“Do you really think it is important to have a great profile set up?” He asked as my jaw dropped to the floor.  And this was coming from a guy looking for a job.

I paused, inhaled as far as I could, and slowly exhaled so that I could use the time to transform my tone from a sarcastic ‘are you kidding me’ to a helpful and less judgmental ‘let me help you understand’.

the CANDIDATE

Now, his question was sincere.  This was coming from someone who already had an interview set up and was pretty confident that he would be able to move forward, though he was aware that some of the interviewers were people he did not know. Also, he had not used LinkedIn to find the position. So in his mind, LinkedIn was not a variable in his job search process.

His profile was not the worst I had seen, however there were a few missing ingredients. Here is a quick list that were his LinkedIn errors and a great quick check list to make sure you are not making the same mistakes.

• No profile image  tips
• No summary tips
• Only last position listed in experience tips
• Still showing previous position as current position tips
• No details or achievements listed in work experience tips
• Minimal connections tips
• Incorrect contact info tips

the QUESTION

So I had offered to help.  Maybe I was bit aggressive in my offer. “You NEED to get your profile updated…call me tonight as soon as you get home and I will walk you through the steps!”  I don’t know, I think it was tame but in retrospect I can go to the extreme when it comes to LinkedInthusiasm!

So he did call, and we looked as his profile, then a couple example profiles and then looked at what steps needed to be taken to give his an overhaul.  This is when he asked with all sincerity, “Do you really think it needs to be updated since I am not very active on LinkedIn?”

He had a valid point.  From his perspective, and to fit his needs, he did not feel he would use LinkedIn much other than for the current job search.  I won’t go into the other good reasons I shared with him now, as those warrant an article of their own. Once I did relay my reasons for valuing LinkedIn, I did answer his question.

the ANSWER

Today’s world is very research friendly!  People are using their phones to look up random facts all day long within seconds.  Need to know who invented the quick burning paper for Lady Fair cigarettes? Or who invented the special adhesive on the back of a sticky note?  If you want to know what the longest bout of hiccups was you can find that too. (Feel free to comment if you can find the answers and bonus points if you don’t need to use a search)

The point is, people are looking up the most trivial information without a second thought all day long.  Knowing that this is the world we live in, how long do you think it will take either an interviewer, perspective customer or new vendor to look you up before they meet with you?

So this was my answer…”If you are not going to have a full and complete profile, then you are probably better off deleting it so that they do not find you on the internet at all.”

why DELETE?

An incomplete profile leaves the viewer with questions.  Here are a few thoughts that could be running through their mind.

• Why is the information missing?
• Do they not understand social media?
• What are they hiding?
• Are they unaware or are they lazy?
• Do they just not care?

It is better to not be found, than to be found with less than stellar results and appear as either incompetent or lazy. It does not matter what the answers to the questions are or what your excuses are for having a bad profile. Once the question is raised in your prospects mind, the damage is already done.

action TIME

So what do you do about it?  As those who read my posts know, I am not an advocate of deleting your profile.  Quite the contrary, harness the power of LinkedIn by taking your profile to the next level.  Try not to get discouraged by the challenge.  Dressing up your profile can be accomplished with just a few simple steps.  Take a look at the check list above to see if you have any of the issues my client did. Next use the quick tips in the articles below as well as all the other great articles out there to give your profile a speedy update with very little pain on your part.  Then get started on enjoying all the benefits LinkedIn has to offer beyond just your job search!

Andy Vargo is a motivational speaker, life coach and comedian who challenges you to ‘Own Your Awkward’. He is the author of the Awkward Journal series, host of the podcast, Own Your Awkward, and shares thoughts and ideas in his blog and video series available at awkwardcareer.com.

Originally published on LinkedIn May 1, 2015