LinkedIn interests allow you to improve your personal branding in an instant.
Linkedin is one of the biggest social media networks for B2B marketing, professional networking and personal development.
But sometimes it’s difficult to use.
So if you are wondering how to manage your LinkedIn interests, we’re here for you.
In our new series on LinkedIn Influencer quick tips, we take a look at the common questions you have about the platform.
We take a look at its features, the profile sections, and how to use them.
The ultimate goal is to learn to craft your profile and understand how to make your profile stand out from the rest.
The reason? We want to help you become a true LinkedIn influencer and thought leader!
Last time, we explored Saved Jobs on LinkedIn, which helps you select and keep track of your jobs on the platform.
Today, we are taking a look at LinkedIn Interests.
In particular, we are checking out how to add interests on LinkedIn, edit them, and make your profile stand out even more.
Adding interests on your LinkedIn profile allows recruiters, other professionals, and your connections to understand WHO you are as a person and a professional better.
It allows people to see your personal interests and make a judgment on how closely they align with your professional background.
But before we learn how to add them to your profile, let’s talk a bit more about what they are, where they are shown, how to add them, and what are the benefits of having them on your profile.
Let’s get started with the basics.
What are LinkedIn Interests?
Your LinkedIn profile features several different sections. One of them is called “interests” and is found on the bottom of your profile page.
While most sections of your profile have the option to be hidden, your interests are always found on the bottom of your profile page.
The section includes a collection of brands you follow, groups you are a part of, and any schools or universities that have a page on LinkedIn that you have added to your profile.
You can check out your current collection of interests by clicking the “See All” button.
When you do so, a new screen will appear with three tabs.
The first tab showcases the companies you follow.
The second tab is a list of LinkedIn Groups that you are a part of.
The third tab features the schools you have attended and that are listed on your profile.
Use
The interests on your LinkedIn profile are automatically showcased. This means that there’s no way to choose and select which interests appear first.
In fact, if you tend to like pages and join groups, chances are you’ll have pretty messy interests that are showcased on the bottom of your profile.
The good part is that almost no one scrolls down to the bottom.
The bad part? Those who are actively interested in you (including potential clients, leads and recruiters) WILL be checking out your profile thoroughly.
So, even if you like and follow dozens of companies, you should still pay attention to your interest and try to arrange them in a manner that best speaks to your professional branding persona.
Ultimately, the interests
We’ll talk about how to do that with consideration of the automation in just a second. Before that, let’s see some great examples of interests on LinkedIn profiles.
Examples
Check out the added interests on this LinkedIn profile.
Simple, clear, and concise.
On the surface, they might seem pretty generic, but when you consider that these are the interests of the profile of Bill Gates, you start to understand just HOW specific his choices were.
Going through his list of interests, you can see just how much attention was paid to the selection of the interests he follows.
The next example is from my own profile.
I have hundreds of interests as I’m actively part of LinkedIn groups and follow a ton of pages.
However, you can still see that on almost each page refresh there’s a collection of interests that showcases who I am.
- Groups within my Niche
- Big Brands I aspire to (infamous marketing agencies)
- Brands recognized by my ideal customers (business magazines)
- A touch of personal showcasing that I am, after all, human, to add authenticity
I’ve managed to achieve that, despite the reroll and automatic refresh that happens with your LinkedIn Interests.
Now I’m going to teach you how to achieve the same effect by adding the right interests to your LinkedIn profile to make it truly stand out from the crowd.
Managing your Interests on LinkedIn (Tips and Steps)
The first thing to note is the type of interests that would expand your professional persona.
For example, if you are a UX designer, having “Microsoft” in your interest might not be the best choice.
The same goes, if you are a Java developer, being part of the group about “Art and Design” won’t necessarily fit the persona you are trying to build. (Unless you are an edge case where your brand is engulfed in programming and UX design)
That’s why, before you head out to add interests to your profile, you should actually note the interests you should be adding.
Here’s a quick list to get you started.
You can use and print out this BAMF strategy sheet to help you in the process.
Fill out each field and note on the brands and interests you should search for and the potential groups you should join.
Once you have the interests written down, you should do a basic search for brands, companies, influencers, and LinkedIn groups depending on the separate categories of interests you want to add to your profile.
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Once you are ready, it’s time to start adding.
How to add interests on LinkedIn?
The user experience on LinkedIn has always been baffling to me. They take actions, which are easy and intuitive, into a hassle of clicks, twists, and turns.
Adding interests to your profile on the platform is also pretty similar.
Here’s how to do it.
Step 1. Find a Company Page you want to Follow (or a Group you Want to Join)
To do this, click on the search bar.
Type the name of the brand or group your want to find.
Once you find it. Click on their page.
Step 2. Follow that Page (or Join that Group)
You’ll click the “Follow” button on the page or you can click the three dots.
If you click the three dots, a menu will appear where you can also follow the page.
Step 3. Go to your profile and scroll to your interests. The new Interest should now appear in your profile.
When you have followed the page it will now be in the collection that’s scrolling through the interests on your profile.
How to edit the “interests” section?
To have a clear selection of interests on your profile, you also need to edit out your current interests.
To do so, you should follow these steps for Mobile and Desktop to edit the interests on your LinkedIn profile.
Step 1. Scroll to the bottom of your Profile Section
Step 2. Click the “See All” Button
Step 3. Scroll down until you find the brand you want to Unfollow to Edit out the interests on your LinkedIn profile
How to delete and remove interests from your profile?
The deletion and removal process is actually the same as editing them.
If you’ve skipped to this section of the article, feel free to scroll up and find the answer to your question in the “edit” section.
Don’t Leave the LinkedIn Interests on your Profile Empty!
One of the biggest rules of having a nice LinkedIn profile is to NEVER leave your interests empty.
If you are interested to make your profile shine, make sure to also check out my full tutorial on that right here.
Now that you know the basics of adding interests to your LinkedIn profile, it’s time to do it.
Was I helpful? What do you find MOST frustrating about the user interface of LinkedIn or the way your LinkedIn profile is setup? Let me know in the comments!
