When’s the last time you loved on your LinkedIn profile? Believe it or not, HR recruiters really do use it to scout prospects. Does your profile paint a relevant picture of the professional you?

If you haven’t laid eyes on your profile in a while, stroll on over and take 30 minutes to freshen it up with these three improvements:

1. Create a thoughtful “summary” – also known as a bio, these paragraphs should explain how talented and experienced you are, while also hinting at your fabulous personality.  Don’t be afraid to share with the reader the kinds of work you most enjoy. For example, my profile says, “Margie most enjoys cause-related public relations…” It’s also nice to talk about your community service work, or other relevant extracurricular activities. Oh, and when you are finished be sure to add your skills to the “specialties” box.

2. Stream your blog — maintaining a blog tells folks you actually know how to USE technology and new media, not just talk about it. LinkedIn now has several applications that enable you to share your blog content on your public profile. This is an especially smart move if you blog about your industry. A word of caution though: if you only blog about wild drunken nights and creepy after-hours adventures, best to leave that blog off your profile.

3. Solicit past and present colleague recommendations — ask a few folks who you know think the world of you to write a nice sentence or two as a public job recommendation. I’ll admit, this one is hard for me to remember to do, but nothing says “she’s worth her salt” more than having a roster colleagues and former bosses serving as your 24-7 virtual reference.

These are my top three suggestions; there are many more! What is your favorite way to leverage LinkedIn?

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