LinkedIn just turned 10. Part of its staying power has been its use as an effective tool for recruiting talent. Are you using your LinkedIn profile to draw in recruiters—or turn them away. Here are some tips get results from your profile.
Tip 1: Get found. Recruiters use keywords to search LinkedIn profiles. Results show up based on degree of presence of the search term. So use the right terms for the position you want. The skills and expertise section is a good place to do this. LinkedIn made a change last year that now requires you to have three skills added to your profile in order to get to 100% profile completeness. Recruiters are using skills to find people that match a specific criteria and they are likely searching for a specific set of skills as opposed to a specific job title.
Tip 2: Connect to recruiters. Having recruiters in your network increases your chances of popping up based on your degree of separation. It’s okay to try an link to recruiters or hiring managers after an interview, too.
Tip 3: Have a good description. Describe yourself as specifically and as accurately as possible. Most LinkedIn users have access to a graph called “Appearances in Search.” You can find it by going to your Home page and clicking on “Who’s Viewed Your Profile.” By filling out your profile with specific and accurate information about yourself, you should start to see an upward trend in this graph. The better you write about yourself, the more this graph will grow.
Tip 4: Share an update. It is important to stay relevant in the eyes of whatever audience you are trying to reach. Share updates that display thought leadership in our field. Your update will appear on your connections’ newsfeed and if the article resonates well with them, they are likely to visit you or your profile for more information.
Tip 5. Make recruiters click. Just like with paid ads online, the headline and description text needs to compel you to click. So consider your profile as an advertisement with an online resume. Your photo (make it professional), headline, and recommendations have the greatest impact on click rates.
For more ideas on how to make the most of your LinkedIn profile, check out advice from the LinkedIn blog.
