Professional Documents
Culture Documents
LinkedIn Profile Optimization Workbook
LinkedIn Profile Optimization Workbook
1 - Introduction
5 – Checking in 21 – Skills
Hi there, I’m Barb Gray and I’m ready to help you take this important step on your journey
toward LinkedIn Savvy-dom. In this workbook, I will break it down in digestible and actionable
chunks so you can get it done efficiently. I encourage you to use the yellow highlighted prompts
to get the most of out of this resource. If you take it one-by-one and spend about 15 minutes a
day, you’ll get it all done in about 30 days. Of course, you can work at your own pace!
We’re going to go through a lot of content and you might feel information overload, but the
good news is that I’m here to support you! Simply join the #FlutterbyChat group on Facebook
and ask away … your questions will be answered ASAP! I urge you not to be shy – the
chances are if you have that question, someone else does too.
BTW, if you really want to, you can skip ahead to the nitty-gritty (page 7), but I suggest you
take the time to do these mindset exercises to set you up for success.
WHEN? Now. What are you waiting for to take your personal brand to the next level?
If not today’s date, when? ______________________ Pssst - what gets scheduled gets done.
WHAT? Ok, now that we got the “when” out of the way, let’s focus on the “what.”
According to LinkedIn: “We are a social network and online platform for professionals. People
use our Services to find and be found for business opportunities and to connect with others
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and information.”
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“why.” That will inform what types of content you share and how you go about your business
o You might want to position yourself as a thought leader and an authority and
resource on your subject– so you would be sharing relevant information and writing
long-form articles to share knowledge and funnel people over to your website to get
o Your intention may be to build your network and use the platform for social selling–
you will spend most of your time connecting and nurturing these connections, chiming in
o Or your objective may be simply to get eyeballs on your virtual resume in order to
get hired – in this case, you will spend time getting noticed by recruiters and submitting
job applications, getting recommendations and endorsements - without ever leaving the
LinkedIn site!
o Or if you are hoping to get hired as a consultant or independent contractor – you will
be publishing industry content to keep you top of mind, either as a content producer or a
content curator by re-sharing authorities’ content (with proper attribution!). you might
spend time on LinkedIn ProFinder(*paid feature) submitting proposals to folks who are looking
Well, here is the good news, the principles are all the same when it comes to optimizing
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your LinkedIn profile. So regardless of which you selected, because of your ah-mazing
to be found, you have a much higher chance of showing up in the search results in
comparison with someone who has a similar skill-set, but who isn’t taking full advantage of
both:
tool that can play ‘key fiddle’ in your online marketing toolkit
In contrast, when you are found – because of the stellar LinkedIn presence I mentioned above
(and that you are about to learn how to create in this oh-so-awesome workbook I put together
just for you), you can stand out from the crowd, and use your new online megaphone to get
Sidebar: you are in fact a brand. Regardless of what you do, you are in sales. We all are –
we are selling ourselves first so we can sell what we have to offer to you later, or to someone
Say it:: I am a brand and I will take full advantage of being my best PR agent! There are so many
opportunities for me to ‘take credit’ for what I do as a part of my day-to-day responsibilities that
give people a ‘behind-the-scenes- look. By sharing great content and participating in the social
aspect of the channel, I have the ability to make and build a strong emotional connection with my
audience. I can accomplish all of this with LinkedIn and other social recommendation engines.
PRO insight you are using a ‘recommendation engine’ anytime you use a social media
channel, and LinkedIn is just that – a place for your network to endorse you and give you a
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recommendation. Two of the main things you will be doing during and after this next 30 days
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down into the nitty-gritty (page 7), you will see that your LinkedIn profile serves as an
interactive business card, micro-site and a resume … wrapped up in a pretty bow where
everyone else is hanging out. And, you are vetted by your network– wowzah!
The really great news? Regardless of how you want to use this social media channel, it is plain
awesome – and powerful, waaaaay powerful. So I caution you to wield this tool very
carefully – guard your network and keep in mind what I learned as a kid – “Tell me who your
CHECKING IN
- Are you really ‘listening’ to what relevant people who are in your industry are talking
about? If you can say yes, “I’m spending time ‘hanging out’ on my newsfeed and playing
the fly on the wall role,” and trying to ‘take it all in,’ then you’re well on your way to being
a Social Savvy!
