time you would like to invite someone, you would be required to enter their email address.

3. Not adding a photo to your LinkedIN profile – Not only adding a photo increases the percentage of completion of your profile, but it also adds credibility to it. Remember, LinkedIN is a professional network, so avoid using photos from LOLCats and the likes on your profile.

4. If you think that someone might not accept your invitation, then in order to avoid account restriction, withdraw that pending invitation. Click here to know how to withdraw pending invitation on LinkedIN.

5. Keep your profile updated – Many people I know do not have an updated profile. It’s hara-kiri. It ruins the main purpose of joining LinkedIN at the first place. Right after you have left a job, or joined a new one, make sure you have updated your profile.

6. Not having a custom profile URL – Create a custom URL for your LinkedIN profile. Try using your name or something similar that would help people recognize you. It would also be easier to remember. Also make sure to add this URL on your email signature or any other place, it increases your visibility and reach.

7. Not adding a link to your blog/site – This is the best place to display what you do. And your blog/site is your best portfolio. So be sure to add a link to your blog/site so that people would notice it.

These are only a few of the best practices on LinkedIN, if you think you know some more, please add them in the comments. And if you are a first time visitor here, subscribe to my RSS feed.