It saves them time and it keeps their own profiles active as they often find like-minded people or valuable connections along the way. The secret to being successful on LinkedIn is making your profile visible and having it show up consistently in almost every search result for people with a specific set of qualifications. Click on ‘Edit’ and put in your preferred address. Add these keywords to your: Job title Specialties Career experience Personal interests Key achievements Doing this ensures that whenever a person searches any of the words that you want to be associated with (keywords), your profile will appear in the search results. The use of jargon only makes you appear like a show-off. You have the option of updating your status and also partaking in feed-based activities in order to remain active on the platform. It also makes your profile appear more interesting to anyone who clicks on it. Therefore, just add those people you truly know. The last thing you want to do is show your boss that you’re actively looking for a job elsewhere by increasing your activity on LinkedIn. This could be anything from your email address, your blog URL, your Twitter handle, your Facebook profile, or even your personal phone number.
Job seekers are known to stop at nothing in their efforts to secure a job. However, most of them tend to underestimate the value of social media. In contemporary times, recruiters are actively using social media to sieve through the many job seekers who are on the market.
The most popular and preferred site is LinkedIn. Recruiters are constantly searching its database for candidates that meet the specific criteria and qualifications that they are looking for. It saves them time and it keeps their own profiles active as they often find like-minded people or valuable connections along the way.
So, if you’re a job seeker and you’re not already on LinkedIn, what are you waiting for?
The secret to being successful on LinkedIn is making your profile visible and having it show up consistently in almost every search result for people with a specific set of qualifications.
You need to understand that you’re just one among many LinkedIn users, hence, your profile needs to stand out. In addition, if there are many candidates with the same set of qualification as you, your profile needs to rank higher than the others by utilizing LinkedIn search optimization for you to catch the eyes of recruiters and job hunters.
In light of the above, this blog post will offer some vital LinkedIn profile tips that you can use in order to achieve career success and land a great job.
1. Complete your profile
A complete profile has a better chance of being found by recruiters compared to an incomplete one. Don’t slack off in filling out each and every section of your profile. Once a recruiter has decided to click on your profile, he/she expects to see:
- Your skills
- Your work experience
- What people think of you
Incomplete profiles are unappealing to recruiters since you’re not meeting their expectations right from the get-go. It sets you off on the wrong foot. In fact, most recruiters openly dislike such profiles, and that’s why your chances of getting the job diminish.
The good thing, though, is that LinkedIn gives you a measure of the completeness of your profile. So you will know how much more you need to add to build your profile to 100%. LinkedIn even provides guidelines on how to improve your profile so there really are no excuses for having an incomplete one.
Photos are quite important to LinkedIn profiles. Remember, this is a virtual platform. The only sure thing that a recruiter has to connect with you is a photo.
If you’re active on Instagram or taking selfies is your kind of thing, then you won’t have any qualms about taking photos. However, if you’re camera shy, then it’s time to shed this shyness. Take the best photo you can, but remember, it should be appropriate and professional (i.e., not a selfie!).
Outsource the task to a professional or visually-talented friend if you aren’t confident about taking it yourself.
3. Customize your URL
LinkedIn profiles have URLs that almost look like the binary codes of a whole computer software. When you post such an URL, it doesn’t look appealing as when you edit it and create your own custom URL.
Most people choose to put their names on the URL (linkedin.com/name). It’s so much more appealing this way.
To get a custom URL, simply go to the ‘Edit Profile’ screen. You’ll find it on the window that shows your basic information. There, you’ll see ‘Public Profile URL’. Click on ‘Edit’ and put in your preferred address. After you’re done, click ‘Set Custom URL’ and voila, you have your own customized URL!
Headlines are the first thing that recruiters see and therefore the first thing they notice about your profile. Therefore ensure yours is compelling and contains specific details that relate to your job function and industry. You can add in a distinct value proposition and selected details to give you an edge over your competition.
Specificity is key. Sometimes recruiters may actually land on your profile through search engines like Google. The search engines typically capture your headline and will also include your location and your LinkedIn profile in the search results so this is another reason to make your headline stand out.
Here are some headline options you can use for inspiration:
- Finance manager/Analytical/With strong acumen in corporate financial management
- Social media strategist providing brands with the visibility needed in the online space
- Marketing expert with a passion for technology and creating winning marketing campaigns
- Sales manager with a non-stop drive to increase sales and profitability
- Aspiring online marketer who lives and breathes digital media
5. Have glowing recommendations
A while back, LinkedIn used to have a requirement where a complete profile would have a minimum of three recommendations. It’s not mandatory now, but it still remains a good practice.
There are a variety of people who can recommend you: from top management and work colleagues; to suppliers and customers. Candidates with profiles that have recommendations always have a higher chance of success.
6. Have numerous endorsements
There’s nothing better than being endorsed by people in your professional LinkedIn network. It’s like your buddies telling you they’ve got your back.
Endorsements will help you get recognized for possessing certain skills. For example, let’s say you have more than 200 endorsements for Tax Advisory. When a recruiter searches for people that have tax advisory skills, your profile is most likely to come up top in the search results. Therefore, the more…
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