- Are you tweaking your newsfeed by connecting/following relevant people … are you
- Are you noticing how things work? When posts are getting engagement (likes, comments,
shares), what makes them different than the ones that aren’t getting much interaction?
PRO tip to shorten your learning curve, follow and, in a non-creepy way, ‘stalk’ the people
who are a good representation of the persona you want to put forth and who are regarded
as thought leaders in your industry so you can model / mimic with your own twist.
*Come back to this section often for increased chances of Social Savvy-dom!
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When posting always keep the 10 principles of being a Social Savvy top of mind:
- Be concise - Be authentic
- Be engaging - Be truthful
- Be personal - Be transparent
- Be relevant - Be friendly
- Be timely - And above all, be SOCIAL!
2. #Hashtags are your friend. Use hashtags sparingly, but use them! All social media
channels understand #hashtags. At the end of your posts on LinkedIn you can add 2-3
relevant keyword hashtags to help organize the conversation happening around a
particular topic, e.g.: #SocialMediaMarketing. Use these powerful little phrases to
summarize and give context to your posts.
3. Go on… give a little or a lot! Become known as a sharer and a helper. Helping others
rocks – it goes a long way in building your reputation as a part of the online (and offline)
community. By sharing helpful and relevant information and answering questions, or
providing your expert opinion on industry news, you position yourself as an authority and
a resource on your subject. Why is this important? So that when someone has a question
about your subject and/or the opportunity to recommend your services, you will be top of
mind to them and/or show up more often!
4. Don’t be a parrot for Pete’s sake! Chime in only if you are adding value. Don’t repeat,
only add to the conversation to augment it and add depth. Everyone knows when
someone else is just talking to be heard. Add your opinion, pull out a particular piece of
an article and tease it out … add a tip from your experience or share something you
learned from the article.
5. A picture is worth 1000 words, but video?! Be visual! Add images (that you have
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permission to use). Even better yet, add video … and best yet, stream live video. Yes, it’s
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is not about sharing quotes (like on Facebook) or a whole lot of pictures (like Instagram) –
each channel has its own personality and it’s important that you are following the principle …
‘when in Rome…’ The main thing you should be doing on this channel is adding relevant and
timely insight into your niche. No parroting. No hard sales (or soft selling if you ask me). The
goal is to stay top of mind as an authority and resource on your subject (here is where you
get granular so your tribe/audience can find you and connect with you).
Ok, so now to the nitty-gritty … Let’s dissect what makes up a powerful LinkedIn profile –
And here is the challenge: take 30 days to optimize your profile ... one thing per day so you
can focus all your energy into each particular step to the best of your ability. By the time you
reach the last task, you’ll be able to wield this social media channel like more of a Social
Savvy since you’ve been spending so much time on the channel. As well, your exposure (a.k.a.
as reach) will continually increase the more optimization you complete and the further along
you get on this challenge and the longer you work at building, maintaining and nurturing your
network.
To keep the end in sight, use the checklist (on page 9) to cross each day’s work off. Spend a
moment relishing in marking each item completed and know that you are one step closer to a
more optimized LinkedIn profile and to your main why for using this channel.
2) Optimizing the front-end and the back-end so you make a great 1st impression and you
4) Making the opportunity more readily available for you to grow your network
5) Dipping your toe into Social Savvy-dom so people turn the volume up on you, not off
Checking in what questions do you have? Post them in the #FlutterbyChat Facebook
Group and they will get answered!
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o Review current skills: finish adding up the good, the bad and the ugly.
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you instead. Let’s get started … it’s time to get yourself up and running on LinkedIn…
1) Get mentally ready to get the most out of this roadmap in your hands… 2 deep breaths!
2) And go! Pull out your Smartphone and take a quick picture of what your profile looks like
today, for example, here is mine: (of course, take a screenshot if you prefer!)
