How to Add, Edit & Remove Interests on LinkedIn — A Step-by-Step Guide
In today’s business world, not having a LinkedIn profile is almost bad manners. More job seekers and HR professionals are registering on this social network, because it is an incredibly easy and popular way to find a good specialist.
However, many people use LinkedIn in a counterproductive way: they don’t fill out a profile, they don’t join groups, they don’t expand their network of contacts. In this article we are talking about the Interest Section inside the user profile, the existence of which can be really helpful for your future employers. Let’s get down to detailed instructions on how to create a flawless LinkedIn profile using the section.
LinkedIn is a social networking site for finding and establishing business contacts, launched in 2003 by Reid Hoffman. The site currently has over 380 million registered members representing 150+ business industries. The resource is available in 24 languages.
LinkedIn is an unusual social network. This is not Facebook or Instagram. There are no cats, funny videos, weird statuses and long debates in the comments. This is a purely business space where you can find a job, post a vacancy, establish useful contacts with partners and clients, as well as just talk about your business interests.
With your LinkedIn profile, you can create a beautiful CV or create a business card website. So don’t be shy, lazy or neutral about this: if you don’t have a job, don’t stay away, you need this information to get a good order from a good company.
What are Interests on LinkedIn?
The Interests section is located in Additional Info and it is basically the tags that allow you to be in a group of people who have the same words in their profile. Your interests affect the display of your profile when you search for those words.
What LinkedIn Interests Section Includes
The Interests Section has been changed lots of times and by the end of 2021 it looks the following way: it displays ‘Influencers, Companies, Schools, and Groups’ that any LinkedIn user is following at the moment.
For example, to see which Groups a member follows, you should go to the bottom of the profile and click the ‘Interests’. Later, you will see the 4 above mentioned points and click the one you need to check.
Why Are LinkedIn Interests Important?
If you thought adding interests to your LinkedIn profile was pointless, you would be wrong. There are some reasons this option is available and usually used among job seekers. By adding the things that interest you, you can benefit yourself in so many ways.
The main benefits of adding interests on LinkedIn are:
- Once you start following the pages that interest you, your profile reaches the page of admins. It lets them know that you are interested in their business.
- Since your profile becomes accessible to the page of admins, they get to know your qualifications and other details.
- When you follow a particular page, you can see its posts on your timeline. So if the page admin posts a job request, you will see it immediately.
LinkedIn is without a doubt the best platform for all professionals. Whether you are a CEO or just an employee of a company, you should have a profile on LinkedIn. It not only helps you build your network but can also help you find a better job or even the best one for yourself.
But there is another topic that is also very important to discuss. What kind of interests should I put into the Section?
Why LinkedIn Interests Differ from Personal
There is no more significant way to develop rapport when you have shared interests in common, because this is a good way (not the only one, but one of them) for an HR to understand if you really suit for the position they would like to offer to you.
It is also a better idea to take it seriously not lying about your interests, but determining what you have got in common with your target audience and then add the interests on LinkedIn. It is the right choice to be relatable to potential employers and make them more comfortable contacting you.
Moreover, you should always keep in mind that your personal interests sometimes may be a little bit odd, not relatable or socially accepted. So, it is recommended to think twice before choosing Interests, because usually it can be the point where an HR person will have questions in their head. Don’t make them judge you before the interview. The less the more — quite basic, but true.
Useful Tips for Picking LinkedIn Interests
They must reflect the features The Section with Interests demonstrates your areas of interest. The interests you publicly pick have to reflect common characteristics with your target audience. Target audience is the people who could potentially hire you as a full time or part time employee.
Make them see you as you want them to see you In addition to above mentioned, the interests you show to the people should perfectly reflect how you want them to be perceived by HRs, employers, CEOs and other managers who would want you to work for them. At this step you need to prove that you are the person you are speaking about in the CV.
Make it clear and easy to get Understanding and remembering that real people will read this are the two essentials. When you choose interests, it means you choose the people who you want to work with. If you love animals (this is your personal general interest), but you aim to work as an app developer (for an animal breeding company) — these are totally different positions. You have to be clear at that point.
- Be smart There are times when you need to be smart about the information you share. Yes, this is the place where you’re supposed to be ‘the right one’. If the interest you list might be troubling or require discussion to explain, it is best not to include it in your profile. You don’t want to upset your future colleagues and risk them going to the next profile because of a silly interest.
How to add interests on LinkedIn
LinkedIn allows you to add any interests to your profile. If you don’t know how to add interest on LinkedIn, follow the steps below.
Step 1
The first thing to do is open the LinkedIn website on your browser. When the site opens, log into your account using your credentials.
Step 2
Go to the search bar at the top of your screen and locate a business or person, or topic that interests you. Click on it and you will be directed to their profile page.
Step 3
Once their profile page opens, click the Follow button. The person, subject or company will be listed in the Interests section.
There is also another method you can use to add interests to your LinkedIn profile. To make it easier for you, here is a detailed explanation for how you can do it differently. Let’s have a look:
Step 1
First, the same: log into your LinkedIn account. Now go to your profile and click on the option for additional information.
Step 2
Then, go to the Section and choose the option to add interests.
Step 3
Start typing your interests in the given blank space.
Both ways are possible to let everyone know who you are.
How to remove interests on LinkedIn
And now let’s say we need to remove Interests in the profile. you’re going to see a little thing called interest after your recommendations app you can actually see all the interest that you have companies and schools so for example one of my interests are following me Schools that you are following is just literally stop following you though hopefully this will help her
Step 1
Actually reaching the Additional information can also be easy by scrolling down to the bottom of your profile (or traditionally clicking the option for additional information).
Step 2
Choose the Company, the Influencer or School that you need to remove and unfollow them.
If you need to delete Groups, it might be a little more complicated, but anyway:
Step 1
You need to tap the group you want to unfollow and click the button ‘Update your settings’.
Step 2
Turn to ‘No’ under the option ‘Display group on profile’.
How to view interests of others on LinkedIn
The Section displays Influencers, Companies, Schools, and Groups that a LinkedIn user follows. To view other user’s Interests Section you have to:
Step 1
Go to the profile of the member whose interests you want to view.
Step 2
Scroll down to the Interests section at the bottom of a member’s profile.
Summary
According to statistics, only 51% of LinkedIn members have a 100% complete profile. They probably don’t value what they have. The less useful information, the lower the effectiveness of the profile.
The effectiveness of a profile is an indicator of whether there is enough information about you and your professional qualities to establish new business contacts. Interests are not the main, yet very important thing to be filled out on the profile.
The search algorithm on LinkedIn works the following way: the profiles with the highest ‘performance score’ are displayed first in the search. Therefore, it is recommended to fill out your page as accurately and in detail as possible. Otherwise, recruiters and potential partners simply won’t find you and will not be able to connect with you.
So, it is a good decision to try your best to have a completely filled profile to let your potential recruiters know about you everything you want them to know and make the process of finding you as a professional as fast as it can be.