Are you still at 100% on your LinkedIn profile?

On February 14th, 2012, LinkedIn changed the way it calulates your percentage. Your number may have gone up or down.

To read the blog from Linkedin go to http://blog.linkedin.com/2012/02/14/profile-completeness/ 

Aaron Bronzan, February 14, 2012

We often make changes to LinkedIn to improve the experience based on feedback from our members. Today, we’re introducing two changes to the Profile that may have an impact on your completeness score.

First, the Profile will put more emphasis on Skills and Expertise. This means you can showcase your areas of expertise to easily connect with people that have similar skills or with companies looking for subject matter experts.

We’re also changing how we calculate profile completeness. The new calculation gives you more control of your score by emphasizing things you have direct control over, like Skills, and putting less weight on areas you may have less control over, like Recommendations. The score also takes profile freshness into consideration, so frequent profile updates can now help with profile completeness.

Here are tips for completing your profile based on the new calculation.

Stand out from the crowd with a complete profile

Did you know? Adding a profile photo makes your profile 7x more likely to be found in searches? And that having your 2 most recent positions makes your profile 12x more likely to be found? Simple updates like these make a difference.

Here are quick steps to create a complete profile and ensure you’re putting your best foot forward:

1) Add a profile photo

2) List all the jobs or positions you’ve held, along with descriptions of your roles

3) Have 5 or more skills on your profile

4) Write a summary about yourself

5) Fill out your industry and postal code

6) Add where you went to school

7) Have 50 or more connections – it’s easier than you think to get connected!

It’s that simple. Whether it’s connecting with people you may know, helping top companies find experts like you, or even opening up new business opportunities, a complete profile helps you stay connected and competitive.  And don’t forget, freshness matters.  So be sure to update your profile frequently if you want to keep your score up.

P.S. Check out our new ‘Improve your Profile’ tool and we’ll walk you through simple steps to help you stand out.