Don't make it difficult for people to contact you. Make it easy.
Right at the top of your profile, there are two places where you need to make it easy to contact you.
The first is your Contact info, visible behind a text link right below your name.
The second is in your About section, where you should add the contact details you want to share.
So let's deal first with the 'Contact Info' element. It's hidden in plain sight. So it's often overlooked. Finding this section empty is one of the most common failings I find when I do a Profile X-Ray. [Profile X—Ray Service]
The screenshot here shows where this appears on your profile. It's right next to your location. You did set your location to the biggest urban area nearby, didn't you?
Click through when you are logged in to your account, and you'll have the option to view and edit it.
Tip: Don't worry about adding your email address here right away. These are actually controlled by other settings areas. LinkedIn can be clunky. I describe both processes later in this document.
Read On...
Next, it's the top half of your editing area, with a few important features highlighted. Click to zoom in on the screenshot to see more.
The first piece of information is your LinkedIn Profile URL. This can't be edited here, but it does have a link that lets you view your profile as others see it. Useful for checking how things appear to the outside world.
Tip: You can edit your profile URL to get rid of the clutter of characters and numbers LinkedIn gives you as default, to get a cleaner URL that can just be your full name.
This means linkedin.com/in/david-petherick-36b927fa can become simpler, such as linkedin.com/in/davidpetherick
[How to: Change your LinkedIn URL at doc.scot website]
Next, you have the option to add up to three separate web URLs. These can be anything you want to showcase — absolutely anything you like, anywhere online.
I chose this area to allow people to make an appointment with me as the first option. After all, I do want people to contact me.
If you scroll further down the Contact Information panel, you have more options. These are more specific contact, such as a phone number, email address and instant messenger.
You can't just type an Email address and you can no longer add your Twitter / X name. These elements are controlled by settings pages elsewhere.
How to add your email address here
When you add your phone number (and it's up to you whether you do or not) then it's a good idea to add the country code. Those trying to speak to you may well be in a different country. Make it easy.
This phone number can be an office or answering service. It can be completely unrelated to the phone number you use for account security on LinkedIn.
I work from home or while travelling the world, so rather than add my postal address here, I've chosen instead to insert a short pitch for my services. Why not? It protects my privacy and acts as a further spur to get in touch.
You can also add Instant Messenger details such as WeChat, QQ or Skype. It's of course up to you how much you want to share here — you may want to keep certain elements private.
You can also choose who can see your birthday — everyone on LinkedIn, just your network of connections, or nobody.
The other place that's important to add key contact information is in your 'About' section.
If you have not added an About section, here's an interactive article on why exactly you should do so. There's also some advice on what to say there.
You may consider adding your contact details here to be needless repetition. But believe me, people are lazy, and they will not always click your 'contact info' link.
Some people are not even aware that it's a live link, and have never clicked it on anyone's profile.
So it makes sense to simply put your contact details in plain sight.
Some people like to visit a website before making direct contact. Others will want you to respond to their questions by email. Some people prefer to hit you up on Twitter or Instagram. Others like to just pick up the phone. So give people choices about how to get in touch.
Another useful addition to the about section is a simple call to action. You should only have one of these, and it should be clear what that action will entail. Offering too much choice will lead to no action being taken.
I like to manage my time carefully, so I don't want people to call me at random. For that reason, I don't share my phone number on my about section or in my contact information.
Instead, I give people the option to book a short open-ended call through my diary robot service. This lets me gather key information that I can reference before our call, such as their LinkedIn Profile URL.
What you share here is a personal choice. And like everything on LinkedIn, you can always change it.
