Getting noticed on LinkedIn
Whether you’re looking for a career change or want to get back into work after a career break, optimising your LinkedIn profile is a step in the right direction to get noticed by recruiters and hiring managers. It is no secret that employers and recruiters check!
A compelling, engaging and up-to-date LinkedIn profile is essential to help you stand out from the crowd in a competitive job market. We explore techniques to make your profile stand out from the crowd – from crafting a gripping summary that sells all your achievements and skills to optimising tricks that will bring your profile to the top of a search.
Making a professional eye-catching profile:
1. Get a headshot taken
A headshot image can go a long way in getting more job offers from recruiters. Enlist the help of a friend with a good eye for photography, or seek professional help. Cropping a group photo is a big no-no. Try to smile so you come across as inviting and friendly, this will increase the number of clicks your profile will get and in turn grow your job offers. Also, consider the setting. What is in the background can say alot about you. Make sure it gives the right message.
2. Make your headline gripping
Your professional headline shows below your name in the introduction card within your profile. LinkedIn will auto-set this to your current position, however, this doesn’t always tell the full story so it’s important to enhance your headline to really catch the eye of the recruiter. Use strong adjectives to describe who and what you are. Build an image in the recruiter/hiring manager’s mind to show your value.
Be original. It’s important to remember that hiring managers and recruiters sieve through hundreds and even thousands of LinkedIn profiles, so ask yourself, ‘What makes my profile unique?’
3. Use your summary to sell yourself
This section is all about supporting your headline statement. It is your chance to sell yourself. Don’t be afraid to brag about your achievements, make it clear and concise but give context to your career journey.
Remember to proofread your work, get someone else to read it and even run it through a grammar software like Grammarly. First impressions count so make this a good one.
It’s also a good idea to include optimised search terms, but we’ll give you more on that shortly!
4. Experience and past roles
Showcasing your experience and previous roles is crucial. You need to show you are seriously committed to career progression and development. Briefly show what you’ve gained from each. Recruiters love commitment, dedication and passion, ensure your examples to back this up.
LinkedIn allows you to group positions as you have progressed within an organisation, meaning you can show the stages you undertook at a company. For example:
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Self-employed
- Freelance
- Contract
- Internship
- Apprenticeship
You can also upload multimedia to really highlight your accomplishments and prove your drive and success.
5. Build your reputation with recommendations and endorsements
Building your endorsements is a great way to show your key skills. However, it can feel like you’re waiting a lifetime for people to endorse you so why not recommend them first? This will give them a little push to return the favour.
Another good way to build endorsements/recommendations is to ask your colleagues past/present. You can always offer to write them one as well, that way you’ll both reap the benefits. LinkedIn has a built in feature that allows you to request a recommendation.
Get technical and optimise your LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with 722+ million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Using SEO (search engine optimisation) techniques will help you be found in the crowd.
1. Use keywords
To increase your searchability, you need to use keywords that are high-valued. Wondering where the best place to figure that out might be? Head over to LinkedIn’s job board, analyse the job descriptions and qualifications of those which fit a desired role/job title you’re looking for, and sprinkle them throughout your profile. Try to look for keywords that are niche to the industry/position.
2. Make meaningful connections
Think quality not quantity when it comes to LinkedIn connections. Although, yes, it’s true LinkedIn does show your number of connections until the 500 mark is reached (where it will then show 500+), this doesn’t necessarily matter.
The more meaningful connections you have, the more they will engage with your content which is relevant to the position you’re interested in working in, which will subsequently increase your chances of appearing in LinkedIn’s search results.
3. Make your activity feed relevant
When commenting, liking and posting on LinkedIn, it’s important to remember that this is a professional site. While sharing photos from your best friend’s birthday is great for Facebook, it’s not something you’d expect to see on LinkedIn. Another thing to mention is that you should always title your photos appropriately.
Don’t forget about publishing articles too – these are a great way to stand out and be original, while also adding SEO value to your profile.
When used to its full potential, LinkedIn really can be an invaluable tool to capture the attention of recruiters and hiring managers so you can advance your career. To make this step a little easier, remember to…
Be professional. Be relevant. Be bold.
