The document provides best practices for optimizing a LinkedIn profile, including key privacy settings, personal branding tips, and strategies for enhancing visibility to recruiters. It advises on profile components such as professional headshots, background banners, and targeted keywords, as well as networking and endorsing skills. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of personal connections and following relevant industry influencers and groups.

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LINKEDIN RECOMMENDATIONS:
BUILD YOUR PROFILE TO LOOK GREAT, BE FOUND, GET KNOWN &
MAKE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS
Category These guidelines are best practices based on Anne Pryor’s Strategies
Key Privacy
Settings
To change these settings, click your photo (top right), Click Settings & Privacy >
Privacy > Sharing profile edits.
● Privacy > Edit your public profile. Google is used to search people before
meetings. LinkedIn profiles are listed based on the public profile. Ensure all
elements on the right-hand side are switched to “Show” to maximize your
visibility when your profile is ready.
● Privacy > Viewers of this profile also viewed. Choose no. This stops competitor
profiles from showing up in the right-hand margin of your LinkedIn profile, which
draws viewers away from your page
● Privacy > Profile viewing options. Choose whether you want people to know
when you have viewed their profile or if you prefer to be anonymous. Do not
choose the middle option.
● Privacy > Notify connections when in the news - set to ‘yes’, if you want the
updates to ‘blast out to your network.
● Watch 11-minute video to set settings and privacy:
https://www.loom.com/share/a5dba8948cff4f3d9b65f1bae2f954c2/www.lo
.com/share/a5dba8948cff4f3d9b65f1bae2f954c2
Connections
If your connections are visible to your network and you are connected with
competitors, they will be able to see when you connect to prospects. To change this
setting, click your photo (top right), Settings & Privacy > Privacy > Who can see your
connections. Click toggle to “allow connections to see your connections list”, if you
want to show connections to your first- and second-degree connections. A targeted
number of connections should be 500. Sales people should target 5,000
connections.
Contact
Information
(1300
Characters)
Add information regarding who you would like to connect with and your email
address (never home address).
Example: “I’m interested in connecting with recruiters, HR and VPs of Marketing in
the food and beverage, CPG and organic gardening industries where I can…”
Customer
URL
Personalize the URL. You can edit your public LinkedIn URL on your public profile
page. Remove the numbers at the end. Steps on how to do this here:
https://bit.ly/3gmx1Fq.
Profession
Headshot
Choose a professional head shot that represents your brand – a color photo of you
smiling and looking at the camera is preferred. You head should fill 80% of the 300 x
300 pix area.

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Background
Banner Photo
Add a background photo. We recommend something that reflects your brand and
brand color. You may google free backgrounds, or create your own at
www.fotor.com or www.canva.com
Free Banners: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/free-linkedin-lovitude-backgrounds-
from-anne-pryor-anne-pryor-ma/
Free Banner Image Sites:
Professional
Headline (220
Characters)
Title(s) of desired position and brand statement (What happens because of you™
OR Titles and then I help X companies…
This is the #1 place for search engines to go to on your profile, so the right keywords
improve your chances of showing up in a search.
Add Pronouns In the LinkedIn topcard area you can now add your pronoun. Choose from:
She/her, He/him, They/them, Customize
Industry Chose an industry relevant to your role from the drop-down box. You can change
this regularly during your job search to draw attention to your target industries.
Add Open To
Add open to:
Work – add up to 5 titles of jobs your targeting, this information is seen by recruiters
and is set up to send emails when new jobs are posted.
Hiring – add titles of jobs you’re hiring for
Providing Services if you are consulting: Add your services (10 from the drop-down
box)
About Section
(2,600
Characters)
Craft several paragraphs emphasizing your brand, pillars, recent roles, and
outcomes. First person is more authentic. Incorporate key words without looking like
you’re gaming the system. Add your email address if you are in job search. You can
remove your email address from the About Section after you land.
Featured
Section
Consider adding content of interest related to your achievements or affiliations. This
might include PPTs, white papers, articles, SlideShare (you will need to set up a
SlideShare.net account), YouTube videos, or other portfolio items. When adding
websites, always chose the website label “Other” from the drop-down menu so that
you can then label with a clear description.
Dashboard Your Dashboard is Private to you. See who has viewed your profile in 90 days, how
many people have viewed your posts, and how many times you’ve shown up in
searches in the past week. This number should be around 300 if you’re in job.

