Nearly everyone is familiar with LinkedIn and its benefits in expanding your professional network.
In recruitment, LinkedIn is the #1 tool that professionals use to find new contacts. So, if you are actively searching for a job or just open to new opportunities then you should absolutely have a LinkedIn profile. The issue then is making sure that you are found.
When running a candidate search on LinkedIn, LinkedIn can generate anywhere from one to 50 pages of profiles with 25 profiles to a page. That is a lot of potential candidates! Of course, the first few pages always have the most relevant profiles and human nature being what it is, most HR professionals pay attention to the profiles in the first two pages oftentimes ignoring the rest.
What if your profile doesn’t make it to the first two pages? Simply put, you may be missing out on some juicy opportunities. This leads us to the the question:
How to make sure that I can be found on LinkedIn?
This guide sets out to answer this question and it is written from the point of view of a HR professional who has extensive experience training and looking to find potential candidates on LinkedIn.
Here is a checklist on how to make sure your LinkedIn profile gets found.
1) Fill in All the Relevant Information
Words on social networking sites are searchable both within the site itself and through Google. A complete and clear profile has a higher chance of being found in a key word search. So, it stands to reason that the ‘beefier’ your profile, the better!
LinkedIn calculates the percentage of completeness of your profile using the following formula:
- Name and Position = 25%
- Picture = 5%
- Summary = 5%
- Specialties = 5%
- Education = 15%
- Past Job 1 = 15%
- Past Job 2 = 15%
- Recommendation 1 = 5%
- Recommendation 2 = 5%
- Recommendation 3 = 5%
You want to make sure that you have all these points completed to get to a 100% profile.
2) Fill in additional information where relevant
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Include All Languages
For international positions, languages are highly important and are sometimes used to source viable candidates. If you speak one or more languages, then definitely include these in your profile.
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List Your Awards, Big and Small
Awards should be included in your LinkedIn profile as it shows what you have achieved but it highlights that you have done it well and are therefore, a great candidate.
3) Pay Attention to Keywords
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Include Keywords in Your Profile
As mentioned earlier in this checklist keywords are an important component of being found on LinkedIn. When a search is run on LinkedIn using keywords such as job title or key skills, the profile that has these keywords appear the most often in their profile is the one that comes in at number one on the list.
To make sure that you are number one on the list identify the keywords that best describe you. To ensure that these key words get you to the top of the list, pepper them throughout your profile such as in your summaries, specialties, jobs and even recommendations.
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Select the Appropriate Keywords
How to find the keywords that are best suited to you? The two top ways to find candidates that are a match for the job are by job title or function, industry and sometimes market (location). Therefore, your keywords should encompass at Job Title and Industry. An example of such a keyword would be: “Retail Manager in the Luxury Industry.”
You want to make sure the keywords are broad enough that they will capture a lot of searches BUT be wary of trying to be too broad or you make it harder to be found. Like in any job search, the more focused your search tools and strategy are the more successful you will be.
If you're looking to boost your LinkedIn profile, start with our quick content feedback so you know exactly what steps to take: Get Feedback on Your LinkedIn Profile
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