"Open to work"? But are you really open to be approached?

??Very often, while on hunt for candidates on LinkedIn, I see profiles of people saying "open to work", but when I open their profile, there is actually nothing to be found. There could be multiple explanations of why - they already found their dream job and forgot to change it, they are not actually that actively looking for a new job so there isn't motivation to put effort into completing their profile, or they maybe don't know what is important and where to start???

Well, this is for the last group of people. If you want to know what can help your LinkedIn profile stand out and increase your chances against competition, I have some ideas. ??

1. ROLE DESCRIPTION

Most common "mistake" I see, is missing info about your current role and responsibilities. While you might think that stating the name of your employer and title is enough, usually it's not and there could be big differences in job competencies between roles in different companies and levels of seniority. So, make sure to explain what your role is about, what tools you use, what milestones you achieved and anything that could help us (recruiters) understand what you are good at.

??I 1st approach potential candidates with more info in their profiles, because based on all the information they provided (matching the requirements I am looking for), there is higher chance that they would be a good fit, and save the bare ones for later stage.

2. LANGUAGE SKILLS

If you speak any language(s), make sure to include it in your "accomplishments" section otherwise you might be robbing yourself of some interesting job opportunities.?

??I personally filter profiles with English at proficient level, as it's important requirement in our work environment, so if you are fluent in English but your profile does not reflect it, you will not appear in my search results.

3. SKILLS

Whether you name specific tools/SWs/programming languages/methodologies in your experience section or skills section, make sure you have them listed in your profile. Often those skills are gained at work, but don't forget about those you gained while at school or during additional projects, courses and certifications. It might make a difference.

??I often look for (depending on the specific position) certain hard skills that are mandatory (for example SQL, Python, etc...), therefore I filter profiles (just like in the case of language skills) that include the desired skills.

4. PROFILE PICTURE

Yes/No to having a profile picture is a matter of preference. However, we all can agree that having a nice picture in good quality gives much better impression than a blurry picture from a party (yes, I have seen those).?

??I like seeing who is on the other side, but at the same time, no picture is never a deal breaker.

5. SUMMARY

Few sentences telling us a bit more about you, what you enjoy doing, what would you like to do, what has your professional journey been about, even your hobbies is always nice and gives us better idea of what type of roles/environment might be suitable for you.

??I always check this part (if available) as it gives me clearer picture of who you are and what are you looking for, however, not having it is not a blocker for me.

The list is much longer, including keywords, certifications, education, link to portfolio/website, dates of employments etc... but the above mentioned are the biggest "pain points" I have encountered as a recruiter.

Do you find the info above useful? Do you have any questions or suggestions? Let me know!?????