In today’s competitive job market, it is necessary for you to stand out from the hoards of qualified people targeting the same job. It is no longer sufficient for you to send in your resume and wait for a reply, you need to be actively networking so that your name can be out there for recruiters to see.
One way of doing this is by having a social media presence on a professional platform such as LinkedIn. However, a bland LinkedIn profile will not help draw in the right people. You need to have an attractive profile that provides recruiters with information about who you are and what you have to offer.
That is why below I will be giving you top tips about optimizing your LinkedIn profile for the job search.
1. Write a Catchy Title
The first thing recruiters will see when they look up your LinkedIn profile is your headline. This headline should be catchy and should have information that sells your skills to your potential employer. Furthermore, you should add a professional photo as this will help increase your views 14 times over.
2. Write an Optimized Summary
You also need to create a summary with details about who you are and what you have to offer. Remember to include keywords in your summary, so that you can appear at the top of searches. Studies have also shown that adding an industry will lead to 15x more profile views. Additionally, summaries that are more than 40 words are more likely to appear in your employers search.
3. Promote your Project
If you have a project that you have completed, link to it in the projects section. This is a quick way to highlight your work.
4. Link to your Publications
Another great way to endear yourself to recruiters is through linking to your publications. There is a publication section on your LinkedIn profile, and you can include books, e-books, publications, and white papers that you have authored or contributed to.
5. Display your Honors and Awards
If you have achievements from university or honorable mentions from accredited authorities in your industry, be sure to display them in the Honors & Awards section.
6. Talk about your Current Position
It is important to talk about the experience you have garnered. Moreover, it is necessary for recruiters to know what your current job position is, and what work you are doing at your current job. Do not be afraid to use rich media like photos and videos to complement the written details you provide.
7. Update your Skills
Skills are important for any job, and LinkedIn profiles with skills get up to 13x more views. Always be precise with your skills, and list them in order of importance.
8. Highlight your Language Proficiency
In today’s globalized world, there is high demand for people who can speak multiple languages. So if you are fluent in 2+ languages, be sure to mention this in the Languages Section.
9. Add your Professional Memberships
If you are a member of a professional organization in your industry, then you need to highlight this. In fact, LinkedIn has an Organizations Section dedicated to highlighting your professional memberships. This section can also be used to further describe your specific role in the professional organization.
E.g. Health and Medical professionals can add their membership to the Australian Medical Association or the Australian Society for Medical Research
10. Include your Certification and Education Details
If you have completed your degree/certification, be sure to include your specific certification and education details in your profile. Profiles with education details are 10x more likely to be viewed.
11. Showcase your Causes
Volunteering is just as important as work experience. Volunteering says a lot about your character, and if you particularly passionate about a particular cause you should showcase this in the Volunteer Section. It is believed than 1 in 5 hiring managers has made a hiring decision based on volunteer experience.
12. Join a Group
Last but not least, you should join and engage in groups that are relevant to your industry. People who are active in their groups receive 5x more profile views. Additionally, groups give you a chance to network with other people in your industry.
Using the tips above, you can now optimize your LinkedIn profile so that you stand a better chance of impressing recruiters. Trust me, these tips are easy to implement, and their results are worthwhile.
I know Linkedin by slideshare and I was amazed at the various and competitive candidates on this website. It’s somewhat cool and nice when you get to see the world’s famous CEOs and prestigious recruiters from thousands of enterprises and companies.
Linkedin is a tool for people whose ambition are unlimited and you probably have to check this out before you miss anything.
So if I make a profile on Linkedin, then I could possibly be employed by someone who is interesting in me?
It’s weird but I will try right now. Hardly do you notice when the chance comes huh?
I’m using indeed, can you tell me what’s the difference between linkedin and indeed, aren’t they all used for job search?