Whether you’re currently on the job hunt or simply looking to improve your social media profiles for online-networking purposes, optimizing your LinkedIn profile is a smart idea. According to a Jobvite survey, 77 percent of recruiters turn to LinkedIn for finding, evaluating, and reaching out to new job candidates. In the current digital era, optimizing your LinkedIn profile and other social media pages is more important than ever to stand out among other professionals in your field.
Here’s our complete guide on optimizing your LinkedIn profile to get noticed by recruiters and find new job opportunities.
Optimize Your Profile
You want to ensure you’re making a great first impression when recruiters initially hit your LinkedIn profile. The good news is that LinkedIn walks you through each step to optimizing your profile. Be sure to fill out each section of your profile as thoroughly as you can, providing lots of detail on your past and current job positions.
Additionally, consider thinking outside the box to really make your profile stand out. A great way to do this is by providing a captivating intro section of your profile, and use bullet points or a numbered list throughout your profile for easier readability. Also, think about uploading an example of your work via a photo attachment in the first section of your profile.
Growing Your Connections
Many people will only connect with people they have met or spoken to, but they are a great way to help you land your dream role.
Linkedin’s algorithm shows results that are more likely to be connected to the one searching, e.g. a 2nd connection rather than 20th connection. You can improve this by adding those who are in the preferred recruiter’s industry.
You can improve your connections in a few ways; by importing your address book, reaching out to recruiters, news pages and by joining groups. Another easy way to find connections is by looking at who views your profile.
Commit To Posting At Least Once Per Week
Recruiters will usually find you through a search inside of Linkedin Recruiter, but here is another great way to get noticed. Job seekers can find jobs indirectly by being super involved in their network by sharing posts, articles, and other newsworthy ideas.
LinkedIn also recently released a video feature, which allows for you to record a short video and post it to your feed for other people to see you and get to know you! So if you’re up for it, this would be a great way to showcase your personality to a potential employer!
Your posts, articles and now even videos, have a far and wide reach. On average, six times more people outside your network will see it, and nearly half of which are key decision makers in their industries (hiring managers, c-suite, etc.) to make a hiring decision.
Earn Endorsements
Recruiters are also attracted to the Endorsements section on LinkedIn for the same reasons as the Recommendations section but don’t regard it as highly. The Endorsements section gives suggested skill sets to endorse people on, and can be done with the click of a button. Even so, it still gives the recruiter an idea of your strengths and highly regarded skills.
Keywords Optimized Profile
SEO isn’t just for websites and Google search results anymore. Recruiters use powerful search queries and Boolean search techniques to narrow down the best candidates.
Using ‘keywords’ in LinkedIn profiles is very common now, and this is one of the first things to focus on when updating your LinkedIn profile. For example if you’re a Quantity Surveyor a recruiter will search for all of the following: Quantity Surveyor, Surveyor, Civil, Construction.
Remember, a well-crafted CV, a professional LinkedIn profile, and solid interview training can make your story even more compelling. Consider our expert CV Assistance, LinkedIn Makeover, and Interview Training services to truly stand out in your next job interview!
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