LinkedIn is the top social media platform for both job seekers and hiring managers. A study found, 87% of recruiters use the platform to find or vet job candidates. As a job seeker, it is extremely important to make sure your profile is updated and gets noticed compared to your millions of competitors. As a Staffing Consultant who uses LinkedIn every day to source candidates, here are LinkedIn profile tips every job seeker can utilize right now to help get hired faster.

Step 1: Make sure your summary is polished, professional, and accurately written. This is a chance to attract the hiring manager or recruiter’s attention and gives them that drive to contact you. This is the area where you should summarize your professional experience, training, accomplishments, contributions, and overall, your successes. You can also include a few creative personal topics that will give them an insight into your personality and interests. This section should be detailed to allow the reader to create a mental image of you and if you would be a good fit for their organization.

For reference and inspiration, check out this list of 10 LinkedIn Profile Summaries that the LinkedIn Talent Blog posted.

Step 2: Just as you should on your resume, make sure all dates and positions are accurate on your profile. The last thing you want is for a hiring manager to ask about a position that is inaccurately represented on your resume. That may cause hesitation from the hiring manager because that would show some negative skills, such as lack of attention to detail.

Step 3: The first thing a hiring manager sees is your profile picture. Therefore, your profile picture needs to be professional so you make a strong first impression. If a hiring manager sees a professional-looking individual, they are more likely to click on the profile to see more. In fact, having a profile picture, in general, makes your profile 14 times more likely to be viewed. A photo with negative lighting or an unprofessional background will lead the hiring manager to wonder if you are professional in the work environment. After all, LinkedIn is a professional networking platform.

Step 4: Double-check that your education is updated and accurate on your profile. Many roles have an education requirement, not just an experience requirement. After a hiring manager scans through your work experience they then look at your education. Assuring that your education is up to date is as important as your experience because that may be the deciding factor when it comes to speaking with you or not.

Step 5: Get recommendations from past and present managers, employees, and coworkers. There is nobody that can speak more about your work ethic and drive than your former/current managers. The recommendations portion of your profile will assist hiring managers when deciding on whether or not they should set up a time to interview you. A glowing recommendation will be your best friend in your job search.

Not sure how to go about asking for a LinkedIn recommendation? Find out when to ask, who to ask, and how to ask for a professional recommendation. Boost your online reputation with just a few endorsements.

 Now that you have updated your profile and made sure it will stand out, you should begin applying to roles. As you apply to roles also follow the organization’s company page. Following the company will show your interest level and will give you company updates, information regarding what they do, and you’ll get a better understanding of their culture. Remember, you are your resume and your LinkedIn profile is an extension of your resume, so make sure it speaks to who you are!

 

Don’t forget to subscribe to our JOHNLEONARD blog below to receive the latest career advice!