5 Things Recruiters Wish You Knew About LinkedIn

1. A complete profile makes the difference between being found and being invisible.

If you’re one of those people who has chosen to complete only parts of your profile, it is unlikely that you will be found by a recruiter. That’s because LinkedIn’s search engine gives preference to fully completed profiles. If you’re going to join the site, make sure you’re not wasting your time – complete every section of your profile as thoroughly as you can.

2. Using key words is vital

Recruiters can only find you if your profile contains the words they commonly search for. When a recruiter is asked to find a social media manager for example, he or she may search for terms like ‘social media’ but also for specific sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn or for terms such as ‘content marketer’ or ‘blogging.’ So when you write your profile, think about the words commonly used in your field and be sure to include them throughout.

3. It’s best to sound like a human

Because the resume tends to be a somewhat formal document, many people feel they have to write a formal LinkedIn profile – many even write about themselves in the third person. But actually, it’s much more effective to write in your own voice and to write in the first person (using “I” rather than “he”). Be professional of course, but be human too. Show a little of your personality and more recruiters will contact you.

4. Your photo is important

I still see profiles without photos and this is a huge no-no. Research has shown that profiles without photos are viewed far less often than those that include a photo. What’s more, the type of photo matters. Make sure that you look approachable and friendly. Smile. And, like the tone of your profile, keep it informal but professional.

Being concise is a good thing

LinkedIn restricts the content you can include. For example, you only get 2,000 characters for the summary. But they also allow 2,000 characters for every job you’ve held. Some people are tempted to use all this space, and simply cut and paste their resume content into the profile. I don’t recommend this. The level of detail on your resume is just too much for busy recruiters to read online. Plus, it just makes you look lazy. Instead, develop concise summaries about each position and keep them focused on your impact and results.

Follow these 5 steps and you response rate will increase

Recruiters are busy people and have to work quickly. If your profile doesn’t meet one of these 5 criteria, it’s likely that they either won’t find it, or won’t bother reading it. So take the time to make sure it’s the very best it can be. And if you\’d like my help, check out my ebook The Blue Sky Guide to LinkedIn. You can start reading for free.

photo credit: Avard Woolaver via photopin cc