By now, most job seekers have figured out that LinkedIn is a valuable tool for landing a job, but not everyone has figured out what it takes to impress a recruiter. Hint: simply copying and pasting your resume onto your profile is not going to work. There are 6 main areas recruiters look at when evaluating potential candidates. Learn what these areas are and how you can tailor your LinkedIn profile to stand out and impress recruiters to increase your chances of landing the job.
1. Complete Profile
A LinkedIn profile that is complete and up-to-date will always grab the attention of a recruiter. Too many professionals will post their resume and forget to update it when they change jobs, or they will add their experience to their profile but not add any education or other details. Having a complete profile shows that the person is conscientious and has put in the extra effort to really maintain their profile. On the other hand, having an incomplete profile reflects poorly on the person, especially if they’re a job seeker. Also, take advantage of LinkedIn’s features that let you upload documents, photos, links, videos and presentations to your Summary and Experience sections. Posting these extra details will help recruiter’s get an idea of the type of high you are capable of performing.
2. Volunteering and Education
In addition to completing the Summary and Work experience sections of your LinkedIn profile, you should also complete other sections like Volunteer Experience of Education. In fact, completing the ‘Education’ section of your profile drives 10 times more views than profiles without it. Also, 42% say they view volunteer experience in a profile as equivalent to work experience, according to Catherine Fisher, LinkedIn’s career expert.
3. Professional Picture and Background
Oftentimes, recruiters won’t read potential candidate’s profiles if the person hasn’t put in the effort to add a professional picture. Recruiters like to know who they’re talking to when they reach out to a candidate with a position and they can’t do that when someone has an incomplete profile.
Another way a job seeker can stand out from the crowd is by being aware of their professional image. Incorporating a nice, professional background picture behind your main Linkedin profile is a good opportunity to show off your personal brand and your technology skills.
4. Recommendations Section
Having an impressive Recommendations section on LinkedIn will definitely help you stand out to candidates. When somebody writes a recommendation, not only are they expending time and effort, but they are also putting their own reputation on the line. Someone is not going to write a recommendation they don’t believe in because it’s a reflection on themselves, and their name and LinkedIn account are available for everyone to see. The one caveat is to make sure your recommendations are from credible sources. You can have the most outstanding recommendation on your profile, but if it’s from a family member, then it is not going to hold much weight.
5. Endorsements Section
Recruiters are also attracted to the Endorsements section on LinkedIn for the same reasons as the Recommendations section but don’t regard it as highly. The Endorsements section gives suggested skill sets to endorse people on, and can be done with the click of a button. Even so, it still gives the recruiter an idea of your strengths and highly regarded skills.
6. Proper Spelling and Grammar
Finally, recruiters will be evaluating your LinkedIn profile for proper spelling and grammar. Make sure your double check every section you filled out and make sure it’s free of any mistakes. Also, stay away from any buzzwords or adjectives to describe your work. Instead of saying you’re a ‘talented sales ninja’, give examples of why you’re so great or provide numbers to back up this statement.
Any job seeker can create a LinkedIn profile, but the job seekers who get noticed by recruiters are the ones who keep their profile complete, up-to-date, and filled with recommendations and examples of current work.
