Most social media apps are places where we can loosen up a little. You can relax and post silly pictures on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and more. Compared to most social media sites, our sponsor LinkedIn is pretty buttoned-up.
You always need to put your best foot forward when you’re on this app. After all, it’s where you go to connect with coworkers and find new careers. That means you should avoid being too personal since that can damage your credibility.
But that’s just one of many common LinkedIn flubs. You may be guilty of a few more subtle errors without knowing it. Avoid these LinkedIn mistakes — they might hurt you in the long run.
Error No. 1: The net you’re casting is way too wide
Many modern filmmakers design blockbusters to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. They want as many warm bodies in the seats as possible, so they avoid plotlines that may alienate audience members. It’s all very general and agreeable: Good guy fights bad guy, bad guy loses, they all live happily ever after and so on.
Your LinkedIn profile doesn’t have to follow general guidelines like that. You want to appeal to niche audiences.
You want to specifically tailor your LinkedIn page to make people in your industry feel like you’re a respectable professional in their field. If you’re too vague and don’t include any personal details, you may have general appeal … but you lack individual distinction.
Bottom line: When job hunting, you want to stick out from…