How to update your Introduction Card (^)a fancy way of saying all the items we are going to address in this guide
day 1: Profile Picture - make sure it's a headshot, of your bright and shiny face – get in there,
up close and personal. This is how people will form their first impression. The whole profile is
about you, so if you are a photographer, include your camera somehow - or if you sell boats,
be on a boat. Get the picture? Bottom line, make it recent, professional in content and of
good quality (not grainy!), but be sure your brilliant—unique-self shines through so that you
day 2: Cover Photo – this is a place to express yourself and show more about you. I’ve seen
people use this for their favorite quotes, the skyline of the city they live in, a favorite sports
team, or even an image that alludes to the type of work they do. Get creative and use
dedicated to employment and your work history. Most importantly, this real estate is way too
valuable. The headline helps both the search engines and users immediately understand what
you are all about, so go ahead, use these 200 or so characters to include your 'elevator
speech' or your motto, a very subtle call to action, or even just a list of top skills. For example:
o Social Media Marketing Consultations & o Personal Fitness Coach | High Intensity
Trainer & Speaker | Content Curator | Email Training | Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant
Make it easy for people to get in touch or take action! Is all of your contact information filled
in? Be sure to include 3 websites (use the 'other' function so you can give people an idea of
where they are headed and why it matters vs. 'company website'). You can see my example
below, I’ve included a link to a Pinterest board I created for managing social media, a link to
my Facebook profile, and a link to my website. This is a good place to add a link to your
Facebook page, a specific page on your website, or even a ‘subscribe to our newsletter’ link –
get creative here and keep your main objectives in mind by being intentional in the use of this
great marketing real-estate. Bottom line, use this for the opportunity that it is, direct traffic to
Your Turn:
Websites:
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Phone: ________________________
Email: ________________________
Twitter
profile(s):_______________________
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Instant Messenger:
Create a branded custom URL for your profile. Look up in the URL bar, are there a lot of
You haven’t created a vanity URL yet. This is your opportunity to brand yourself and make it
easier for people to find you on LinkedIn – all they (and you!) have to remember is the part
at the end of the URL … a lot of people get stuck here so let me share these examples for
inspiration:
o https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattydurell-hitpersonaltrainer/
o https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickcesaridrtv/
o You could add what you’re known for or the title of your book:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevencesariclarity/
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Make a great impression with your Profile Summary, a.k.a. your bio. This is the section on your
profile that is apart from your specific jobs. Don’t skimp on this step. This is your calling card
and your sales pitch. According to LinkedIn, this “is a space for you to make a statement that
voices your mission, motivation, and skills to people who view your profile.” Here is mine:
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Ps – I want to call your attention to the media I’ve included in my profile summary section
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of skills that makes you employable – apart from working in your current position.
What are your career differentiators? Provide an overview of how your skills have
been a match for your professional journey and how you’ve been able to contribute to
o If you are working to establish yourself as an authority and resource, you would want
to highlight things that make you credible and trustworthy, your unique USP (unique
o If you’re in between jobs – use this as a place to write a personal letter to recruiters,
like a cover letter: highlight your unique skill set, your work ethic and especially that
you are looking for a great company to work for so you can bring your particular
Your homework: write about yourself, your mission, your motivation and your specific
combination of skills that makes you unique. Have someone else read it… did you miss
anything that should be included? Spend time getting this part just right – after reading
this section, the reader should have a crystal clear idea of who you are professionally,
what makes you tick / is your sweet spot when it comes to work. You’ll also want to
outline what your general career path looks like – using broad strokes.
Your turn, jot some ideas down for your profile section, create a rough draft.
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You’ll want to keep coming back to work on this section – there are some ‘light’ days like18, 21-24. Just a thought!
Current work. Include an overview of the company you work for and very specifically how
you fit in and what your secret sauce is that you take with you to work day-in-day-out –
describe the role you play in the grand scheme of things – how do you help move the
organizations’ mission forward? [everyone plays an important role, for example, as a part of
Your turn, jot some ideas of what to include about your current role and responsibilities:
If there is a LinkedIn company page for the place you work, link to it! You’ll know you did it
right if there is an image next to the company name (for example below, Flutterby Media in
comparison to Atlas Branding Agencies – these are my entities, the LLC does not have a
LinkedIn Company page associated with it, but my public dba Flutterby Media does).
related and relevant content – get really creative here!) These can also serve as entrances to the
rest of your online network, so a link to a contact page on your website, or a link to your
PRO tip #2 Since you can have more than one current position, if you are a consultant, you
might consider listing out your top clients and what you do for them as a part of your profile /
virtual resume. Why? It’s a ‘win-win’ – exposure for them and credibility for you (but be sure it’s
with their permission)! For example, I’ve included Social Media Marketing Consultant, for one of
Your turn, jot some ideas for additional work history opportunities to leverage:
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worked in high school, but be sure to list all relevant jobs you have held that are significant to
your professional journey. Note: this will be a ‘living’ document you and others can refer to
moving forward, so be sure to include exact and correct information – don’t exaggerate your
accomplishments or erase gaps in your work history. If you weren’t working, I’m confident you
were being productive in some form or fashion – find a way to spin it in your favor! You are
o Where have you worked? You will notice that when you start typing the name of the
LinkedIn, you will be able to select it [refer to the example on page 18]. If it doesn’t
come up right away, you might be calling it by a variation of the name. You might
have to do a bit of sleuthing on Google with a search like: “xx company on LinkedIn”.
