‘I can’t believe how many job seekers still don’t have a decent LinkedIn Profile’. I hear this from recruiters all the time. And unfortunately it’s true.
Did you know that 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for the ideal candidate? Read my other blog post on this topic HERE.
LinkedIn today
Even though LinkedIn positions itself today as a media platform which “creates economic opportunities for every member of the global workforce” it is still the number one platform for people who are looking for a new challenge and the first place recruiters go hunt for the ideal candidate. In fact 65% of LinkedIn’s revenue comes from Talent Solutions.
So, what do recruiters see when they land on your LinkedIn Profile?
Yes, your LinkedIn Profile is often the first impression recruiters or hiring managers get from you. Many times they see your LinkedIn Profile before they see your resume. So what do they see?
Below are a few questions that I hope will make you aware that …
…your LinkedIn Profile is as important as your resume, if not more
Does your profile include information about your current or most recent role?
Most LinkedIn Profiles I see talk only about the past. Don’t forget to include information about your current role if you’re still employed, or your most recent one. Often it is the most recent experience that will get you hired and yet many times people don’t include this because it’s not documented on their resume yet.
Does your profile talk to the customer ?
A LinkedIn Profile is not a simple copy of your resume (CV)! It is your profile and people know you wrote it, so why would you write it in the 3rd person? It makes you sound so unapproachable. Also keep in mind who your ‘customer’ is. I give you a hint: it’s the hiring manager. So don’t just talk about yourself, but explain how you can solve his problems.
Did you upload a photo?
According to LinkedIn stats, people with a profile photo are 14 times more likely to have their profile viewed than users without a picture. Put yourself in the recruiters’ shoes: you have a whole list of search results. 28 profiles have pictures, 2 don’t. Which ones are you clicking on?
Are you contactable?
If it’s true that most recruiters use a paid version of LinkedIn and therefore can easily send you an In Mail to contact you, this often isn’t the case for hiring managers. So make sure you clearly state your contact details on your profile. And not just in the ‘contact details’ section since this is only visible to your 1st degree connections.
Do you show up in Recruiter’s search results?
I hope these questions have helped you realize the importance of your LinkedIn Profile. But how do you actually get recruiters to click on your profile, in other words how do you get them to find you? The LinkedIn Recruiter tool works like a search engine. Similar to Google. So you need to make sure your profile is optimized for searches. My free report ‘5 Best Kept Secrets to get found by Recruiters’ will help you get started !
