6 LinkedIn Optimization And Connection Mistakes That Turn Off New Prospects

Are you making any of these LinkedIn optimization mistakes on your LinkedIn profile? If so, you could be turning off new prospects and connections.

I’m quite an active user of LinkedIn and find it very useful to connect with other leaders in my industry. It’s also a great place to get to know another person on a professional basis.

Your LinkedIn profile is like your online resume, and when used well, can tell other professionals who you are, your qualifications, what you’ve achieved so far, how well connected you are, and even how you are perceived by others in your industry.

On the other hand, a poorly written profile can give a terrible impression because it shows how little you care about making an impression on others.

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Are You Making These LinkedIn Optimization & Connection Mistakes?

Are you making any of these LinkedIn optimization mistakes on your LinkedIn profile? If so, you could be turning off new prospects and connections.

1. Not using Title Case for your name

It’s so easy to just press the Caps Lock and write “Firstname Lastname” instead of “firstname lastname”. Part of presenting yourself well online is learning how to write your name properly.

2. No photograph

Who are you? Male or Female? What do you look like? Who should I expect to see if and when we meet?

The lack of a photograph tells me that you are either not serious about networking or that you lack confidence. Both of which make me reluctant to connect with you.

3. No profile headline

What do you do? If I have no idea why I should connect with you, why would I add you in the first place?

And Heaven forbid that I should add you and you turn out to be one of those male or female “escorts”. How do you think that will look to the rest of my network when they see who I’ve added to my list?

4. Incomplete profiles

If you can’t be bothered to spend even half an hour completing the most pertinent parts of your profile, like the Summary and Experience sections, why should I bother doing business with the likes of you?

Taking a little trouble over it and presenting a completed profile with your certifications and maybe a few recommendations tells me that you are serious about how you come across to others and are hence a reliable person to connect with.

5. No connections

Haven’t bothered to add even your Gmail contacts to your LinkedIn profile? That just tells me that you’re not here to network.

So what are you here for? I prefer to add people who are here to connect and participate, and who can help me connect to others, which leaves you out.

6. Spammy messages

If you send me a request for a recommendation or a survey and I don’t know you from Adam, you’re on my Spam list forever. Send me mass emails and you’ll suffer the same fate.

Write me a well-written message telling me why you want to connect and what you hope we can achieve together and I will respond to you with the same courtesy.

So if you’ve committed one of these LinkedIn sins, it’s not too late to clean up your act. All it takes is a little elbow grease, a decent photograph and some time spent writing up a great profile that will do you credit in your LinkedIn networking efforts.

So start correcting these LinkedIn optimizations and connection mistakes on your LinkedIn profile now.

Personal Branding Tips

Priya Florence Shah

Priya Florence Shah is a bestselling author and an award-winning blogger. Check out her book on emotional self-care for women. Priya writes short stories and poetry and chills with her two-legged and four-legged kids in her spare time.

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