I do a lot of work on people’s LinkedIn profiles, and it’s fascinating to learn about people’s careeer journeys and what led them to the point they are at. The people who come to me arent always running their own businesses, but they are all entrepeneurial, and responsible for new business developement.
Your LinkedIn profile is one of the first thing that comes up when people Google you and it’s therefore essential for your personal brand.
Today the talented and lovely make-up artist Yukari Wilson came and we worked on showing the world how experienced she is in her work, and also how passionate she is about make-up and skincare.
You can see the before/after screenshots – but of course check our Yukari’s LinkedIn profile here
Here is the before:

Here is a screenshot of the after (click on it to see the real thing!):

We worked on the following changes/improvements

Vanity URL – the first change I make is usually here, it’s so much neater – her new vanity URL is uk.linkedin.com/in/yukariwilson
Summary – I always say write your summary in the first person and wiht a passion that you feel about your business or your job as this really resonates with people.
Job Description – describe every role thoroughly, and write in the first person. Include the work you did, the things you learned, any revelations or interesting points that defined the time you worked there. Have a look at the desciptions Yukari has about her time at Shiseido, Giorgio Armani and SK-II where she mentions their products
Keywords – throughout the profile it’s important to keep in mind keywords and phrases you want to get found for. These are used throughout – things like make-up artist, Japanese, and customer service really resonate. It’s also interesting to learn from her profile about the Japanese concept of “Omotenashi” which means “hospitality” – a philosophy of customer care.
Picture – Yukari’s picture is now a close up shot which means she is far more recognisable. It’s not advisable to have a far away shot on your LinkedIn profile picture as it’s usually seen as a thumbnail.
Groups – we joined the Athena UK LinkedIn group which is a networking group Yukari belongs to and we also joined industry related fashion and beauty groups. Yukari can then work on participating in group discussions and answering questions.
Connections – we searched for a couple of the people that Yukari knows and asked to be connected with them. For the most part, it’s a good idea to choose “other” and have the email address handy for the contact. Some people don’t have the email address and put in “friend” or “colleague”- I wouldn’t do this unless I am ACTUALLY friends with the person, or I have actually worked with the person. I personally don’t accept LinkedIn connections unless I actually know them.
Recommendations – she requested recommendation from one of her cleints and an ex-colleague of hers so hopefully soon this gets shown on her profile too.
Since the training Yukari has been working on connecting with more of the people who she knows as a great way to keep in touch with them. Recommendations displayed on her profile will also help to show the world how great it is to work with her!