There may not be a page to link to and that’s ok too! As a best practice, try and
o What action-words describe what your role and accomplishments were? You can use
this space to include a brief summary of why you moved on from each position - stay
positive friends!
Some additional thoughts about work history: In the descriptions, use actionable words,
demonstrate what you did/do to set yourself apart from the rest. YOU are unique! If you
want, you could spend a lot more time on the previous work history section if you need to, but
for our purposes, we’re going to focus more on where you’re headed and to get noticed for
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media to each position. You can add a document, photo, link, video or presentation to add
depth and breadth to your profile - not to mention, get someone to potentially enter your
network! It doesn’t have to be your content either, as long as it’s relevant and potentially
helpful and not gated (i.e. you didn’t have to enter your email address to get the resource),
day 10 - 12
Your Turn:
their LinkedIn profile! Win-win for all from the Honors & Awards:
_______________________________
exposure!), honors & awards, test scores,
_______________________________
languages you speak and organizations you Test Scores:
belong to… If it fits and it’s relevant, use the Languages: _____________________
space the way it best makes sense to put your Organizations: __________________
achievements, accomplishments and the ‘secret ______________________________
Add up to 50 skills. This is not where you add in things like PowerPoint or Excel or leadership –
this is the place for relevant and pivotal skills for your particular expertise. Avoid mundane
stuff that does not set you apart - instead, focus on really fleshing out what you do and
adding all variations of that skill. For example, I do social media marketing, so instead of just
'social media,' I chose to include: 'social media integration,' 'social media strategist,' 'social
media development,' 'social media coaching,' 'social media communications' and 'social media
consulting' ... you will have to play around with it a bit, but start typing and see what options
are available from the drop down. Get creative here, but of course, don’t stretch the truth!
This is how people find you, and what people will endorse you for ... don't worry about
removing old skills that don't serve you (if you don’t already have the max of 50), add the
important stuff and in time you will have many endorsements for each one! If you already
have 50 skills, consider removing skills that don’t support your objectives.
Your turn:
day 13 – 14: review skills you already have in place … are there a lot of unrelated ones
listed (i.e. that aren’t in line with what you’re trying to be found for and that your tribe is
o Reorganize and add relevant skills that are honed in to your expertise
day 15 – 16: Give endorsements, get endorsements! Each day, endorse 3-5 people for
2-4 skill sets (only that you are personally aware of or that you can vouch for, remember
PRO tip you can change the order that your skills are displayed my dragging and
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relevant education as well as any additional classes or coursework that you’ve taken since
graduating.
PRO tip: be sure to include activities and media for each – for example, you can add a link to
your college's site here to help connect things! The more you take advantage of making the
back-end connections, the more often you’ll have the chance of showing up in the search results.
In particular with your alma mater, you can be found by making the connection to the school
from your profile. Users can sort by companies they’ve worked at or schools attended – if
you have it listed and someone finds it in common with you plus you’re a good match for what
they’re looking for … well, you get it! LinkedIn is basically a big search engine, so the more
day 18
Address the look and feel of your profile (yes, again!)
o Check back on your profile photo – do you love it? No? Get a new one!
o You might have already added one from step 2, but again, you’ll need a tastefully
branded cover photo that summarizes ‘YOU’ – if you don’t absolutely love it and it
PRO TIP: use Canva to design it, they keep up with the sizes of the graphics for you –
they are all different by channel and the dimensions change from time to time.
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recommend someone for their work ethic, for their ability to handle pressure, and on and on
and often go farther than a supervisor’s might. Who can you recommend? Take a look at the
relationships you could have and let that get your juices flowing – get creative here. But
make sure it’s a heartfelt and honest recommendation (your reputation is on the line here!)
