7 Ways to Get Recruiters to Notice You on LinkedIn

7 Ways to Get Recruiters to Notice You on LinkedIn

LinkedIn Search is the first place that either recruiters or employers will go when looking for a new person to hire and they’ll typically first research who is working in the same role that they are advertising. Luckily, there are certain things that you can do to get your profile to appear higher up those search results and get the attention of recruiters or employers.

Follow our simple steps to ensure your profile is in great shape

1. Keywords

SEO isn’t just for websites and Google search results anymore. Recruiters use powerful search queries and Boolean search techniques to narrow down the best candidates.

Using ‘keywords’ in LinkedIn profiles is very common now, and this is one of the first things to focus on when updating your LinkedIn profile. For example if you’re a Quantity Surveyor a recruiter will search for all of the following: Quantity Surveyor, Surveyor, Civil, Construction.

If you want to know more about keywords and SEO for your LinkedIn profile read our more detailed blog here.

2. Your job title

Your job title is one of the strongest keywords in your profile. You should check to see if your job title is up to date and relevant as you’d be surprised at how often some job titles change over the years. If your job title doesn’t match the job title on the job description, we could miss your profile.

3. Professional headline

This is the small piece of text at the top of your profile underneath your name and is one of the most influential areas on LinkedIn. Why? Because it is this piece of text that appears under your picture when you share something on your newsfeed and it is a place where you can pack in as many keywords as possible. It’s just like free advertising on the LinkedIn newsfeed.

You only have 120 characters in this snippet of text, so try and use it wisely. It’s a good idea to update it or change it around every few months to keep it fresh.

4. Your photo

Your profile photo is one of the first things that any recruiter or potential future employer sees. Needless to say your profile picture should always give the right impression.

We also see a lot of profiles that have no profile photo at all. In that case, we assume that the person is not active on LinkedIn and we move on to the next profile. You could be missing out on great roles just by not having a profile image.

Ask yourself – would I be happy to have this photo on my CV? If not, then leave it out of your LinkedIn profile

Your profile photo on LinkedIn is not the same as the one that you might use on Facebook. The audiences of both LinkedIn and Facebook are completely different and while it might be okay for your Facebook profile photo to be of you out on the town with your friends, if you use that same image on LinkedIn, it sends the wrong message.

Your LinkedIn photo should be professional and of good quality. You don’t have to go and get professional headshots taken, but if you know someone with a decent camera ask them to help you out. Dress well and smile. First impressions count.

5. A complete profile

LinkedIn isn’t just about your work history and education. Your can add quite a lot of information that will make your shine – for example your previous projects, any volunteer work you have undertaken, accomplishments, interests, published work, certifications and you can even add in a second profile in another language.

You have so much more room on your LinkedIn profile when compared to your CV, so you should try and use as much of it as you can to show what you can bring to a role. If you are called for interview, the hiring manager will almost certainly take a look at your profile too.

6. Staying Active

The more active you are on LinkedIn, the easier it is for recruiters to notice you. If you keep your profile up to date, and are active around liking and sharing content, your activity could appear on a recruiter’s news feed and is another way of attracting their attention.

7. Connect with recruiters

Recruiters are always keen to expand their LinkedIn network, so never hesitate to send them a connection request. In Social Talent’s 2017 Global Recruiting Survey 19% of respondents (recruiters) in EMEA and 24% in the US and Canada have over 5,000 connections. If you see a role advertiser by a recruiter or like one of their posts, check out their profile on LinkedIn and send them a connection request. Recruiters love to get connection requests!

Your LinkedIn profile is a great way to attract the attention of either a recruiter or a new potential employer. If you follow our tips, you’ll profile be definitely be search friendly.