The 8 Things You Do Wrong On LinkedIn

Some years ago, I was chatting with a prospective employer, sharing tales of my experiences and selling him on the many reasons he should hire me, and doing it by using very specific examples. At one point in the conversation he turned quickly around in his chair and started furiously typing. As it turned out, he was Googling me mid-interview to learn if what I was telling him was true (it was true, and I snagged the job).
If this hasn’t happened to you in an interview, don’t think it hasn’t happened in one shape or form. Because even if you don’t witness them doing it, I can almost guarantee they do indeed, Google you.
What are they looking for? Not your Facebook page (although if you don’t have that blocked, they will definitely enjoy the read). Not your dating profile (if they did, that‘s actually über creepy). Instead, what they’re looking for is your online professional presence. And in today’s world, you need to have one out there for them to find.
For many (and I dare say, most) professions, an online professional profile will only help you. And until someone rolls in with something better, the best place to go to build one is LinkedIn.
If you have a profile on LinkedIn already, kudos! But this isn’t really about that. You should have already created one of those years ago. If you haven’t, you should Google around for some tips and tricks for building a great page. Then circle back over here.
This is about using your profile correctly — and to your advantage. Because in the corporate world, people read into things. Including the things you’re doing on sites like these. So here are the top eight things you might be doing wrong on LinkedIn.
1) You don’t have any recommendations. If a hiring manager is scoping out your LinkedIn profile and doesn’t see a recommendation, they might think, “Hmm…no one likes their work,” or “They must not have impressed anyone,” or even, “Umm, this is a dud networker.”
The Fix: Get some recommendations, duh. If you haven’t tried it yet, that’s your homework for today. Send out a request for a recommendation to at least five people you’ve worked with or currently work with (check your company policy). You’ll be surprised at how willing, honest and complimentary people will be of your work (granted, that’s if you’ve impressed them in the past – I don’t recommend you sending a request to an enemy).
2)  You get a flood of recommendations. One word. Shady. If you get a flood of recommendations one day, we’re all going to know you’re looking for a job. More often than not, job searching occurs under the radar. Well, broadcasting a bunch of recommendations all at the same time is the complete opposite of that.
The Fix: I know what you’re thinking, “I need recommendations to get a job, but you’re telling me not to get a bunch of them!” The trick is to always be looking for recommendations, even when you’re satisfied with your job. That way, when you’re not satisfied, you’re already set. If you’ve done great work for a client, ask them for a recommendation via LinkedIn as soon as the project is completed. If you leave a job for another, ask all your former colleagues to give you a shout out. There are lots of ways and reasons to get recommendations, get creative.
3) You lie. This one is pretty self-explanatory, and yet, for some it’s hard to follow. In all business settings, if you lie, you will eventually get caught.
The Fix: The best fix to this one is to just simply not to do it. Karma is…well…you know.
4) You flirt. I don’t think women have a problem with this one, but men seem to. I know it’s hard to date a modern woman, I get it. We tend to know exactly what we want, when we want it and how to avoid you if you’re not offering how or what we want. On the one hand, the LinkedIn profile might look so juicy and attractive – how could you not write her? But on the other hand, approaching said modern woman in their professional setting (albeit an online one), isn’t ok. Even if you craft a message that would blow even Shakespeare out of the water (although, it’s questionable why you would choose that route), you probably won’t get a call back. If she’s serious about being on the site for business purposes, you will have a hard time chipping away at that. In simpler terms, don’t be a creep.
The Fix: Take your party elsewhere. If you see someone on LinkedIn that you find attractive, find another way. Or connect to them and actually be professional and strike up a real networking relationship (I realize you’re doing this with ulterior motives, but you’ll get better results and a business acquaintance in the process). There are better places to go to find someone to date.

 5) You don’t describe your job. Hmm, “specialist.” That means so many different things. And when you don’t describe it, we have no idea what you’re talking about or what you do from 8-5 p.m. every day. The main point here is that you don’t want a blank piece a paper with job titles, it doesn’t help you at all.

The Fix: When I chose this as one of the eight “wrongs,” I actually got conflicting feedback from some folks about how best to share details about your experience. Some said it was ok to list job titles only, and then put the description in the summary at the top of the overall profile. Some said it was best to describe each job, as if building a résumé. When it comes down to it, either of these works, you just have to do one of them so people know you actually work.
6) You don’t post a picture. No, it’s not a beauty contest (and actually, if you use a glamour shot-esque photo, you may get laughed off the interwebs). But a picture is definitely worth a thousand words. We’re not going to judge you, we just want transparency from you. If visuals weren’t important in the business world, you would get every job by simply going through a telephone interview (wouldn’t that be nice?). LinkedIn is very much the same way. Because it has the photo feature, you should be using it. We want to see who we’re working with, networking with and introducing ourselves to – we are visual creatures.
The Fix: Ask a talented amateur photographer friend to snap a few pictures of you. Trust me, they’ll be more than willing and you’ll reap the rewards. While you’re at it, go ahead and use those pictures to create an About.me page. It’s a lesser-known site, but one where you can make some great connections while also showing off a bit more personal flair than LinkedIn will allow.
7) You don’t have any “stuff.” You don’t have to be a renaissance corporate-America person with tons of medals, awards and lots of extra-curricular activities, but it helps add a little personality to you if you’ve got some extra “stuff” listed in your profile. Everyone has something they can add to their profile, a hobby, an award they’ve won, school organization they led, put something there. If reading this has made you suddenly realize you don’t have anything to put there because you work too much – you need to change that. Having a life outside of work makes you marketable.
The Fix: This one is easy. Think about your hobbies, your organizations, what you do for fun, and list them. It shows that you’re human and that you enjoy life. Then list any awards you’ve won at work and any professional affiliations you may have. Then go out and join a few LinkedIn groups (like this one), start a few discussions and get active. LinkedIn is an amazing way to network if you take advantage of its offerings.
8) You change your profile top to bottom. This falls in line with the recommendations. If you’re making massive changes to your LinkedIn profile all at once, that tech-savvy employer will get suspicious. What’s worse, is that anyone you’re linked up to will get a notification that you’ve changed your profile drastically – so if they don’t notice it when you do it, they’ll notice it then.
The Fix: Don’t do any major fixes to your profile all at once, be strategic about it. Make changes gradually and smartly (or if you’re not going to be smart about it, make your settings private). You have colleagues who keep an eye on your profile regularly (I promise). If you really are job searching, don’t give them something to gossip about.

Article by Molly Cain, is a banker, CEO of GlassHeel.com, and an award-winning communicator with a passion for bringing a bit of creativity and humor into the workplace. When she’s not at the office or on Glass Heel, Molly’s running half-marathons, traveling or hanging out with her retired racing greyhounds. Follow Molly on Twitter @MollyCain.