7 Mistakes to Avoid Doing on LinkedIn

Either an entrepreneur or a professional, building a personal brand on LinkedIn is a lasting investment that generates incredible rewards for your business growth or throughout your career.

LinkedIn is THE world’s largest professional networking platform. The purpose of this social media platform is to connect professionals and entrepreneurs and to make them more productive and successful. LinkedIn has 1 billion active users as of 2024 and adds 3 new members to the platform every second.

If you haven't been very active on LinkedIn, you might be making a few common mistakes that are keeping you from seeing and reaching the visibility and business or career growth you're hoping for.

1/ Create a Profile and Disappear

LinkedIn is way more than just an online resume where you set things up and then forget about them. If you make a profile and then rarely check in, you'll probably miss out on connection requests from people in your industry, either potential clients or other business owners or recruiters and those who make hiring decisions. You might even miss messages from people who come across your profile and have a business or career opportunity for you.

Today, LinkedIn is playing a huge role in business networking and job hunting therefore it's essential, no matter what industry you're in.

Don't miss your chance to grow your network, attract potential referrals, and find better opportunities, either business or job related, that come to active LinkedIn users.

2/ Settle for the Default Headline

When you set up your LinkedIn profile, it automatically uses your most recent job title and employer—or if you're a student, it says something like "Student at [University Name]"—as your Headline. This Headline is one of the first things people see, right after your name. It’s a perfect spot to show off what makes you unique.

Think of your personal brand as what you want to be known for. Sure, it can include your current job title, but it should also highlight your strengths and skills, and the kind of results people can expect from you.

The way you write your Headline also affects how easily people can find you on LinkedIn. If you just keep with the default Headline LinkedIn picks for you, you're less likely to show up in search results or get noticed by potential business clients or recruiters.

3/ Send Connection Requests to Everyone

Having over 500 connections on LinkedIn is beneficial because the platform considers this a sign of active usage, and profiles with 500+ connections get priority in search results. However, the number of connections isn't just for show. In fact, LinkedIn limits the total number of 1st connections to 30,000 and only displays "500+ connections" on your profile, even if you have more.

Why? LinkedIn wants you to connect with LinkedIn users who you know or will be mutually beneficial to know.

Start building your LinkedIn network by connecting with family, family friends, your own friends, current and former coworkers, past and present managers, business clients and providers, old classmates, and people you've met at networking events. But don't stop there.

It's important pay attention about who you connect with because the real benefit of networking comes from turning business contacts into professional relationships. Simply sending connection requests to everyone on LinkedIn won't actually add any value to your profile or your network.

4/ Endorse Skills You've Never Witnessed

This continues to be an issue on LinkedIn. Endorsing skills for someone when you haven't actually seen them in action is easily discoverable and can damage that LinkedIn user's credibility. Your profile links to theirs, and anyone can see if you’ve really worked together or share mutual connections with just a click.

It’s more valuable to have fewer than 50 endorsements from people who have actually worked with you—like coworkers, collaborators, clients, or customers—than to have over 99 endorsements from random connections (LinkedIn limits the display to "99+" on profiles). Don’t hesitate to ask these contacts to endorse the skills they’ve seen you use.

Be transparent, honest, and genuinely helpful by only endorsing skills that you’ve personally observed.

5/ Complain About Your Business Clients or Your Manager

It doesn’t matter who you are connected to on LinkedIn, it’s never a good idea to publicly criticise your business clients or your employer or colleagues. Negative comments can turn off other LinkedIn users who are looking to expand their networks with positive professionals. Recruiters and hiring managers are also unlikely to approach someone who openly gripes in such a professional setting.

Save such discussions for private messages with professional friends you trust.

If you want to offer advice or share insights from challenging experiences you’ve overcome, LinkedIn users will appreciate posts that maintain a professional or positive tone. Always be mindful of the impression your updates and comments create among your peers, recruiters, and potential employers who might review your digital footprint.

6/ Ignore Messages or Inmails

Make sure to check your messages regularly. If you have a smartphone, downloading the LinkedIn app is a great way to stay updated with alerts for new connection requests or messages.

Not staying active on LinkedIn (see #1) is a big mistake if you're looking to leverage the platform for business or career opportunities. LinkedIn Messaging is the place where networking really comes to life—turning business contacts into professional friends, discovering opportunities that fit your skills, and getting introductions that can advance your career.

Recruiters use LinkedIn to find both active and passive job seekers (those not actively looking but open to opportunities). They won’t be pleased waiting a month (or longer) for a response to their messages. Neglecting your inbox is a sure way to miss out on opportunities that could be a game changer for your career.

7/ Apply for Jobs without Updating Your Profile

When you apply for jobs online, your LinkedIn profile might be connected to your application. Especially when applying directly through LinkedIn, one of the first things a job poster will notice is how many relevant skills listed on your profile match the job description. They'll also see your Headline and a quick overview of your Experience (with your most recent job highlighted) and Education sections.

Don't make the critical error of applying for jobs without updating your LinkedIn profile first. Any discrepancies in your work history, degrees, and training can give a wrong impression to recruiters and hiring managers who often begin with a LinkedIn check.

At a minimum, keep your Experience section current. For extra impact, pinpoint the keywords in the job posting or those typically expected in your field and ensure they are included in your Skills section and throughout your profile.

We all make mistakes—which of these were you surprised to discover may be stopping you from getting more profile views, connection requests, and messages?

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Enhance Your Career with Alexandra Pricop 🍀 - As Recruiter and LinkedIn Profile Branding Advisor, Alexandra supports candidates with expertise on profile optimisation and trainings on visibility strategies to stand out.

You can book a 20 min. 1:1 free exploratory call to discuss about your LinkedIn goals and get clarification about your LinkedIn profile.

My mission is to help professionals & entrepreneurs power up their LinkedIn professional branding to reach the visibility that boosts business growth and career opportunities: https://linktr.ee/alexandrapricop