There’s a curious, contentious, often comedic culture brewing on LinkedIn, one that promotes relentless hustle and grind as a means to success. There’s certainly much more to building a remunerative career than the kind of talk you see on the always hilarious Twitter account The State of LinkedIn.
Indeed, crafting a LinkedIn profile that viscerally resonates with colleagues, prospective employers, or business partners requires a more nuanced approach than regurgitating clichéd bootstrap metaphors.
That said, with over 930 million members on LinkedIn, it’s certainly beneficial for career advancement not to neglect the influential platform. With that in mind, let’s explore the nooks and crannies of crafting a stellar LinkedIn profile in 2025 that aligns with your skills, highlights your achievements, and does not strictly adhere to the wearied mandates of hustle culture.
Showcasing Authenticity Over Hyperbolic Buzzwords
Sincerity should be your point of departure when creating a LinkedIn profile. Embellished claims about being a ‘results-driven ninja wizard’ or ‘synergy unicorn’ more often than not run the risk of sounding flippant, pretentious and off-putting. Demonstrate your ware without the pitfalls of vagueness entailing lofty job titles and ambiguous skill descriptions.
Instead, meticulously detail what you actually do/did and how it positively impacted your business or organisation. Enumerating tangible outcomes from your responsibilities adds value and credence to your profile.
Read: 7 key skills every business manager should have
Elevating Engagement With Enrich Content
Leverage the richness of digital media to enhance your LinkedIn experience. It’s not enough merely to specify job titles and chronicle work history in the form of bullet points. Accompany conventional post content with high-definition photos, infographics, videos, or compact podcasts that delineate your domain knowledge while capturing attention.
Professionally tasteful humour may also function as an ice breaker, helping to humanise you amid a flurry of business-as-usual content. Digital detox jokes or hustle diet puns, subtly indicating you’re aware of the darker side of hustle culture, could potentially resonate with like-minded professionals.
Upload A Professional Headshot Photo
According to the New York Institute of Photography, studies have shown that a LinkedIn profile with a photo is 14 times more likely to be viewed (they would say that, wouldn’t they?).
It does make sense, though. You’d rarely swipe right on a photoless Tinder profile, and you’d likely not answer your front door to a man in a balaclava, and LinkedIn isn’t any different.
But what makes the perfect LinkedIn profile shot? Well, you should use a high-quality headshot of you alone, dressed professionally. It should be well-lit and framed chest-up. Smile naturally and look directly into the camera. Avoid casual photos, group shots, or pictures cropped from the waist up.
And whilst it might at first sound crazy, consider a glasses on photo, which can sometimes lend an extra layer of gravitas to your avatar. convey a sense of reliability, and professionalism. They can also help soften your facial features and make you appear more approachable. However, make sure the glasses are clean and free of glare, and that they complement your overall look. If you don’t normally wear glasses, it might be best to stick with your usual appearance to ensure authenticity.
Aligning Career Narrative With Industry Shifts
The professional panorama of 2023 has undergone significant shifts that should be factored into your LinkedIn profile. An example of this is the emergent trend of remote work spurred by the previous global pandemic. Working remotely poses a myriad of unique challenges and showcasing the skill of adaption or leadership in virtual environments can be distinct assets on your profile.
Also, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations have become increasingly pertinent, imbuing administrative roles with a fresh dimension. Incorporating ESG terms, strategies, or just demonstrating your familiarity could make your profile immensely more attractive to similar-minded businesses.
Relationship Building, Not ‘Influencing’
While the post-dinner motivation quotes and faux motivational anthems flooding LinkedIn may serve as fantastic parody material – they generally aren’t converting purported viewers into hordes of adoring fans or prospective business recruits. Instead of spamming followers with hollow positivity, concentrate on establishing genuine connections.
Engage with the content of your connections meaningfully and boost them by sharing or commenting actively. Write thoughtful articles on global issues, trends in your industry, or insights into business life. Authentic engagement is magnetic, often attracting like-minded professionals, thereby growing your network organically sans the fatigue of hollow positivity.
Complete Your Profile 100%
It sounds really obvious, but not everyone bothers to fill out all the sections of their LinkedIn profile. The more comprehensive your profile, the better your chances of being found and contacted by recruiters. Fill out all sections, including Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills, Accomplishments, Volunteer Experience, and Interests. Also add links to your professional website, online portfolios, and social media accounts if applicable.
The Bottom Line
LinkedIn can be an extremely potent tool to showcase skills, seeking alternative employment, discerning industry trends or aligning with potential individuals for business opportunities.
The blueprint provided above circumvents the cosmetic facets of hustle culture, incorporating rather what truly matters: authenticity and meaningful connection. Consequently, growing your network and ensuring you stand out among the dazzling constellation of LinkedIn professionals.
Remember: Abandon the veneer of endless grind; it’s about time your LinkedIn profile emulated you.