linkedin-personal-branding
LinkedIn Personal Branding Skill
CRITICAL: Mandatory Audit Requirements
Every audit MUST include — no exceptions:
| Field | How to Determine |
|---|---|
| Industry/Sector | Job titles, skills, content topics |
| Profile Type | Employee / Consultant / Freelancer / Entrepreneur / Job Seeker |
| Target Audience | Recruiters / Clients / Peers / Investors / Partners |
| Engagement Rate | CALCULATED: (Reactions+Comments+Shares)/Impressions×100 |
| SSI Score | Actual score OR estimation with note |
These fields appear in the report header. Do not skip them.
Core Workflow
Step 1: Determine Analysis Type
- Full Profile Audit — all elements, complete report with scores
- Quick Profile Review — priority action items and quick wins
- Content Strategy Analysis — posts, engagement, content performance
- Visibility Optimization — keyword/SEO discoverability
Step 2: Access LinkedIn via Chrome DevTools
Required: LinkedIn profile open in Chrome, user logged in.
| Tool | MCP Name | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| List Pages | mcp__chrome-devtools__list_pages |
Find LinkedIn tab by URL |
| Select Page | mcp__chrome-devtools__select_page |
Focus tab |
| Snapshot | mcp__chrome-devtools__take_snapshot |
Accessibility tree with UIDs |
| Screenshot | mcp__chrome-devtools__take_screenshot |
Photo and banner analysis |
| Navigate | mcp__chrome-devtools__navigate_page |
Go to URLs |
| Click/Hover | mcp__chrome-devtools__click / hover |
Interact with elements |
| Wait For | mcp__chrome-devtools__wait_for |
Lazy-loaded content |
Extraction workflow:
list_pages→ find pageId where URL containslinkedin.com/in/select_page→ focus tabtake_snapshot→ get accessibility tree with UIDstake_screenshot→ analyze photo/banner- For lazy-loaded sections:
hoverto scroll → re-snapshot
Profile sections to analyze: photo, banner, headline, About, custom URL, experience, education, skills/endorsements, certifications, recommendations, featured section, activity/posts, followers, connections (500+ indicator), groups.
Step 3: Score Profile Elements
| Category | Weight | Key Factors |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Identity | 15% | Photo quality, banner, consistency |
| Headline | 15% | Value proposition, keywords, memorability |
| About Section | 15% | Story, keywords, CTA |
| Experience | 20% | Completeness, achievements, metrics |
| Skills & Endorsements | 10% | Relevance, count |
| Recommendations | 10% | Quality, diversity, recency |
| Activity & Content | 15% | Posting frequency, engagement rate |
Score interpretation: 90-100 Elite · 80-89 Excellent · 70-79 Good · 60-69 Average · <60 Needs Work
Step 4: Calculate Mandatory Metrics
Engagement Rate (REQUIRED):
Engagement Rate = (Reactions + Comments + Shares) / Impressions × 100
Example: (15+1+0)/1,376×100 = 1.16% → below 3% target
SSI Score (REQUIRED):
Option A — User visits linkedin.com/sales/ssi and shares score (target: 70+/100, 20+/25 per component).
Option B — If unavailable, estimate:
| Profile Characteristics | Estimated SSI |
|---|---|
| All-Star + active posting + engaged network | 70-85 |
| Complete + regular posting | 55-70 |
| Basic + occasional activity | 40-55 |
| Incomplete + minimal activity | <40 |
Keyword/SEO: Check keyword presence in headline, About, experience, skills. Recommend additions for target role/industry.
Profile completeness (All-Star): photo, banner, customized headline, About (500+ chars), current position + description, 2+ past positions, education, 5+ skills, location, industry.
Step 5: Generate Recommendations
Priority matrix:
- Quick Wins (high impact, low effort) — do immediately
- Strategic Initiatives (high impact, high effort) — plan carefully
- Nice-to-haves (low impact, low effort) — when possible
Categories: Profile optimization, Content strategy (3x/week minimum posting), Engagement (comments, network growth, recommendations), Visibility (keywords, featured section, creator mode).
