I’m still in denial that December is here and 2015 is almost done. But, like it or not, it does mean a serious dose of planning is on the cards, as we all map out our strategic aims and objectives for the year ahead. LinkedIn is a hugely important part of our inbound marketing strategy here at Shake, and I use it daily as a networking tool. However frequently you check in to LinkedIn though, you still need to step back from time to time and give that profile a polish. December is the perfect time to tidy up your profile and make sure you’re all set for the year ahead. With that in mind, here are 5 fixes for your personal LinkedIn profile:

1. Review your summary

When was the last time you reviewed your summary? Is it still relevant? Our businesses, our expertise and our skill sets evolve over time, and it’s important to make sure that the summary of yourself that you’re sharing with the world sells you in the best possible light. Imagine someone is introducing you to a potential client. What would you want them to say about you? How can you help? By focusing on your unique skills and the difference you can make now, you should have an up-to-date and relevant pitch that properly does you justice.

Your summary is about you – not your company. LinkedIn gives you up to 5,000 words for your summary. I’m not suggesting you use them all, but this is an opportunity to give detail, examples and value and it’s often the first thing people read about you. Just make sure you have a good summative first paragraph in case they don’t read it all. And just because LinkedIn doesn’t provide bullet points doesn’t mean you can’t use them. Check out www.copypastecharacter.com and you’re away.

2. Focus on keywords

First and foremost your summary needs to appeal to another human being. But let’s not forget it pays to keep the machines happy too. LinkedIn is a massive search engine, and one where people are specifically looking for skills, experience, roles and expertise.

It’s really worth doing your homework and researching the keywords that people might enter if they’re looking for your service. Then make sure you include all of those terms within your summary. A good starting point is:

• What is the job title of the job they are trying to fill / service they are looking for?
• What are the skills required for the role?
• Where is the location of the role? what areas do you service?

There’s an art to creating copy that simultaneously keeps people and search engines happy and persuades them to buy. If you don’t have it hire someone who does.

3. Skills and endorsements

Taking some time to review the skills section of your profile is vital. Your skills appear as endorsement suggestions to your connections. If you receive a peculiar endorsement for something you don’t do, that’s probably because it is listed in your skills – and it shouldn’t be!

Keep your skills up to date and remove the ones that no longer apply to your career. You can add up to 50 skills, and you can also rearrange the order, so drag the ten most relevant ones to the top of your list to encourage further endorsements. Make sure you use your top, most accurate, skills in your profile description.

It’s worth reviewing who has endorsed you for your top skills on a regular basis and reaching out to them to say hello and thank you.

4. Recommendations

One step up from an endorsement is a recommendation, and we all love it when someone takes the time to write something glowing about us. So, here’s the thing: stop begging other people for them and start writing them uninvited!

It’s my favourite new year’s resolution (Must. Write. More. Recommendations.) and a great way to pay it forward for all the fantastic services and advice we all receive at work. Whether it’s a colleague, a client, a supplier or a friend, taking time to show your appreciation never goes unnoticed. And you know what? It often leads to a few more recommendations for your good self in the process. Win win.

Did you know? You can add “#recommendations” to your profile link to send people directly to your recommendations section. Click or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/katetylershake/#recommendations for an example.

5. Presentations

So your profile is all star, the endorsements and recommendations are flying and you’ve got your keywords nailed. The last update before 2016 kicks in is your presentations. Whether you’ve got some old ones attached or nothing at all, now’s the time to take advantage of the fact that LinkedIn owns SlideShare and get sharing your presentations.

Whether it’s from a talk you’ve done or simply as a showcase for your work to date, it’s a great opportunity to show off your expertise and offer your connections something of value. Make sure your presentation has a Call To Action at the end too.

By Kate Tyler (Lover of all things LinkedIn)