Why do I care so much about this part? Because this is how someone will use others’ vetting of
you to by-default vet you – thereby accessing the recommendation aspect of this powerful
*Seriously, don’t bother giving a superficial or ‘canned’ recommendation, it’s not going to help
will let you choose the relationship you had with the person at the time – so if they were your
supervisor at a company you both used to work for or if you were coworkers, those positions
will come up as choices (as long as they are listed in yours and their previous work history).
Be sure to only ask for recommendations from those who know you best in a professional
capacity. You can only request one recommendation from a connection at a time, although
there's no limit to the total number of recommendations you can request or receive).
day 21
day 22
day 23
day 24
Make and keep connections. It is incredibly important to spend time nurturing relationships. It’s
not as hard as it sounds and the tool that is LinkedIn can be utilized to accomplish this without
too much time spent. You can even connect on the spot using the LinkedIn app when you’re in
the ‘real world.’ To help illustrate how straightforward it is, the nurturing can take place
simply by sharing relevant and helpful content. Only add value to your network, beware of
muddying the waters or diluting the strength of your connections by ‘parroting’ others, doing
PRO tip use LinkedIn’s suggestions for connections. Also use their widget to search your
email connections for a match so you can connect with people you already know.
Your turn:
- Are you connected to your coworkers / supervisors from current and previous positions?
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You’ll be surprised how often they will connect with you, even if they are ‘stars’ in your field –
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#1 Do you want your profile to be ‘public’? This means that your profile is made available to
the search engines and when someone who is not on the LinkedIn platform types your name
into Google or their search engine of choice, they could find your profile. Of course those
chances go waaaaay up when you optimize your profile with this here handy-dandy guide
Yes / No
#2 What email addresses do you want showing or associated with your account? You can
change this in personal settings. Think on this: you may want to add a personal email along
with your work email so you can access at a later date if/when you’re no longer with that
company. This is a good time to remind you that YOU are a brand – regardless of where
you work, you will want to retain and ensure your profile stays yours
_____________________________
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#3 What information is showing on your profile? In profile settings, you can select for any
section to show publicly or not to show. Make sure never to include information like your date
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of birth or details that, in my opinion, should not be publicly available on the internet.
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day 27
- Set up Google Alerts for 2-3 main topics in your purview. Visit: google.com/alerts to
get curated articles on any topic right to your inbox. You’ll be able to stay current
and re-share relevant and timely information to position yourself as an authority and
- Find 5-10 relevant, helpful articles to share … Ride others’ waves! Be sure to give
credit where credit is due! Use the ‘mention’ feature to let that entity know you are
talking about them so they can potentially get involved in the conversation … when
you want to include say me or my company … you’ll start by typing the @ symbol
and immediately following, with no spaces start typing Barb Gray or Flutterby Media
- more than likely you’ll see my name and you can choose from the dropdown that
day 29-30
TO DO: Post link to relevant article with your opinion – include your professional insight
Next: Get feedback from me by submitting your post’s URL to: m.me/FlutterbySocialMedia
PRO tips These bear repeating, to post properly and for the most eyeballs to see it:
- don’t clog the pipes by simply reposting content – add value to the ongoing conversation.
- Be sure to use #hashtags (a.k.a. keywords) so others can find your posts.
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- Use mentions so someone/organization knows you’re talking about them and they have
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Get involved in the social aspect of this channel. Are you following Influencers and companies
that are relevant to you? This is a great way to find out what's going on and join in the
ongoing conversation. Take some time to fine-tune your newsfeed by customizing your news
and the companies you are following. Check out what your connections are posting and chime
in (only to add to the conversation, not to repeat - avoid being a parrot here!). If you have
something to say that is in-depth, write a long-form article to share your knowledge and set
yourself apart- the cool part is that all the articles you post will 'live on' your profile and be
Here I caution you again to spend time listening to the conversation before simply jumping in
and posting and talking. There is a way that each social media channel works. Spend some
time studying your newsfeed and what others in your network are posting and how they are
doing it. Are they getting engagement (likes, comments, shares)? Yes? Follow suit! No? Find
Above all, ensure that everything you include in your profile is accurate and does not stretch
the truth. This is your reputation, manage it carefully. Use this powerful channel to share your
- Having an optimized profile to serve as a foundation for being found and positioning you
- Having a network of gold that you are responsible for guarding and nurturing like your
reputation depends on it
Take a snapshot of your profile today and compare it to the picture from about a month ago!
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