Tips for Job Seekers using LinkedIn: How to be FOUND by Recruiters

LinkedIn is a great tool for those who are in an active job search and wish to be found by recruiters.???Additionally, LinkedIn is a good vehicle for those who are working but open to exploring other opportunities.??In either case, if you want to be found, make sure you are providing enough information to be found easily.?

A few thoughts you should consider:

·??????Most importantly, make sure that your LinkedIn profile is accurate and up-to-date.

·??????If you are in an active job search, consider displaying the “Open to Work” logo on your profile.???This may make recruiters more apt to stop and review your profile when they are using LinkedIn to search for candidates.

·??????The best way to ensure you to connect with recruiters is to display your contact information in your LinkedIn profile.???Not everyone is comfortable publicly displaying their phone number and/or attaching a resume to their profile.??However, at a minimum I recommend that you display an e-mail address in your “contact info section: or your “about??section.”??Many recruiters quickly move on if you haven’t provided an easy path for them to reach out to you.

·??????If a recruiter sends you a connection request on LinkedIn, you should give serious consideration to accepting it.??Perhaps you aren’t interested in considering new employment opportunities at the moment, but that may change down the road and your new connection may be able to help you when you are ready to explore new opportunities.??

·??????If a recruiter takes the time to send you a message, I encourage you to reply to that message, even if you aren’t interested in the opportunity.??Your courteous and professional correspondence with the recruiter could lead you to other opportunities when the timing is right for you.

·??????Don’t rely solely on applying to all the jobs you see on Company websites and other job boards.??Many job seekers get easily frustrated by this method as they feel their resumes get lost in the Company’s??Applicant Tracking System or they get lost in other job boards and they don’t get feedback.??Recruiter-sourced resumes can offer a higher probability that your resume is seen by the appropriate people.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list of tips to be found.???However, if you start with these basics, you might be pleasantly surprised by the opportunities that present themselves.