How to Create a Professional LinkedIn Profile: (2025 Guide)

How to Keep Your LinkedIn Profile Fresh, Visible, and Relevant

Let’s talk about something that many professionals overlook – keeping your LinkedIn profile active and up-to-date. You’ve put in all that work to create an amazing LinkedIn profile, but here’s the thing: a static profile can work against you.

Think about it – when was the last time you updated your LinkedIn profile? If you’re scratching your head trying to remember, you’re not alone. But don’t worry, we’re going to fix that.

LinkedIn recommended 3 weekly actions to keep your profile visible;

1. Posting
2. Commenting
3. Contributing to collaborative articles

Why Should You Update Your Profile Regularly?

1. LinkedIn’s algorithm favors active profiles.
2. Recruiters and potential clients look for recent activity.
3. Your network needs to know what you’re up to.
4. Your career isn’t static, so why should your profile be?

When to know When to update your Profile.

• Your profile picture is over two years old.
• The last activity was more than a month ago.
• Job descriptions don’t reflect current responsibilities.
• The skills section doesn’t include the current tools you use.
• Recommendations are all over three years old.

How to Set Up Your LinkedIn Profile Update Schedule

To keep your LinkedIn profile fresh, you need to have a practical schedule you can stick to. This will allow you to create timely content and keep your profile fresh with new information.

Here is a practical content schedule you can edit to suit your profile:

• Share an industry-related post or article.
• Engage with your network’s content.
• Update your featured section with recent work.
• Review and accept relevant connection requests.
• Review and update your headline if needed.
• Add any new skills you’ve been developing.
• Update project outcomes with fresh metrics.
• Check if your profile picture still represents you professionally.

How to Measure and Improve Your LinkedIn Profile’s Performance

To know if your optimization is working, you will need to track your profile’s performance. The best way to do that is to look at your profile data.

With this data, you can track how well your optimization is working and what to remove or change. Thankfully, LinkedIn gives a lot of ways to actually do this. 

In this section, we’ll show you exactly what to measure and how to use that data to make your profile work harder for you.

Understanding LinkedIn Analytics

First things first – you need to know where to find your analytics. Head over to your profile and look for “Analytics” – this is your command center for understanding how your profile performs.

Here’s what you’ll find there:

Profile Views

This is more than just a vanity metric, and here’s why:

• It shows you who’s checking out your profile (depending on their privacy settings)
• You can see what industries these viewers come from
• You’ll know which companies are interested in your profile
• You can track week-over-week changes to spot trends

What to do with this information:

• Notice a lot of views from a specific industry? Consider tailoring your profile content to that audience
• Getting views from target companies? Time to engage with their content more actively
• Views dropping? That’s your cue to freshen up your profile or increase your activity

Search Appearances

This is crucial because it shows how discoverable you are on LinkedIn. Here’s what to focus on:

• Keywords people used to find you
• Industries and companies searching for profiles like yours
• Locations where searches are coming from

Pro tip: Pay special attention to the search keywords. These are golden insights into how recruiters and potential connections are trying to find someone with your skills.

Engagement Metrics

Let’s break down what truly matters here:

1. Post Performance:

• Which types of posts get the most engagement
• Best times for posting
• Topics that resonate with your network

Key LinkedIn Profile Metrics You Should Track Monthly

Bonus: LinkedIn Profile Checklist and Resources

To make your profile-building process even easier, we’ve created a LinkedIn Profile Optimization Checklist. This free, downloadable checklist covers everything you need to get noticed on LinkedIn—from headline crafting to engaging with others. Keep it handy as you go through each profile section, and check off each item as you go.

[Download the LinkedIn Profile Optimization Checklist]

Extra Tools to Supercharge Your LinkedIn Profile

Enhance your LinkedIn presence with these highly recommended tools. From AI-driven enhancements to resume builders, these tools can help you create a standout profile, refine your brand, and land more opportunities.

1. AI Writing Tools

• ChatGPT – Ideal for writing engaging profile summaries or generating content ideas.
• Jasper – Perfect for writing compelling LinkedIn posts or drafting headlines that attract attention.

2. Resume Builders:

• Canva – Create visually appealing resumes that can be shared directly on LinkedIn as featured content.
• Zety – A comprehensive resume builder that offers professional templates tailored to various industries.

3. LinkedIn Profile Review Services:

• TopResume – Provides in-depth feedback on your LinkedIn profile to ensure it aligns with your goals.