Step 6: Deliver Report
Pre-report checklist: industry identified, profile type classified, target audience identified, engagement rate calculated, SSI captured or estimated, industry benchmarks applied.
Report sections:
- Executive Summary
- Classification (Industry, Profile Type, Target Audience)
- Profile Scorecard
- Calculated Metrics (Engagement Rate, SSI)
- Element-by-Element Analysis
- Quick Wins
- Strategic Recommendations
- 30-60-90 Day Action Plan
Profile Element Best Practices
Photo: 400×400px minimum, professional attire, approachable expression, clean background, face 60-70% of frame, good lighting.
Banner (1584×396px): Branded/industry-relevant, value proposition text, no clutter or small text.
Headline formula (220 chars max): Who you are + problems you solve + benefit/result + keywords
- Bad: "Marketing Manager"
- Good: "Marketing Manager | Helping B2B Companies Grow Through Data-Driven Strategies | 45% Revenue Increase Specialist"
About section (2,600 chars max): Hook (first 2-3 lines) → story → what you do/who you help → achievements with metrics → skills → CTA. First person, short paragraphs, relevant keywords.
Experience: Quantified achievements (%, $, #), scope, key projects, skills demonstrated.
Skills: 50+ relevant skills, top 3 pinned, endorsements from colleagues, aligned with target keywords.
Featured: 3-6 curated items — portfolio, case studies, articles, media, lead magnets.
Services (Consultants/Freelancers): 3-5 keyword-rich service offerings.
Chrome DevTools Navigation Patterns
Lazy-loaded sections:
hover(uid: "[section_uid]") → wait_for(text: "Show all") → take_snapshot()
Activity/posts:
navigate_page(url: "linkedin.com/in/[user]/recent-activity/")
→ wait_for(text: "reactions") → take_snapshot()
Analytics dashboard:
navigate_page(url: "https://www.linkedin.com/analytics/")
→ wait_for(text: "Profile viewers") → take_snapshot()
SSI:
navigate_page(url: "https://www.linkedin.com/sales/ssi")
→ wait_for(text: "Social Selling Index") → take_snapshot()
Playwright fallback: If Chrome DevTools MCP unavailable, use mcp__playwright__browser_* equivalents (snapshot, screenshot, navigate, click, hover, wait_for).
Error handling:
| Error | Recovery |
|---|---|
| LinkedIn tab not found | Ask user to open LinkedIn in Chrome |
| Element UID missing | Re-snapshot, find alternative UID |
| Content not loading | Scroll manually, increase timeout, refresh |
| Rate limited/CAPTCHA | Pause 30+ seconds, proceed slowly |
| SSI requires Sales Navigator | Note unavailable, provide estimation |
| Private profile | Document as "Limited visibility" |
Industry-Specific Guidance
Always classify industry first. Load references/metrics_benchmarks.md for industry benchmarks across 15+ industries (Tech, Finance, Healthcare, Legal, Marketing, HR, Consulting, Creative, Nonprofit, Startups, etc.).
| Factor | Conservative (Legal, Finance, Healthcare) | Progressive (Tech, Marketing, Startups) |
|---|---|---|
| Tone | Formal | Casual, personable |
| Content | Thought leadership | Stories, behind-the-scenes |
| Posting | 2-3x/week | 4-5x/week |
| Emojis | Minimal | Acceptable |
LinkedIn Features to assess: Creator Mode (enable if 3+/week posting), Open to Work (job seekers), Providing Services (consultants), Newsletter (1000+ followers), Custom URL (always set), Verification Badge.
Reference Files
references/scoring_framework.md— detailed scoring criteria with examplesreferences/metrics_benchmarks.md— industry benchmarks for SSI, engagement, growthreferences/content_strategy.md— content pillars, posting schedules, formatsassets/profile_audit_template.md— complete audit report templateassets/quick_review_template.md— rapid assessment checklistassets/action_plan_template.md— 30-60-90 day roadmap template