LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, with over 467 million users. Recruiters use the platform as their go-to method of finding potential candidates for their recruiting clients and more increasingly, companies are using LinkedIn themselves to source new recruits. So, with all that “recruitment noise” on LinkedIn, how do you make your LinkedIn profile attractive and stand out to your future employer?
Plan your profile
Everyone’s job hunt circumstances are different, for instance, you may be a graduate, someone looking for a change of career or someone who has recently been made redundant. Either way, you will be filled with a need to get your profile up-to-date quickly. The problem is, that’s where mistakes can be made. Stop, take a deep breath, then methodically think and plan what you want to say.
- Research the industry you want to work in on LinkedIn
Look at the profiles of people who work at your ideal companies. What keywords do they use in the summary, what skills do they have and what are their endorsements? - Brainstorm your skills
Based on the research carried out, think about what skills you want to promote and discuss in your summary. It’s important to remember that you should be tailoring your profile to the industry you want to work in.
Create your profile
Now that you know what the industry you want to work in is looking for from an individual, it is time to create your profile in a way that will allow them to find you. Follow these 6 steps to help you get started:
- Use a photo worthy of you
The first thing the potential employer or recruiter will notice is your profile photo. This is not Facebook or Snapchat, so a group photo with a beer in your hand is not going to cut the mustard. Remember the profiles you checked out for other people working in the dream industry? Use those for inspiration and if you can get a photo of you in action, use that. - Create a search friendly headline
LinkedIn Communications Manager, Darain Faraz, says to Marie Claire: “Right from the start, your LinkedIn headline can give you the opportunity not only to sum up who you are, but also what you want, making it more likely you’ll be found through searches. You need to think about how someone is likely to come across your profile – consider what recruiters are likely to search and fit this into your profile headline.”Hiring Managers and recruiters will be using a simple keyword search to find candidates who match what they are looking for. Refer to your industry research and look at the keywords you should include in your headline. - Use the Summary space to tell your story
People tend to think they need to be really short in this section and that is not the case. Make it approximately 3-5 paragraphs in length, with a bullet-pointed section in the middle. Use it to let the reader know your passions, key skills, and qualifications. Once you have identified these key skills, ask people who have worked with you to endorse you for these skills. This will further highlight to a recruiter that you genuinely skilled in these areas.It’s important to remember that this will be the section a recruiter or Hiring Manager will focus on after looking at your profile picture. Therefore, give them a snapshot of who you are, in a way that will make them want to find out more about you. - Be thorough
Don’t skimp on the amount of time you should spend in completing your LinkedIn profile in full. Darain at LinkedIn also stated in the Marie Claire article: “Completed profiles are seven times more likely to be viewed, and eleven times more likely when they include a photo. You can even improve your profile by up to 12 times, just by adding more than one previous position, no matter how relevant you think it is.” - Justify yourself
When adding previous work experience, make sure you utilise the description box. Use this area to highlight what key skills you used at your previous job and what you feel your greatest achievement was while working there. Back up your statements with numbers, for example: “During my time managing X account, the marketing budget increased by 47%”. Using statistics enforces you were great at your job!If you are currently not in work, still add a current job entry and use it to highlight that you are job seeking and detail what you are looking for. Recruiters will use the current title box as part of their search filters, so not entering anything may leave you out of the search results. - Avoid the cliché
When searching through countless LinkedIn profiles, there is nothing worse for a recruiter than seeing the same buzzwords in every summary. “I am a passionate, self-motivated, reliable, hard worker who can work well on their own and in a team. I am competitive, and I have extensive experience in this industry.” Does this sound familiar? A buzzword summary won’t mean anything to a recruiter and they will skim over it. Check your current profile now, how many of the following words are you using?Motivated, Creative, Enthusiastic, Track record, Passionate, Successful, Driven, Leadership, Strategic and Extensive experienceBe honest. Hone in on the key skills you want to sell and don’t be cheesy!
Be engaging
Once you have invested the time in creating an effective LinkedIn profile, don’t just let it sit there, fading away in the background. Nurture it and promote it through engaging with others! Here are 7 suggestions that you could try:
- Follow your dream companies
If you have your eye on your dream job, then follow the companies who are leaders in that industry. You will receive updates when the company posts an article, which can help you stay up-to-date in this area. You will also be able to see if any of your contacts work at these companies, where they may be able to recommend you to the Hiring Manager or put a good word in for you. - Grow your network
The unwritten rule is that you need around 50 connections for a successful profile. Each connection opens an avenue of further people to connect with, or for you to be visible to, so make sure you choose your connections wisely. Feel free to connect with people you don’t know, but don’t “cold call” them. Explain in the connection request why you want to connect with them. If you receive a connection request from someone you don’t know, check out their profile and decide if they will be of benefit to your network. - Be a groupie
One of the features on LinkedIn is ‘groups’ and these exist in a number of formats: industry-specific, entry-level specific and job type specific. Find relevant groups to join and be active in them. For instance, you can join in discussions, post comments, and make new connections. - Self-publish
According to Hootsuite, more than 1 million people use LinkedIn’s publishing platform (Pulse) each week. Publishing your blog posts on here will allow you to show your expertise in industry-relevant topics and position yourself as a thought leader. You can also use it to highlight previous work you have done. - Ask for recommendations
Testimonials are a useful tool when selling anything, so you should absolutely ask people to recommend you on LinkedIn. Try to ask for one new recommendation a month and don’t be afraid to delete a recommendation if you don’t like it. This is your profile! - Get endorsements
Remember when you highlighted the key skills your dream job requires and then you wrote about them in your summary? Now ask people to endorse you for them. Try to keep these manageable, as having too many on display will just make this section of your profile look confusing and unrealistic. - Be sociable
LinkedIn is a social media platform like all the others, so post updates about what you are doing. Remember to remain professional and strategic though. This is not the place to tell people about the awful hangover you are suffering with! Be enthusiastic about the work you are doing, as people want to work with people who are excited by what they do, and this will make you stand out.
Now that you have a LinkedIn profile to beat everyone else’s, start using the job search function on LinkedIn. More and more companies are posting jobs on LinkedIn, so take a look and send your profile to the Hiring Manager.
The key thing to remember is to invest time and effort into creating a profile that will promote you accurately, so that you are approached about positions that will be your dream job. Good luck!
About the Author
Elizabeth Harmon is a writer for Open Colleges, one of Australia’s leading online education providers. She discusses various subjects, including careers, business, and online marketing. Elizabeth is a Social Media Consultant with several years’ experience in the field. She has worked with a growing list of clients around the world, helping to build successful social media strategies, create effective content and much more. You can follow her on Twitter @Liz_Harmon.
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