9 Biggest Job Site Profile Mistakes (You’ll Want to Avoid At All Costs)

Since 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn as a tool to vet candidates, there’s no question that your online profiles and digital first impression on LinkedIn and other job boards are imperative in your job search. Since you never get a second chance at a first impression take heed of these 9 biggest job site profile mistakes you want to avoid!

Forgetting about them

It’s one thing to have a presence on job sites, but it’s quite another to keep your profile updated. The tech engine behind these job sites prefers fresh content, so you aren’t doing your job search any favors if you don’t keep them updated. Your profile should reflect your current skill-set, job status and accomplishments. At minimum, you need to review and update your profile annually, but always when there are changes to your work status or you have new accolades and achievements to add.

Generic headlines

Many people fail to take advantage of writing a headline with impact and that uses keywords that help employers find them. Make sure your headline includes the job title you have currently or wish to have, a keyword or phrase that describes your top skill and niche or specific area of expertise. This is one area of your online profile that can differentiate your from the competition.

Recapitulate your resume

While a resume and your online profile do share some of the same information, they are different tools and should each be leveraged as such. A lot of times, people default to resume speak on their online profiles, but that’s a mistake. Write authentically, yet professionally, to convey more of your personality than a traditional resume allows because it’s restricted to one or two pages allows.

Grammar and spelling errors

This one seems obvious, but many recruiters find grammar and spelling errors in online profiles. It’s important to never take proper proofing for granted. Even though updates are quick and easy on online profiles, don’t rush the proofing process.

Don’t use all available content buckets

Many job site profiles allow you to provide a summary which is a great place to infuse some personality into your profile usually within 2,000 characters. You should write it in the first person. Plus, you should include volunteer experience, organizations you belong to, honors you received as well as testimonials from others about specific things they recall and value about working with you. Your online profiles should include all of your work history, even if you are changing careers. You just never know when someone will be inspired to reach out to you because you both worked at the same store in college.

No photo or one that is not professional

Your job site profile is not the place to highlight your vacation photo with your significant other, your beloved pet or children. LinkedIn profiles with a photo are 14 times more likely to be viewed than those who don’t have one. You should have a professional high-quality headshot where your face takes up most of the frame allowed. Also, make sure your photo is a current reflection of who you are so if you are meeting a potential colleague at a coffee shop, they will recognize you.

Inconsistencies between a resume and online profile

Yes, a resume and online profile are two different tools, but they should both be on brand. Recruiters may feel deceived by inconsistencies in how you present yourself on your resume and your online profile. They should both reflect your current goals and career reality.

No targeted content

Online profiles need to have titles and descriptions consistent with the opportunity you are looking for. The algorithms that run these services seek out keywords that a recruiter searches for. If your online profile doesn’t include those top keywords in your industry or career, your online profile won’t be seen by those you want to see it.

No participation

So we know you have to create a profile and keep it updated, but that’s still not enough. On LinkedIn you have a newsfeed that you can share relevant (on brand) articles, you can write your own articles and you should be interacting by liking or sharing other’s content. The more active you are, the higher the likelihood of your profile turning up in search results. You should take action at least one time per week. Another way to be active on LinkedIn is to find LinkedIn Groups that you can join that are relevant to your career aspirations and use that as a way to network with influencers.

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