What LinkedIn Won't Tell You

LinkedIn is our lifeline – connecting recruiters to candidates, the sales team to clients, and business knowledge to our followers. LinkedIn is a dream world for all business professionals and is constantly growing at a rate of two new members per second.

Yes, it is pretty intuitive to use - however, much of our business success stems from what LinkedIn won’t tell you. Regardless of how you utilize the world’s largest professional network, here are 6 little-known, shocking tricks that will help you drive even greater results with little effort.

1. Every move you make; your connections will be watching you:

Your connections do NOT need to be notified of every edit you make to your profile, so before alienating your connections or tipping off your manager you’re in the market for a new job, adjust “sharing profile edits.” How to: Account & Settings >> Privacy & Settings >> Privacy >>Sharing Profile edits.

2. Cover your tracks:

Do you want people to know you’re checking our their profile? Probably not, so spare the embarrassment and make this quick fix. How to: Privacy & Settings >> Profile viewing options >> Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile.

3. Who’s checking you out?

The “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” feature allows you to see who has viewed your profile, gives insight on your post performance, tells you how your profile ranks across all your connections. How to: Profile >> Who’s viewed your profile

4. Customize your profile URL:

This by far is one of the most overlooked LinkedIn features – get rid of the smorgasbord of numbers and letters at the end of your profile URL. This will help enhance your brand and make sharing your profile easier. How to: click here.

5. A picture is worth a thousand words

Your profile is 7 times more likely to be viewed if you have a photo. Ideally, this photo is a snapshot of you at your professional best. If you want to take it a step further and give your viewers a feel for your brand and personality, add a background photo. How to: Profile >> Edit Profile >> Add a background photo (or Edit Background).

6. How to stand out from your competition

In addition to a profile photo, incorporate key terms in your summary and headline to help generate 35% more profile views and ultimately connect you to the perfect audience. You have 120 characters in your heading at your free will, so be specific and compelling! What to include? Keywords relating to your industry focus, specialty skills, certifications, or what type of job opportunity you’re seeking,

Take 15 minutes to update your profile and implement these tricks to boost your profile and optimize your personal brand for top search results. These tips are a great place to start, but we're barely scraping the surface, so stay tuned for more LinkedIn magic.