The increasing number of users worldwide on LinkedIn itself speaks volumes about the importance of the social platform as a professional networking and job search platform. Recruiters swear by it and it is slowly amassing popularity and replacing the conventional methods of hiring. Job hunting and recruitment have developed digitally and now it’s a must for all job seekers to register with the professional network. Now, how can you ensure that the recruiter is impressed looking at your profile? You need to maintain a certain benchmark for your profile. Let’s see how.
1. Profile Photo
As simple as it sounds, a profile without a picture won’t make as much impact as the one with a profile photo. While it’s strictly professional, LinkedIn is also for socializing and making professional connections. A profile picture always depicts your identity and makes it easy for employers to associate your name with a face. But you can’t put up a beach vacation photo like you would on Facebook or Instagram. Stick to a white background formal photo for LinkedIn. Keep it simple and professional.
2. Summary
This is the elevator pitch you would give in an impromptu interview. You need to sell yourself fiercely. While you may use action words like ‘achieved’, ‘passionate’, ‘goal-oriented', ‘facilitated’ etc., the recruiters are not there to see how good you’re with your vocabulary. Instead, they want to see some substantial information like your achievements, work experience, projects you have undertaken, your future goals, etc. That will give them the exact idea of your worth and they will be able to judge if you fit the bill.
3. Recommendations
These are modern-day job references. A reference is always more priced than any other lead for recruiters because they have someone to guarantee the candidate’s background and skills. Anyone can vouch for your skills, but preferably it would be great if the recommendation comes from your superiors, professors, colleagues, clients, etc. You can always approach them and request them to write out a recommendation for you. Usually, people who know you and appreciate your work will write one out for you. Another way is, you write it for others and they reciprocate.
4. Connections
Connections are built over time and they reflect your interests and past work history too. Recruiters look at connections to understand the relevance. The quantity of connections doesn’t matter to them, but which field/industry you’re from. Just adding connections from your field isn’t enough. You need to engage in discussions, relevant debates, and discussions about the industry, the trends, etc. Connect with connections even if they’re not related to your job, but make sure you have a conversation about their field with them.
Follow these tips above to get your profile noticed first by the recruiters!