The digital era has brought transformation to recruitment. At the front line of the transformation is the growth of LinkedIn, a platform that is now integral in career progression. It is now one of the best places for people to showcase their attributes, professional acumen and experience to recruiters. LinkedIn is an extensive professional network with millions of users- companies and job seekers alike. The platform is ripe with opportunities for candidates seeking the next move in their career and companies looking for top talents to fill vacant positions in their organizations. Opportunities are plenty, but so is the competition for the vacancies. Your professional persona has to stand out from the crowd to appeal to recruiters. Here is a guide to optimize your LinkedIn profile and maximize the chances of recruiters making contact:

Craft an appealing profile

It is not enough to list your experiences and education. Go further and give a brief but captivating summary detailing your skills and goals. It needs to reflect a bit of your personality too. Sell yourself by highlighting things that make you stand out from other people with similar qualifications. Show recruiters what it is that only you can bring to their organization. You do not have to write a short book that includes your whole life story.

Most recruiters have to sort through thousands of profiles and may not have all the time to read everything thoroughly. Be concise and clear. If you have a long experience history, you may want to highlight the positions directly relating to the kind of job you are looking to get. Be succinct in putting your point across. Visual elements that highlight your specific achievements also make you stand out.

Have a complete LinkedIn profile

Your profile needs to have all the relevant information. An incomplete profile may lack details that a recruiter may be interested in assessing to determine if you are the best fit. Make it easier for the recruiter to analyze if you would be a suitable match for the role they are scouting for by filling in all the necessary details. Recruiters are interested in knowing where you have worked, what you do, your transferable skills and more. Have a descriptive “About” section. Be comprehensive in the “Experience” section. Do not leave out details of your education and relevant certifications you have acquired. Complete other areas of your profile, such as languages, projects, volunteer activities to give you a competitive edge.

Do not just tell, show

Saying that you are passionate, motivated and enthusiastic carries so little weight compared to showing that you are those things. Provide proof by giving examples of times when you went the extra mile in your responsibilities. Include links to your work samples and portfolios. A recruiter will know more about you and your abilities from the work samples.

The work samples showcase your capabilities better than going on monotonously about your competencies. According to a sourced.nz, a top recruiter in Tech, employers love candidates they can hire fast. They will want to onboard a candidate they are sure has the skills they need. And as they say, the proof is in the pudding. Your portfolio is the perfect tool to endorse your skills.

Have a profile that is easy to find

When a recruiter carries out a search, you want to be somewhere on top of their list. Recruiters use specific keywords and filters when using LinkedIn to source for talents. The filters may include job function, years of experience etc. Ensure that you have updated information about the roles you are currently undertaking. Include keywords of the positions that you are targeting in your profile.

Be as specific as possible and try to have keywords in different places like the heading, summary, job descriptions and job titles. That said, you should not stuff your profile with keywords. It could make it evident that you are gaming the system to land opportunities. That could make you look unprofessional.

Choose a suitable profile picture

Your profile picture is among the first things recruiters use to make a first impression. You only get one chance at that. A potential employer is more likely to view a profile with a photo than one without. However, that does not mean that any photo flies. Select a picture that shows your face clearly and shows yourself looking confident. The profile picture needs to reflect positively on you. It should show you in a professional light.

Connect with other social networks

LinkedIn has a feature that allows you to connect with other social networks. Leverage the facility and link your profile with your other network accounts. It makes it easier to post things and update profiles simultaneously. Doing that communicates to recruiters that you are a tech-savvy person they would want in their organization. Make sure that you do not post any controversial things like racist or sexist content on your other social media platforms. That could ruin your chances of bagging an opportunity that you would have otherwise been the perfect candidate to get.

Stay active and keep updating information

Make a point of updating your profile information frequently. When you do not update your profile, a recruiter may assume it is abandoned or dormant and pass you when filling vacant positions. Spare about ten or fifteen minutes every day to update your LinkedIn profile. Post relevant industry information that you have created or come across. Take the time to leave a comment on what others share. A recruiter will be more likely to reach out when they feel like you will be responsive when they make contact. If inactive, they will not bother reaching out to you.

Participate in group discussions

LinkedIn is full of groups for just about everything. Recruiters may be lurking in groups hoping to find a candidate that matches their needs. Join skill-based, industry-based, geographical-based and alumni groups on LinkedIn. Participate in discussions. That builds your reputation as an authority in your field. Share your insights on the latest news and trends in your industry. Ask questions. Staying active in these groups places you as a thought leader that any recruiter will see as a potential candidate.

Wrapping up

LinkedIn presents many opportunities for the right people in the job market. It has made it easier to connect, keep track of industry events and businesses, among other benefits. Unfortunately, many people still give their LinkedIn profile an afterthought, not fully aware of its immense potential. It is time you worked to tap into the platform to grow your personal brand and grow your career.

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Monday, December 20, 2021