How to Supercharge Your LinkedIn Profile in 5 Steps

Many are not aware that LinkedIn has dropped the age limit to 14, which means that enterprising teens can now also be a part of the whole exchanging of information, ideas and opportunities happening every minute at this social network.

• Get a professional headshot done. If you MUST upload a selfie, at least ensure that it is of high quality and where your expression doesn't mimic one who has just swallowed a Faberge egg whole.
  
• Ensure no other distractions are present in the picture. DO NOT crop out a group photo with a disembodied arm on your shoulder lest you be treated a three-armed mutant.
  
• And by headshot, we DO mean headshot. Photos of you posing with your $2,000 mountain bike may charm your Facebook followers but it won't impress potential employers or investors.

Most are not aware that we can readily change our LinkedIn profile's background image. Getting rid of the default background enables you to customize your LinkedIn page and truly make it your own. As you upload your custom 1400×425 pixel image that reflects your brand, you'll discover a whole cornucopia of tools to make your background photo brandable:

• PIcMonkey
• Photofunia
• Pixlr Express
• Fotor.com (this is a personal favorite of mine - Fotor boasts of a built-in option to churn out beautiful LinkedIn background images

Writing a headline that describes who you are is an art. Many have written about being "Rockstar Web Designer" but fell short of being the individual they say they are because such headlines are overly cheesy to the point poisoning anyone lactose intolerant.

In short, a good headline should always describe: what you are what you can do to help back up your proof to the above.

• what you are
• what you can do to help
• back up your proof to the above

You know your LinkedIn profile is keyword-stuffed when people see the same phrases over and over. The important areas where keywords should be inserted include:

• headline
• summary
• past job descriptions
• skills and interests

Variety truly is the spice of life. For example, if you're a programmatic publisher, you may want to vary keywords by putting in some variants like programmatic selling, advertising specialist and phrases relevant to this niche.

Only 1 out of 2 people have 100% profile completion, and more often than not, people tend to leave out their summary till the last minute, and that's when procrastination led them to leave it out altogether. Having a profile sans summary is like walking to an interview wearing only your underwear. Tips to write a killer LinkedIn summary include:

• Tell your story in an engaging manner. Imagine you're talking to an actual person, then pen down your words.

• Say NO to walls of text. Break up your paragraphs with sub-headers and bullet points when and if necessary.

• PROOFREAD your summary before hitting the publish button! Spelling and grammatical errors can be the dead of your career, so please be sure to double-check.