Learning Resources.

Your LinkedIn Profile is a modern day personal website. It tells people on LinkedIn who you are, what you’re best at, and why they should follow or connect with you. But here’s the thing: If you don’t optimize your LinkedIn profile, you may be missing out on new connections, followers, sales or networking opportunities. And that’s the last thing you would want to happen. So today, I’m breaking down the top 5 qualities for building a strong LinkedIn personal profile.

Here’s what bad profile picture looks like:

• No picture at all.
• Picture of your logo.
• Picture of your fleet or excavator.
• A cropped picture of yourself.
• A dark image.
• And too far from the photo so you can’t tell who you are.

And now, here’s how to get the best headshot of yourself:

1. Use your smartphone. You don’t need to wait until you get a “professional” headshot. Your smartphone can take great photos.
2. Take a horizontal image from the chest up.
3. Take a photo with great lighting. Taking a photo outside is a great way to get good lighting without professional lighting equipment.
4. Keep your background simple and minimal. Think of something like a wall or backdrop.
5. Make sure your background contrasts your clothing. If you’re wearing light clothing, go with a dark background and vice versa.
6. Wear clothing that you would normally wear on a daily basis. If you wear a suit every day, wear that. If you dress business casual, wear that. If you wear a hard hat every day, wear that. Be true to who you are.
7. I feel weird having to say step 7 but remember to smile. Most people in construction don’t do this which I think is a huge miss.

Remember that people make judgements before following you or accepting your connection request. Your headshot is one of the most important ways you can come across approachable and professional.

Don’t do what the “LinkedIn Gurus” recommend on your profile headline. Here’s what they all recommend you do: “I help X do Y.” It’s overplayed and screams “I’m ready to pitch you something as soon as you accept my request.” And that’s definitely not the message that you want to communicate.

Instead you should find unique ways to communicate what you do or talk about. Here’s what my profile headline is: Construction Content Creator | Creator at Construction Marketers. The goal is to get people thinking, “I wonder what he’s all about or posts about. I have an idea but I want to learn more.”

Now if I was a Project Manager, here’s an example of something I would use: Making Construction Projects Less Chaotic.
Here’s one if I was a Superintendent: Stopping Trade Fights, One Project At A Time.

The more creative you are, the better chance you have at convincing others to click on your LinkedIn profile. Which is the goal at the end of the day.

This banner should help simplify and reinforce exactly what it is you do or talk about on LinkedIn. My banner has my company logo and a statement that says, “Helping Commercial Contractors Build Online.”

For you, it could be, “Follow Me For More Project Management Tips” or “Sharing Daily Construction Leadership Tips.” You can use a software like Canva (which is free) to create your LinkedIn profile banner.

Now, if you want, you could just use a project image but it wouldn’t be my first choice. Just remember to keep it simple and to the point.

This is where you have the opportunity to convince others why they should follow you or accept your connection request.
Here are some tips you can use to write a powerful about section:

• Point out a problem, why it matters, and what you’re doing to help solve that problem.
• Storytell as much as possible to bring the reader in.
• Write in second person when possible. Use the word “you” like your talking directly to the reader.
• Use short sentences and space out your sentences for readability.
• Have a strong call-to-action that encourages them to either follow you or DM you.

Feel free to check out my about section on my profile for more inspiration. This is one of the most important aspects of your LinkedIn profile. Take your time and don’t rush it!

Before I get a ton of questions on the other aspects of your LinkedIn profile, here are some additional tips:

• Add 3-4 hashtags in your “Talks about” section under your profile headline.
• Add your top 3-5 social media posts in your featured section on your profile.
• Keep your employment position summary short and to the point. Ideally 2-4 sentences.
• Add your OSHA 30, Procore, or any other relevant certifications.
• Add 5-10 skills that you’re best at. But don’t add random ones like Microsoft office or word. Focus on high impact only.
• Get as many recommendations you can from managers, directors, or executives from your current or previous employers. This will help bring more credibility to you as a construction professional.

Keep in mind that I’m focusing on the high-impact sections of a LinkedIn profile for construction professionals. There are more sections or details you can add and fill out but I believe these are the most important.

And now you have the TOP four qualities for building a STRONG LinkedIn profile with some bonus tips. You should now be in a much better position for growth on LinkedIn!

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