Does Your LinkedIn Go Bump in the Night? 4 Tips to Improve Your Profile and Avoid Scaring Recruiters Off

You’re leaving university and now you need your first graduate job. You’ve heard stories of your friends getting their dream job after they were head hunted through LinkedIn and naturally, you want to get in on the action. So you decide to set up your own profile. With 433 million active users, 6.5 million live job listings and 94% of recruiters using the service solely for the promotion of their business, LinkedIn should be Mecca for anyone in the active and passive job market.

You’ve got your work experience penciled in, shouted about your university achievements and picked your best selfie, but your profile is getting about as much activity as a graveyard. It leaves you begging the question, where am I going wrong?
To help you get a LinkedIn that works we asked our team of recruitment experts to give you their best advice on making your profile scream, for the right reasons!

Say ‘cheese’!

Choosing your profile photo can be the hardest part of developing a LinkedIn profile. Statistically, having a photo on your profile makes you 14 times more likely to be searched on LinkedIn than those who don’t have one. But it’s key to remember that it’s for professional purposes, so shouldn’t mirror your Tinder profile. Ditch the pouty night out selfie, even if your contour is on point! The key is to have a photo that encourages recruiters to see you as an employee – you’re creating the first step of your personal brand so it’s important to get it right.

Stop Waffling!

On average, recruiters look at a CV or LinkedIn profiles for 30 seconds, so it’s no surprise that they will skim read your profile and make a decision instantly. If you’re waffling on or talking around a topic that’s irrelevant, it’s inevitable that you’ll be tossed in the ‘no’ pile before they realise you’re a worthy candidate. Using targeted ‘buzz words’ is also key to success here. Ensuring that your profile will come up in recruiters searches requires you to include the words they will be looking for. Take some time to gain specific knowledge of your chosen field and cleverly use terminology that will portray you as a worthy connection or candidate.

Create Content!

Saying you can do it and proving you can are two different things. If you have something to say that could engage a recruiter or employer, turn it into a blog using LinkedIn’s blogging platform. It will appear as at the top of your profile so will be one of the first things that recruiters see when they visit your profile. If you’re applying for a role that will require you to write to clients or create content on behalf of a business, ensure you utalise the blogging tool more than ever. This is your online portfolio and could set you apart from other candidates.

Come and See How Good I Look!

Having people champion the work you have done is the easiest way to make you appear to be the real deal. If you have connections that can endorse specific skills for your role, this is the first step to validating your experience. Taking this to the next level would be getting a recommendation. Recommendations are a personalised platform for colleagues to shout about the work you have done and identify the benefits of having you as part of a business. If you find it awkward asking for a recommendation, why not write one for someone else first. This will automatically put them into a positive mind set for yours!
Follow these simple steps and you should bring your dying LinkedIn profile back to life!

 

Hannah Ryle – Employer Brand Consultant

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