How to get noticed on LinkedIn by recruiters
In today's rapidly changing work landscape, recruiting is at the center of every company's success. Your LinkedIn profile is a key factor when it comes to searching for the right candidate to join a team.
You've made a great CV, you've participated in events and shared your knowledge with your network – now, how can you make sure you get noticed by recruiters on LinkedIn?
Tailor your profile for the job you seek
Before you start adding to your LinkedIn profile, make sure it contains a keyword-optimised headline. This headline should include as many keywords that are relevant to the industry you're interested in working in as possible.
You can also optimise your profile with a summary section, where you can explain what type of job you're looking for and the type of company that would best suit your skills. To make sure this section is fully optimised, tailor it to the company or industry you're applying for. This way, if someone involved in hiring comes across your profile via search, they'll be able to easily see why they should hire you.
Lastly, make sure your CV is up to date and has been written by someone who knows how to write effective ones. The last thing recruiters want to see when scanning an applicant's CV is spelling mistakes or a lack of detail about the previous work experience listed on their profile.
Turn on the "Open to opportunities"
It's one of the first things you should do when optimising your LinkedIn profile. The reason is because recruiters by selecting their desired filters can find you much easier with this feature.
You just need to navigate on the jobs section from the menu bar. Then click on the career Interests and turn on the "Let recruiters know you are open to new jobs" option.
You can also write a note in order to let recruiters know what specifically you are looking for so that you make your research 100% customised. It's an easy, fast and effective way to have more approaches!
Include a profile photo
Any profile picture you have on LinkedIn should be professional. Recruiters are looking for candidates who take the time to ensure that their profiles look polished and complete. If the main photo on your LinkedIn is from a Facebook or Instagram account, it may be seen as unprofessional, which can hurt your chances of getting noticed.
The most popular option is to use a professional headshot, but you can also choose any high-quality photograph that portrays you in a positive light and fits within the guidelines of LinkedIn's terms of service. (For example, LinkedIn does not allow photos that include people other than yourself unless they're cropped out.)
You might also want to consider adding a background photo to your LinkedIn profile because it will draw attention to the first thing visitors see when they visit your profile: the summary at the top of your page. The combination of an eye-catching background image with an engaging summary description has proven very effective at getting attention on LinkedIn.
Use a professional headline
- You should use something that describes your job or role. If you currently hold a job, use that title as your profession. Your profession is one of the first things a recruiter will notice about you on LinkedIn, so make sure it accurately reflects what you do or who you are.
- Make sure to include keywords that recruiters would search for. Include words like “experienced” or “skilled in” if they apply to you and your career field. This ensures that recruiters searching for those skills will be able to find you with ease.
- Avoid using anything funny, such as an inside joke amongst friends or industry slang. As much as we all want to appear approachable, professional language is key when it comes to attracting employers on LinkedIn!
List your skills
List your skills that are relevant to the job. You should include links to your portfolio, other web sites such as Github, or other places where employers can see examples of your work.
Include certifications and awards you've earned. If you have any training or achievements in your industry, this is a good place to list those. You don't need to go overboard and list every certification you've ever received, but just like a resume would include information about how many years of experience you have in a field, LinkedIn lets you list certifications that show potential employers that you're qualified for the position.
Employers want someone with both experience and qualifications. Make sure they know what qualifications you have by listing them on LinkedIn.
Add a background photo
Background photos are a great way to provide more information about yourself without cluttering up your profile. Your background photo can be anything, from a picture of your office or workspace to a photograph of you speaking at an event. If you’re really ambitious, you can even create a graphic that complements the information in your profile.
This is also the time for you to make sure that everything on your LinkedIn profile line up with your brand. If you work in a creative industry and have some leeway when it comes to expressing yourself professionally, this is the time for you to show off your personality!
Add your location
Heading over to LinkedIn from your company's job board, you can personalize your settings. To make sure recruiters in your city or country know who you are and what skills you have, be sure to add your location. Even better, add the specific region where you would like to work. This will allow recruiters in that area to see who you are and what you do.
If a recruiter is looking for an accountant and they open up the advanced search feature, they're going to click on all the filters they need. Someone with an accounting background, speaking English, in their city or state- but what happens if a candidate doesn't include a location? Well then that recruiter can't find them.
Update your employment information
Put your best foot forward by showcasing your skills and achievements on LinkedIn. The more you do to make yourself stand out, the more likely you are to capture the attention of a recruiter. Some areas to focus on include:
Update your employment history
Include all relevant work experience, including your title, company name, location and tenure at each organisation. You should also include a summary of the role and note any key responsibilities that are important for recruiters reviewing your profile in relation to open positions they may be looking to fill.
List your education
Recruiters want to see where you went to university or college and what degrees or certifications you hold. Make sure these are listed correctly so recruiters can see if there is a match with their open positions requirements. This ensures they can quickly make you aware of new opportunities that may be a good fit for you!
Highlight your volunteer work
If you have volunteered with an organisation that helps improve the community where you live, let others know about it by listing it on your profile page. Again, relaying this information will help demonstrate what types of organisations spark your interest and fit within the scope of roles recruiters are looking to fill through LinkedIn.
Recruiters are on LinkedIn, so you want to make sure they notice you!
One way of doing this is by using keywords in your profile. For example, if you’re a social media manager with strong copywriting skills, you might want to use keywords such as ‘social media marketing’ or ‘content marketing’ in your headline and throughout your profile summary. This way, when recruiters search for these terms on LinkedIn, your profile shows upfront and center.
Another way is by growing your network with relevant in your field people. Network is really important and helpful in all aspects of life. The same goes with LinkedIn as well. Connection is very important to grow. But also, you can join in various professional groups in the field you are searching a job. You can be updated with the news of this field, learn for new job openings and also reach out to other professionals or recruiters by yourself.
Another option is adding up-to-date information about the industry you work in or would like to work in. For example, news articles or relevant blog posts that are hot right now, so that people can see at a glance what kind of things interest you.
Say why you want to work for the company
Now that you’ve got your profile sorted, it’s time to start applying for roles.
Before you do, make sure you thoroughly research the company. Look at their website, social media and reviews online (trust us on this one), so that you can tailor your application to suit the company’s mission and culture.
Recruiters are looking for candidates who are genuinely interested in a specific role or company and will be more likely to look at applications of people who understand what kind of work they do. So don’t just send out generic cover letters.
Concluding
While the fact that recruiters are now noticing LinkedIn profiles is certainly a good thing, especially for individuals who participate in the platform regularly, it's also important for professionals to consider how to present themselves on LinkedIn so that recruiters will notice them when they're looking for prospective candidates.
Luckily, there are certain characteristics to think about and certain strategies to take advantage of that can help ensure you get noticed on LinkedIn by recruiters.
Good luck!
You can also check out How to announce your new job on LinkedIn.
And How to approach someone on LinkedIn for a job.