LinkedIn Must-Haves

Whether you're actively searching for your next job or just want to put your best foot forward for any great opportunity that might come your way, it's always good practice to get your LinkedIn profile completed as much as possible and keep it updated. Here are my absolute minimum requirements for a good LinkedIn profile as well as some bonus things to make you stand out. 

Minimal Must-Haves

1. Add a nice, professional photo (no kids, dogs, sunglasses or hats)
2. Write great Headlines - don't just stick with the automatically generated headline, talk about what you want employers to know about you
3. Write great Summaries that include formal and informal credentials (i.e. certifications and degrees as well as "Lean guru"
4. Add projects & docs like a portfolio (Green Belt, MPS, Req Training) that can be shared (not proprietary), schoolwork is great for this
5. Use numbers to show magnitude (number of unique SKUs, spend $, inventory $, countries operated in, number of suppliers, volume of units per month, etc), specific software applications used (which MRP or CRM tools did you use, for example) - this is also good to do on your resume

Bonus Ideas

• If you have a secret clearance, make note of when your last investigation was completed
• Update your URL in your account settings to remove the numbers if possible and make it easier for people to navigate to