The Four Most Important LinkedIn Profile Updates You Can Make Today!

“If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?” Scientists will say yes. Philosophers will say maybe. Recruiters will say absolutely not. The bottom line is that if hiring firms and recruiters do not find your LinkedIn profile, it simply doesn’t matter how good your experience is!

One of the first steps in getting discovered for a job you love is expanding your network so that people can find you. On average, every 1st order Connection you add to your LinkedIn Network results in an average of 100,000 new 3rd order connections! The more connections you have, the easier you are to find. The “Add Connections” tool found under the “My Network” icon of your LinkedIn profile is a great way to expand your network by reaching out to selected contacts you have emailed in the past. The tool provides a picklist so that you can choose exactly who to add to your network.

Next, completely fill out the Skills section completely in your LinkedIn profile. You can add relevant Skills until you reach a maximum of 50. It’s worth noting that recruiters don’t pay attention to the number of Endorsements, so don’t be concerned that your 49th or 50th Skill does not have a large number of endorsements. While more advanced SEO optimizations will be covered in a future blog post, profiles with Skills listed are easier for hiring firms and recruiters to search. The net effect of being easier to search is 13x more profile views!

At any given time only 10% of people are looking for work and have turned on the Open Candidates or Open To Work feature in Linkedin. Both internal and external recruiters will reach out to these open candidates first! Take a look at the example below. Only 48 of 377 Dog Walkers in Boston, Massachusetts are listed as open to work. Recruiters don't want to waste your time or theirs, so those Open To Work candidates are going to be contacted first. 

Finally, seemingly small changes can make a big difference. Studies have shown LinkedIn profiles with a profile photo are viewed on average more than 10 times as often! A good rule of thumb is to use a photo in which you are dressed in a similar style to whoever is doing the hiring.

While there isn't a single feature that will cause recruiters to reach out to you, all of the techniques listed above will have a big impact on your visibility!