Why Your LinkedIn Profile Is Important and What to Update
Have you ever wondered why some professionals in your creative jobs are courted daily by recruiters, yet you never get the call? The answer is social media. More specifically, your LinkedIn profile. Why? Because more than 70% of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for talent.
Yet, according to research published by ResumeLab, fewer than six in ten said their LinkedIn profiles represented their current skillset moderately or completely. 45% said that their LinkedIn profiles are outdated or inaccurate.
Big picture? If your LinkedIn profile doesn’t match your resume, you could be missing a stream of attractive and lucrative job opportunities. Or, you’ll leave a recruiter scratching their head, wondering which is the real you – the persona on paper or online?
How Do Recruiters Search for Talent on LinkedIn?
Before you update your LinkedIn profile, you should understand how recruiters search for talent on LinkedIn. Using LinkedIn Recruiter, recruiters search through LinkedIn for:
- Job titles
- Relevant skills
- Location
- Experience, achievements, education, qualifications, etc.
- Industry, companies, etc.
Just like when you search on Google, the more closely matched your profile is to the search terms the recruiter enters, the higher up the ranking you become – and the more likely it is that you’ll get the call.
Five Things to Update on Your LinkedIn Profile Now
1. Your Headline and Job Titles
The first thing a recruiter is likely to search for is job titles. Use the 220 characters available in your headline to detail what you do and the role you desire.
In your profile, make sure you include current and previous job titles, and detail the role. For example, instead of stating that you are a Marketing Director, say ‘Marketing Director, responsible for social media customer acquisition strategies’.
2. Keyword Your Skills
It’s crucial that you maintain your list of skills, and that you keyword this list. Look through job descriptions to find the skills keywords that employers use: these are the terms that you must include in your profile. And don’t forget to include all the technology that you use in your role.
You should use these keywords in your headline and job title, as well as in the descriptions of the jobs you have had. This is where they will be most searchable, with a greater weighting than when listed in the skills section of your LinkedIn profile.
3. Location
Some recruiters may wish to find candidates within a location, because those candidates would be more likely to accept a job offer. If you wish to show up on localized searches, you must enter your current location – or explain that you are willing to relocate in your ‘career interests’.
4. Experience and achievements
Recruiters are interested in professionals with a history of achievement. It’s important to detail your experience and career achievements with specific and measurable results.
5. Education and qualifications
Finally, make sure that you include your qualifications and education. List your professional certifications first, with college and graduate if this is the case at the bottom.
Now That Your LinkedIn Profile Is Matched with Your Resume – What’s Next?
One of the best ways to ensure that your career doesn’t stagnate is to keep your LinkedIn profile updated. This way, you are more likely to attract the attention of recruiters, either direct from the companies you would like to work for or from the recruiters in staffing agencies they use to search and select talent.
Think of LinkedIn as your online resume. Its job is to sell you, and it can’t do this if it doesn’t match your resume. Maybe not word-for-word, but it must say the same thing.
Start your journey to a more rewarding career today. Submit your resume to TECHEAD today.