The Do’s and Don’ts of LinkedIn

There are a variety of unwritten do’s and don’ts that define LinkedIn rules of etiquette and are tips for success. Think of it this way: you wouldn’t stand in front of a crowd at an in-person networking event and state that you despise your boss. You shouldn’t do it in your LinkedIn updates or conversations either.

Your words can live online for a very long time and you never know where they might show up in the future thanks to links and copied content. Even after you delete an inappropriate picture or comment from your LinkedIn account, it might be too late. That picture or comment may have already been indexed by Google and other search engines, it may have been copied by another person and republished on their blog, or it could have been tweeted by more than one person to huge audiences. Did you know that the Library of Congress archives all public Twitter updates? The rules of behavior that you live by in offline professional networking apply online, too, and LinkedIn is not an exception to that rule.

WARNING

Following are a number of LinkedIn do’s and don’ts that can keep you out of trouble and position you for success rather than failure:

• Do include a professional picture with your profile.

• Do write an honest and complete profile.

• Do customize links in your profile to state where those links lead and what they contain.

• Do write a LinkedIn profile headline that explains what you do rather than providing generic information.

• Do include a personal message with your LinkedIn connection requests.

• Do personalize your LinkedIn profile URL.

• Do think like the boss (or customer) you want to connect with, and create a profile that speaks to that person.

• Do update your LinkedIn profile often.

• Do add value to every conversation you join on LinkedIn.

• Do acknowledge others, join their conversations, and share their content.

• Do work to create a profile that is 100 percent complete.

• Do customize your profile header and summary to let people know who you are and what you do, which will entice people to click on and read your entire profile.

• Do include keywords in your profile titles and specialties to help people find you in LinkedIn searches.

• Do make your profile public to boost your exposure.

• Do use LinkedIn apps and tools to add useful information to your profile and audience.

• Do disconnect from members who participate in activities that could be considered spam, illegal, inappropriate, or in violation of LinkedIn policies.

• Don’t spam other LinkedIn members with self-promotional messages and updates.

• Don’t spam the system and try to get around the rules in order to send connection requests to people you don’t know.

• Don’t publish anything you don’t want the world to see.

• Don’t replace personal updates entirely with updates from automated tools.

• Don’t feel obligated to accept every connection request you get. Accept connection requests based on your LinkedIn goals.

• Don’t think of your LinkedIn profile as a résumé. How boring would it be if someone handed you their résumé at an in-person networking event?

• Don’t violate any laws or LinkedIn policies.

Even if your LinkedIn goals are limited in scope and your profile is private, the do’s and don’ts still apply to you. LinkedIn is considered to be the social networking site for professionals, and as such, professional behavior is expected at all times.