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NEW Creator mode: Turn to On. This allows you to have access to the new view
feature in your photo area, add how to pronounce your name and allows people to
Follow you in addition to Connect.
You can also view statistics on:
My Network Manage your connections, events, and interests.
Salary insights: See how your salary compares to others in the community.
My items: Keep track of your jobs, courses and articles.
Twitter You can add your Twitter account. Don’t connect the Twitter to LinkedIn if you tweet
‘out of brand’ (personal information).
Current
Position
(Title 120
Characters)
If in transition, add titles that represent the services you provide.
Example: Director of Marketing (make sure to click on the title that LinkedIn gives in
the dropdown- box.
In the Company Line add titles and industries (don’t click from the drop-down box:
Director Marketing, Vice President Market │ Consumer Goods │ In Post-Acquisition
Transition
Experience
Add previous position titles, company, dates, and experience including a description
and key accomplishments for each role. Pick up information from the resume.
Note: You can add videos, websites or reports to each role in the experience section
of your LinkedIn profile as well.
Education
Add in your education. Make sure to pull the college logo, degree, and majors from
the drop-down boxes. Add organizations and activities.
Licenses and
Certifications Add applicable professional licenses and certifications.
Volunteer
Experience
Add volunteer experience, place Corporate Board of Directors roles into Experience
category, if relevant to the jobs that you’re seeking.
Skills (Add 50
and get
endorsements
for top 10)
Add skills (up to 50 using key words like HR, Talent Management, etc.). Put 3 of
your most important skills at the very top of the list. Pursue 99 endorsements for the
top 10 skills. Notice skills from job descriptions and make sure they are in this Skills
area. Take the Skills quizzes.
Recommendat
ions
Get three from former bosses, clients, vendors or business partners. (Give three).
The first six words are the most important, so make sure they represent your
branding pillars.

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Languages If you speak any other languages, they can be entered into your profile (range of
proficiencies available)
Publications Add publications with link to website. Include white papers and other professional
publications as well as articles you contributed to. These publications are under the
Add a Profile Section (Accomplishments)
Honors &
Awards
Add current and past honors and awards with brief descriptions.
Groups (up to
100)
Join groups relevant to your area(s) of expertise. Start with corporate groups. Types
of groups: target companies, groups that recruiters join, industry, alumni, thought
leadership, experts, etc.
Following Follow organizations/influencers/publications/hashtags. Following is a great way of
keeping updated with current news relevant to your interests. The best way to start
expanding your thought leadership is to follow influencers and listen to the
conversations happening.
Hashtags A hashtag is the # sign next to a word. Use hashtags to find people, companies,
jobs, posts, etc. Think of 5 hashtags that represent your thought leadership. These
hashtags will show up under your Professional Headline when you turn on the new
creator mode. You can also put them in the Summary, Current and Past Experience,
Address areas. Examples: #healthcare #innovation #sales
Top hashtags: https://www.slideshare.net/annepryor/top-hashtags-2021
Other Tips for
Preparing
Your LinkedIn
Profile
1. Google, Bing, Yahoo and type in your name on LinkedIn to see what comes up.
2. Prepare your brand platform including branding statement, pillars, and impact of
your work.
3. Create/update your resume and write out most recent job responsibilities.
4. Identify three job descriptions that you are interested in to your Current position,
if it’s a placeholder.
5. Develop a list of 20-25 key words that represent skills, specialties, technical
skills, interpersonal skills, outlier keywords, and industries that you are targeting.
6. Identify titles of people that would hire you (VP Product Development,
Engineering Manager, Marketing Director, etc.)
7. Think about publications, trade magazines, and associations that you are
interested in and follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook groups.
8. Identify 50-100 groups that you would like to join – now and future – including
industry, alumni, hobbies.
9. Target 5 hubs – industries that you are interested in. Follow 40 companies in
each hub (200), set up job alerts for those companies.
10. Understand best searching tips using Boolean Search:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annepryor/detail/overlay-

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view/urn:li:fsd_profileTreasuryMedia:(ACoAAADzqdUB4GVyGXTVqCx33v32gzY
SPPg92n4,51098171)/
11. Search and connect with 20 recruiters in each hub. Always write a personalized
message to connect. Best tips for connecting with recruiters:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-connect-recruiters-linkedin-using-my-bar-
strategy-anne-pryor/
12. Connect with Anne Pryor https://www.linkedin.com/in/annepryor/
and your coaches.
Thank you and good luck to you. You were made for this time.
- Anne
www.annepryor.com
anne@pryority.com