5 Reason's you aren't getting approached for jobs on LinkedIn

Imagine opening your LinkedIn profile and seeing numerous messages from Companies or Recruiters that want to get to know you. Instead of you applying through job boards like thousands of others, they want to tell you about opportunities in their business.

If the statistics are to be believed then 90% of jobs aren't found on job boards, they don't even make it there!

So is your LinkedIn profile working with you or against you? Read on as we explore why the LinkedIn algorithm might be hiding you from potential employers.

1.Your headline – 220 characters to tell the world what you can do!

I touched on this yesterday through social media – if you missed it as a recap I searched on headlines that stated “Open to new Opportunities” and the results came back as 1.12 million users globally (that’s only profiles that are visible to me but we can come back to that another time!) Now you might feel that is an effective strategy for your LinkedIn Headline and I can well understand why. But Recruiters and Hiring Managers who use LinkedIn to proactively source candidates are not searching for “open to new opportunities”. They are using keywords like “Allocator” or “Project Manager” or “Social Media Manager”, AND they will be adding in secondary keywords that relate to what they need for example “Excel” or “Adobe Suite” or “Google Ads”. In short for someone to click on your profile these keywords need to sum up what you can do for them!

LinkedIn is a search engine. And when a Hiring Manager or Recruiter uses it to search for someone they plug in keywords, LinkedIn then predicts what is MOST relevant to that search. The more you plug in words that they might use for your profession – the HIGHER your relevancy.

2. You have not included all roles on your profile

The LinkedIn algorithm likes to see ALL your jobs not just the ones you think are relevant to your current role or profession. Despite many feeling it is not relevant, it shows your depth of experience (including life experience) and will push you up higher in the algorithm!

There is some common sense to be applied here, if you have 20+ years’ experience you can leave off your high school jobs. But if you are someone with less than 10 years’ experience you may want to display some of that earlier experience.

3. You are not well networked or active on the platform

Honestly - it is truly clear the profiles that have been set up and are rarely checked again! Having minimal connections, incomplete sections, and out of date work experience are all big no’s when it comes to LinkedIn. When I was an agency recruiter I would be very unlikely to contact you via LinkedIn messages on one of these profiles as I couldn't be sure it was a platform you checked regularly.

It is important to engage on the platform meaningfully. If you are not confident yet to post something, then interact with others on there. Like and comment on post that resonate with you (remember you are representing yourself professionally) or share an article about something happening in your industry or at your work.

Lastly connect with people in your industry or who work in companies you are interested in.

4. Recruiters cannot tell what you DO and what you WANT

Having generic job titles with no context around your company or your role, make it incredibly hard for Recruiters or Hiring Managers to know what it is that you do. Titles like General Manager and Account Manager do not build a picture about your role.

Visit your profile with fresh eyes, pretending you know nothing of your current company and role. Is it really clear to a visitor WHAT you do and WHO you do it for? Assume any visitor is not going to go searching for that information – they simply do not have time. So, with a quick visit to your profile, I should be able to tell what you are great at, and what I should contact you about.

5.Your keywords are specific to your company and not the industry

Again, as with generic titles, job titles that you know do not align with industry should be explained further. Always think about what terms will be used to search for you when adding keywords to your profile.

You also can add up to 50 skills that showcase your area of expertise on your profile, and to make you easier to find!

Let me know how you go – once you have updated your profile, you will know if its working by how often you are coming up in search results by viewing your “Who’s viewed my profile” section. It will give you insights into how often people have searched and viewed your profile.

Happy networking!

Ange x

Head to www.thetalentmill.com.au to check out ways we can work together to get you in front of those 90% of jobs that aren't advertised!