How to Be a LinkedIn All-Star

Creating your account on LinkedIn requires some very basic information. And unfortunately, that’s where a lot of people stop. But part of the goal of LinkedIn is to show up more in searches, and to have your profile viewed more. And the best way to do that is to become a LinkedIn All-Star.

What is an All-Star?

LinkedIn used to have an actual thermometer on your profile that listed out the things you had accomplished, and that you still needed to accomplish. Although that information is still available, you have to do a little bit of digging to find it.

Now, LinkedIn has the concept of Profile Strength. If you view your own profile, you can see the Profile Strength indicator in the right sidebar. Now you might notice if you are an All-Star that the circle looks like it’s not quite all the way filled up. It looks like there’s still room for improvement, but there’s not. In fact, All-Star is the highest level you can get to.

Here are the potential levels you can obtain on LinkedIn, from lowest to highest.

1. Beginner
2. Intermediate
3. Expert
4. All-Star

So what do you need to do to hit that All-Star level, to get more benefit from LinkedIn?

Become a LinkedIn All-Star

Here are the things that you need to fill out on your profile in order to be an All-Star.

Of course, you need the basic information LinkedIn has you fill out when you create your account. This includes your first name, last name, email address, and a password. Naturally, your password won’t be displayed on your profile.

Next, you need your industry and location. On industry, you’ll have to pick the closest one from the options LinkedIn makes available. On location, you pick your country, then enter your postal code. Once you’ve done that, it will give you an option or two to choose from.

You need an up-to-date current position, including a description. The description does not have to be long, it just has to be there. Too much, and people won’t read it. But too little, and it will look incomplete.

You need at least two past positions. These will be used by LinkedIn to suggest people to connect with, and can be viewed by others on your profile.

You need to have your education entered in. You need at least one school, along with other information like dates attended, field of study, and activities and societies. This will also be used by LinkedIn to suggest people to connect with.

You should have a minimum of three skills listed. Among other things, LinkedIn uses these for endorsements. People can choose to endorse you for skills you’ve listed. In addition, when they view your profile, LinkedIn will automatically suggest related skills to them as well.

You need a profile photo. When you upload your profile photo, make sure it’s a photo of you. It should be a good, clear shot of your face. It should not be your company logo. That should be on your company page. It should also not be you with your family, as that’s more appropriate on Facebook or Twitter. And it should certainly not be a photo of your pet, as people are looking at your profile to see a professional representation of you.

Finally, you need at least 50 connections. You’ll want to upload your address book and go through the people LinkedIn thinks you might know, and find 50 people that will accept your connection request.