There is an online professional platform that boasted the following statistics for 2023:
- It was the world's largest professional social network
- More than 58 million companies worldwide were listed on this site
- 77% of recruiters regularly used this platform to find candidates
- 8 people were hired every 60 seconds on this site
The platform we are talking about is, of course, LinkedIn! As a job seeker, LinkedIn should be an integral part of your arsenal to help get your candidate profile into the hands of hiring managers in the industries you want to work in. By updating and optimizing your LinkedIn profile, you can position yourself as one of the top candidates in your field and spread your personal brand across industry networks. In this edition of VC5 Consulting Insider, we will run you through how LinkedIn plays a pivotal role in finding your next opportunity as well as give you a step-by-step guide on how to tailor your profile for job search success in 2024!
LinkedIn's Important Role for a Job Seeker
1. Professional Branding
- By design, LinkedIn is about displaying your professional experience for others to view. Your profile should include information that specifically relates to your current or desired industry to demonstrate your qualifications and what you can offer in those areas. With a strong LinkedIn profile, you will be able to hook hiring managers and recruiters in through an engaging headline and about section that emphasizes your strengths, skills, and accomplishments.
2. Network Expansion
- At its core, LinkedIn is another social media platform just like Instagram or Facebook; it is just geared towards people's careers and professional opportunities. Consequently, networking with current and former colleagues, friends, companies, etc. is extremely intuitive and allows you to constantly expand your network which could lead to a new opportunity down the line.
- Connecting is not limited to sending a message to your connections. LinkedIn allows you to like posts, comment on those posts, share content created by yourself and others, or send a simple direct message.
3. Show Off Your Expertise and Qualifications
- LinkedIn gives professionals the possibility to do more than just discuss your work history and certifications. You are able to publish blog posts and articles that showcase your industry knowledge and interests which allows you to position yourself as a passionate candidate. Even if it is other's content you are sharing with your network, by adding your own insights to it, you can still convey your expertise to potential recruiters and hiring managers.
4. Find Job Opportunities
- One of the most obvious benefits of a professional network like LinkedIn is the abundance of available job opportunities. Companies can list their vacant openings directly on LinkedIn for all users to view and then apply to if it piques their interest. With features such as 'Easy Apply' candidates can efficiently apply to jobs compared to other sites that require manual field entries which can get tedious after several applications.
5. Stay Informed on Company/Industry Trends
- A significant number of professionals post and share articles about industry trends which can help you as a candidate to stay ahead of the game (and other candidates) in the job market. By following credible sources, you can learn about certain characteristics or qualities that companies in your industry are now looking for in their candidates. Moreover, staying up to date with industry news gives you talking points in future interviews which shows your genuine interest in the field and passion for the role.
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
1. Professional Headshot
- A professional, sharp, high-quality headshot for your LinkedIn profile instantly builds trust with a recruiter or hiring manager since they can put a name to a face and feel like they already know you more than just another name on a page.
- If you are able to get your headshot done with a professional camera, this is obviously a plus and will generate a sharper image. However, most modern phones have a high-quality camera that will get the job done! Make sure you are wearing professional business attire and have a blank background behind you while you take the headshot.
2. Engaging Headline
- Your profile headline is the first piece of text under your name, so make use of this prime location. Try to avoid simply stating your current position/job title and use something interesting that will hook the recruiter in and make them want to learn more about who you are. A good example is: "Recruiter at VC5 Consulting | Finding Professionals Their Next Big Career Opportunity"
3. Write a Compelling Summary
- You can treat the summary/about section on LinkedIn as an opportunity to give your elevator pitch. This is a longer response section in your profile, so use it to showcase your personality and what makes you unique. Avoid restating what recruiters and hiring managers can find by scrolling down on your profile. If you have an engaging life story that is the reason you are interested in the industry you are in today, go ahead and tell it! The following profile is a good example.
- You should also include a call to action (CTA) at the end of your About section prompting recruiters/hiring managers to either contact you or view something else that shows off your qualifications/experience.
4. Highlight Your Relevant Experience
- As you would do on a resume, add quantifiable metrics to demonstrate your impact and value in your previous roles. Showing is much more effective than simply telling people what you have done.
- For example, "Increased conversions by 40% in Q1 of 2023" is an easy-to-understand metric that recruiters and hiring managers can use to gauge your value as an employee. Another example is "Led a cross-functional team that delivered a 25% increase in market share for 2023"
5. Update Your Skills Section
- 44% of hiring managers used LinkedIn Skills to screen and filter candidates for their roles, so add skills relevant to your qualifications and experience that match the industry you want to work in to appear in those searches. Many companies use ATS (Applicant tracking systems), CRM (Customer relationship management), and recruiting software to execute a boolean search of your skills. If those skills are not on your profile, you simply won't show up as a candidate even if you are qualified for the role.
