With over 3 billion searches being carried out on LinkedIn every month, your profile is probably being viewed a lot more often than you think.

But is it creating the right image? Or are you losing potential clients without even knowing it.

The past 12 months have seen a raft of innovations at LinkedIn. One of the major changes is the introduction of a new style of personal profile. If you implement some of the new features available, it really does provide you with a much enhanced online presence.

HOWEVER...some of the changes implemented may have disrupted the entries already included in your profile. As most LinkedIn accounts now seem to have been migrated to the new profile format, it's time to check how the following changes have affected the presentation of your own profile.

Headline Section - Your profile picture is now displayed in a larger format, along with your "Headline" being more prominently positioned.

Make sure your photo still presents a good quality image. And there's even more reason to have a descriptive headline (not just a job title).

New Headline Section

Contact Information - These details are now hidden (but available as a drop down menu under the headline section). It's still very worthwhile having these completed and including links to appropriate web resources. Be sure to name your web links, don't just leave them with the default labels.

Activity - Your recent activity on LinkedIn is now also more prominently shown, directly under the above Headline section. This makes it even more important to issue well composed updates on a regular basis.

Summary Section - The summary and specialties sections have been combined but you can only use a limited amount of characters in the combined section. Make sure your entry looks OK within the new format. Edit the section if required. If you've not done a summary section as yet, it's time to get cracking. The summary section may be the only thing visitors to your profile read and it's also an important factor in search results.

Applications (Apps) - There's bad news, if you used any of the LinkedIn profile apps to display additional information (e.g. blog posts, articles, pictures etc.)  - THEY'RE GONE! However, there is in new feature within the Experience section (see below) which may be even better for you.

Experience Section - Two major enhancements in this section. Recommendations are now displayed under each role. This looks really good but there is no longer an overall recommendation count shown anywhere on the profile. Secondly, you can now insert links to images, documents, videos and presentations related to each of your roles. THIS IS A REALLY GREAT WAY OF ENHANCING YOUR PROFILE.

Just make sure any links you insert provide appropriate and good quality images. The new link insertion feature is also available under the Summary and Education sections.

For more details on this facility, check out this Slide Show.

Recommendations & Web Links in the Experience Section

Note: Even if you have been migrated to the new profile format, the ability to insert links may not yet be available to you. Look out for the symbol shown on the right. When it starts appearing on your profile the feature has been activated.

Company Logos - These are now displayed alongside entries in the Experience section. To enable this facility, however, you need to have your company logo loaded onto the LinkedIn Company Page for the related business. It does enhance the look of individual profiles and is good exposure for the company concerned. So make sure this has been done.

Skills & Expertise Section - You're probably already aware of this feature, as LinkedIn have been actively promoting it for some months. It allows you to endorse the skills or expertise of your connections with a single click of the mouse.

Make sure you've included the skills categories that are important to you within this section. Having skills endorsed seems almost certain to become increasingly important for search results within LinkedIn (and maybe with the major search engines themselves)

Endorsements as they now appear in the Skills & Expertise Section

Moving Profile Sections - It's now easier to move sections around within your profile. For instance, as your endorsements grow, you may wish to move the Skills & Expertise section to a more prominent location.

Additional Information - Some Personal Information entries have now been transferred into an Additional Information section with a somewhat different structure. Make sure your original information is now appropriately displayed. It's now also possible to add additional details on the organisations with which you're associated.

Move Profile Section Button

Groups - LinkedIn groups are now more predominantly displayed with their logos. Unfortunately they appear on your profile in alphabetical order. There is also a drop down menu if you are a member of more than eight. Make sure you're happy with the groups that are being displayed. If not, you can hide individual groups via the Groups, Companies & Applications section in your LinkedIn settings.

Other New Sections - Information on Projects, Languages, Publications, Courses, Patents, Certifications and Volunteering can now all be provided within their own discrete sections. When you're in the process of editing your profile, the option to add these sections is displayed on the right hand side of your profile.

Nowadays, like it or not, you're expected to have professional, well crafted profiles on social media sites.

If you don't, you will certainly miss out on business opportunities.
 

New Section Options

For any assistance you may require on LinkedIn, please feel free to contact me.