4. LinkedIn Learning Courses:

• Mastering LinkedIn SEO – A step-by-step guide on how to leverage LinkedIn’s algorithm to boost profile visibility.
• LinkedIn Official Blog: Get updates on the latest LinkedIn features and expert tips from the team behind the platform.
• LinkedIn Pulse: Follow influencers and thought leaders to stay informed on best practices and new trends.

Frequently Asked Questions

To wrap things up, let’s address some of the most common questions we receive about LinkedIn profiles. We’ll provide clear, actionable answers that you can put into practice right away.

What are some examples of strong LinkedIn profiles?

Here are three sample profiles that demonstrate LinkedIn’s best practices:

Example 1: The Tech Professional

What stands out:

• Clear headline: “Senior Lead Software Engineer | Open Source, Developer Experience”
• Quantified achievements: “highly quantified achievement section with the relevant job description”
• Rich media: Links to code repositories, project demos, tech talks

Example 2: The Marketing Expert

What stands out:

• Results-focused headline: “Digital Marketing & Growth | EX GroupM/Mindshare”
• Visual portfolio: Showcases campaign results, client testimonials, and case studies
• Thought leadership: Shares weekly insights on marketing trends
• Recommendations: Strong endorsements from clients and colleagues

How do I make my LinkedIn profile attractive to recruiters?

Here’s what recruiters typically look for:

• Keywords in Key Areas: Use industry-specific terms in your headline, include technical skills in your skills section, and add job-specific terminology to your experience descriptions.
• Proof of Impact: Start bullets in your experience section with strong action verbs, quantify results, and emphasize leadership roles and project ownership.
• Active Profile Signals: Maintain regular activity, update skill endorsements, and add recent recommendations.
• Clear Career Progression: Show how your responsibilities have grown over time, highlight promotions, and expand project scopes.

How can I create a strong profile if I’m a fresher with limited experience?

Focus on these sections:

• Education Section: List relevant courses, academic projects, and achievements. Include your GPA if it’s above 3.5.
• Skills Development: Add certificates from online courses, showcase programming languages or tools you’re learning, and highlight soft skills developed through group projects.
• Alternative Experience: Include internships, volunteer work, university club leadership, or personal projects.
• Professional Summary: Describe your career aspirations, and highlight technical skills, and relevant projects.

What are the best practices for LinkedIn profile pictures?

Here’s a quick guide to creating a great LinkedIn photo:

Do:

• Use a recent photo (less than two years old).
• Ensure good lighting (natural light works best).
• Choose a clean background.
• Dress professionally according to your industry.
• Show your head and shoulders.
• Look directly at the camera with a natural smile.

Don’t:

• Use group or cropped photos.
• Select overly casual or vacation images.
• Apply heavy filters.
• Wear distracting patterns or accessories.
• Use low-resolution photos.

Quick Tip: Not sure if your photo fits? Ask for feedback from 3-5 professionals in your industry.

How do I update my profile to get a job?

Follow this checklist to optimize your profile:

Immediate Updates:

• Turn on “Open to Work” (visible only to recruiters if you’re currently employed).
• Update your headline with target job keywords.
• Add recent achievements in your experience section.
• Refresh your summary to reflect your current career goals.

Profile Enhancement:

• Attach media files to showcase recent work.
• Update skills based on job descriptions.
• Request new recommendations from colleagues.
• Join relevant industry groups.

Visibility Boosting:

• Share relevant content weekly.
• Engage with posts from target companies.
• Follow recruiters in your industry.
• Interact with company pages of interest.

Job Search Optimization:

• Save relevant job searches.
• Set up alerts for target roles.
• Follow target companies.
• Connect with individuals in relevant roles and companies.

Pro Tips for Job Seekers: Make profile updates during off-peak hours to avoid notifying your network, use LinkedIn’s private mode while researching companies, and keep activity focused on your target industry.

Quick Profile Review Checklist

Ensure your profile is complete by reviewing the following:

• ✓ Professional photo
• ✓ Keyword-rich headline
• ✓ Compelling summary
• ✓ Updated experience section
• ✓ Skills aligned with target roles
• ✓ Active engagement
• ✓ Recent recommendations
• ✓ Media attachments
• ✓ Contact information
• ✓ Custom URL

Remember, your LinkedIn profile is a living document. Set a monthly reminder to review and update it so it always reflects your professional journey and goals. For more detailed guidance, revisit our sections on profile optimization or check out our industry-specific tips in earlier chapters. Cheers!!! 😍😍😍