- To start with add all of the hard skills that the job will require, these will be very specific to the industry and role you want to work in. For example, if you are a programmer, you would want to add all of the relevant programming languages you know that are applicable to the jobs you are searching for. Next, you want to add some soft skills (adaptability, hard work, collaboration) which are more general than hard skills but are important to most employers. Choose soft skills that you can demonstrate your aptitude in through examples in your previous jobs or during school if you are a fresh graduate.
6. Post Examples of Work/Achievements
- Include any projects/deliverables that showcase your skills and talent in your LinkedIn profile to give recruiters and hiring staff tangible evidence of the work you can do for them. You can include a description of the project in your profile which gives you a chance to synthesize the most important parts of the project that employers will care about. LinkedIn also allows you to include a project URL if it is publicly available or something you can link to. If your project is not publicly available, add a note to the project asking for the hiring manager to request the work via email if they wish to view it.
7. SEO Everything
- Before optimizing your profile, you should dedicate some time to keyword research and planning for the industry/role you want to get into. Once you have a list of these relevant keywords, you should include them across your LinkedIn profile: headline (most important), about section, experience, skills, recommendations, and interests.
- However, avoid keyword stuffing which is just putting in as many keywords as physically possible in the hope of appearing at the top of the search. Include your keywords in a natural way that does not interrupt the rest of the paragraph/section flow.
8. Request Recommendations
- Having colleagues, managers, and clients write a recommendation on your behalf for your profile boosts your credibility with recruiters and hiring managers. You can choose people in your network that you think will give you a thoughtful recommendation that showcases your skills and qualities in the best light. Naturally, people who you worked closely with (supervisors, colleagues) will have more to say than someone you interacted with once a month (CEO).
- To request a recommendation, go to that person's LinkedIn profile and click on 'More' to bring up a menu that has 'Request a Recommendation'. From there add your relationship to that person, the position you were in during the time you were associated with them, as well as a personalized message requesting the recommendation.
9. Customize Your LinkedIn URL
- This is a point that many overlook due to its apparent unimportance, however, customizing your LinkedIn URL can add credibility to your profile as well as make it easier for people to find you. Changing it to something as simple as: “https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/firstname_lastname/” is good enough and will make a noticeable difference to your searchability.
- To show how much more professional a custom LinkedIn URL is consider the following examples:
- To make a custom URL for your profile, go to 'view profile' and then click 'public profile & URL' in the top right to go ahead and edit your profile URL.
10. Include the Current City in Your Profile
- By including your current city (or the one you want to find a job in), you will stand out up to 23x more in search results! It is such a simple addition that can drastically boost your chances of being seen by a hiring manager, so don't forget to do it.
- To add a location go to your profile and click the pencil to the very right of your name to edit your basic information which is where you can add your location details.
11. Join Relevant LinkedIn Groups
- LinkedIn groups are dedicated spaces for professionals to share expertise, seek advice, and build meaningful relationships with others. Consequently, they are great spaces to connect with industry leaders and allow you to share your insights. However, don't just be a passive member of a group, you should engage in discussions/posts to boost your credibility as a potential candidate.
- To join a LinkedIn group, use the search bar at the top of the page and search for a topic/industry of interest to you and you can filter the results to only see groups instead of posts, etc.
12. Follow and Engage with Companies/People of Interest
- By following the profiles of companies or people you are interested in and engaging with their content/updates you will again show your interest and passion for the industry to potential recruiters. Furthermore, you are in the best position to be on the lookout for potential job openings that are posted in a company's jobs section by following them.
13. Regularly Update Your Profile
- As with your resume, always stay on top of your LinkedIn profile as recruiters may pass over your profile by chance and if you are missing key experiences they may not think of calling you for an interview. Using the same format as your resume makes it easier for recruiters to recognize all of your experiences as a cohesive whole instead of a fragmented mess. We recommend updating your resume as soon as you experience a change in your job or gain a new experience/certification/accomplishment or every 3-5 months to optimize if there is nothing new to add.
Summary
Now you have all of the tips and tricks at your disposal to create a powerful LinkedIn profile that will allow you to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers looking for highly qualified candidates! If you have any other best practices that you use on your LinkedIn profile, let us know in the comments. Additionally, if you are struggling to find your next job in 2024 give one of our experienced recruiters a call so we can help you achieve your goals!
