Job openings have soared, but no one is applying. As a result, companies can’t find candidates to fill the jobs. Because companies can’t fill their much-needed positions, recruiters engage in headhunting activities to encourage people to apply to their openings. The central place they conduct their headhunting is on LinkedIn. Therefore, you want to optimize your LinkedIn profile, so you appear in their searches.
Don’t approach your LinkedIn profile with a set it and forget it mentality. Your profile should reflect your current level of interest. Ensure that the email address associated with your LinkedIn profile is current so you will receive alerts if someone messages or connects with you. This is a fundamental step to optimize your LinkedIn Profile.
If recruiters are contacting you about jobs that don’t match your background, your profile misrepresents you. Additionally, suppose they are contacting you for jobs that don’t interest you. In that case, you probably need to optimize your LinkedIn profile with the specific responsibilities and projects that you like to do.
Many people make the mistake that LinkedIn is a site to host their resumes. However, to optimize your LinkedIn profile, you need to stay active by taking advantage of the various tools the site offers. Start by regularly making and accepting invites to connect. Networking is crucial in today’s job search, so be more open than cautious when deciding which connections to accept. Here are some ways to stay active on LinkedIn while optimizing your profile:
- Posting articles that demonstrate thought leadership in your area of expertise
- Commenting, liking, and sharing posts related to your field
- Following companies and influencers
- Joining groups to expand your network and actively contribute to those groups
- Creating job alerts
5 Tips to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile to Increase Visibility to Recruiters
Recruiters use LinkedIn to search for candidates. Therefore, you want to have enough detail that keywords relevant to your desired career are found when recruiters headhunt. Maximize your job search strategy with these tips will optimize your LinkedIn profile so recruiters come to you.
1) Add a professional photo
Because first impressions matter. Optimize your LinkedIn profile picture, so it conveys a professional image. If your image is anything less than professional, recruiters won’t bother to click on your profile and will miss all the great things you have done and could offer their company.
2) Select an industry
Because the industry is the first keyword recruiters use in their search to find candidates. Optimize your LinkedIn profile by including the industry you are currently in and the industry of your past jobs.
3) Select at least five skills
Because the skills and endorsements you list on your LinkedIn profile will maximize the keywords recruiters search for, which ensures you show up in their headhunting search. To further optimize your LinkedIn profile with skills, solicit colleagues to endorse you on the skills that best meet your career goals.
4) Include volunteer work
Because including volunteer work on your LinkedIn profile gives recruiters a deeper look into who you are and what matters to you. It is a bonus when that volunteer work is related to your profession or industry. Forty-one percent of professionals surveyed consider volunteer work equally as valuable as paid work experience. Therefore, optimize your LinkedIn profile by adding volunteer work.
5) Add a summary
Your summary is a great way to deliver your elevator pitch and should be a minimum of 40 words written in paragraph form. Using paragraphs to demonstrate your achievements will optimize your LinkedIn profile, so you are visible when recruiters are searching for candidates.
In addition to the five tips above, make sure to populate your location, education, publications, and accomplishments. The objective is to maximize your searchability. Keywords are the determining factor to getting your profile in front of recruiters when they search for candidates.
Pro-tip to optimize your LinkedIn profile: use variations of similar skills or titles to maximize your chance of being found in search. For example, you could include the words “email marketing, marketing automation, marketing operations” and other variations of the same phrase if you are in marketing.
Recruiters like to find their candidates, and in this market, headhunting is required to fill their open positions. Incorporating these tips will require time and consistent effort. Your LinkedIn profile isn’t set it and forget it. Optimize your LinkedIn profile to help recruiters find you.
