Top 5 Things Recruiters Wish Job Seekers Knew About LinkedIn

by Louise Fletcher

Even though LinkedIn is the number one online tool for professional recruiters, the experience is often frustrating. Many recruiters fail to find the candidates they need – not because of problems with the site itself, but because of simple profile mistakes by candidates.

With that in mind, here are the top 5 things recruiters wish you knew about LinkedIn:

1. Being Found vs. Being Invisible: A Good Profile

If you’re one of those who has chosen to complete only parts of your profile, it’s unlikely you’ll 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 Keywords 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.’

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 seem to feel they have to write a formal LinkedIn profile – many even write about themselves in the third person. 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 personality and recruiters are far more likely to contact you.

4. Your Photo is Important

I still see profiles without photos – 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.

Like the tone of your profile, keep your profile photo informal, but professional.

5. Being Concise is Good

LinkedIn deliberately restricts the content you can include in your profile. For example, you only get 2,000 characters for the summary. However, they also allow 2,000 characters for every job you’ve held. Some 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.

Recruiters are busy; they must work quickly. The more you know about LinkedIn… the more likely you are to be found – and hired!


This post originally appeared here:
http://www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2013/11/08/top-5-things-recruiters-wish-job-seekers-knew-about-linkedin/