LinkedIn is the #1 digital search tool for both job seekers and hiring managers. Over 40 million people each week are actively searching for jobs on LinkedIn. Unfortunately, simply updating your LinkedIn profile will not allow you access to the jobs you are looking for. When trying to stand out among 40 million people, competition is extremely intense. The key to standing out and finding the jobs that you want is through LinkedIn Profile optimization.
When you search something on Google, an algorithm automatically shows you the most relevant results. Internet marketers call this SEO, or search engine optimization.
On LinkedIn, recruiters will run similar searches when looking for candidates in a particular field. LinkedIn will choose the candidates with the most optimized profiles and show them to recruiters above other members.
In other words, if you have a profile that is fully optimized, you will receive more job opportunities than others who may lack information.
If you are looking to take advantage of search optimization on LinkedIn, here is an easy three step process to make sure that your profile is fully optimized!
1. Update Your Profile
The first step to optimizing your presence on LinkedIn is to go through every element of your profile. While your profile may seem basic at first, LinkedIn has many different tools and systems available that can help elevate your presence to the next level. Let’s go through each segment of your profile step-by-step!
LinkedIn Profile Optimization
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Picture/Headshot- One of the first things that recruiters will look at when viewing your page is your personal headshot. Make sure that the image is professional and high quality.
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Banner- Create or select a banner image that will go behind your headshot. If you have a strong personal or company brand, make sure your banner represents it.
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Headline- Think of your headline as a way to quickly describe your work experience and personal goals. It is best to use a three segment method separated by lines. Whatever a recruiter searches will draw directly back to your headline, so craft it wisely with relevant job keywords and skills.
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Current Job- Start with your current title or the title of the job you want.
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Professional Goal- Describe what makes you unique professionally.
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Personal Topic- Mention a personal interest that sets you apart.
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Example: Lead Copywriter | Helping companies generate millions in profit with the power of great storytelling | Amateur Philosopher
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About Summary- A great summary will act as a miniature story that expands on your headline. Talk about your career and make sure to include any keywords that are relevant to your job search. Take time to look through job listings and talk about how you accomplished any requirements that employers are looking for. Think of your summary as both a hook to get people’s attention, but also as a short explanation of your career.
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Custom URL- Claim your custom URL from LinkedIn by clicking on the side of your main profile page. LinkedIn will automatically create a random assortment of numbers for your URL. Change it to your name or something that represents your personal brand. This also will impact the ability for your name to come up in a Google search as well.
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Take LinkedIn Classes and Post Your Certificates- LinkedIn offers classes through the LinkedIn Learning platform. Not only can these help you to keep up on current industry topics, you can directly post certificates of completion on to your profile. This will allow you to show up in a search anytime someone searches for the specific certification skill.
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Request Endorsements- Ask past and present work colleagues to endorse you on specific skills in your industry. You can then have these endorsements post directly to your profile for anyone to see. This will provide any prospective employers to view positive job references before you even provide them.
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Featured Media- After going through the rest of this list, feel free to include any relevant media in the featured segment of your profile. If you are creating content for prospective employers to view, this is a great snapshot into your portfolio.
Start optimizing your profile by addressing each of these eight points. Remember that the more words that you can include from relevant job listings, the more likely you will be selected when a hiring manager searches through LinkedIn.
2. Stay Active
While having a well made profile is good place to start when optimizing, it is important to also keep your profile active. On LinkedIn, a search will prioritize members who are more active over those who do not use their accounts often. Activity can boil down to a few distinct actions on the platform, so let’s go through them!
Ways to Stay Active on LinkedIn
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Post Often- One way to stay active is to post from time to time. If you want to be one of the first profiles that may show up in a search, posting daily to weekly is a good idea. Even if you do not want to post that frequently, posting every few weeks or so with any company or life updates is a great idea. The more posts that you have on your profile, the more active the LinkedIn algorithm will see you as. It also allows for prospective employers to learn more about you and your previous jobs.
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Comment Often- If you do not want to post on LinkedIn, commenting and liking others’ posts is another way to have an active profile. Commenting can also allow for you to keep up with previous colleagues and stay up to date on any trending content in your industry.
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Give Endorsements- One last way to stay active on LinkedIn is to give endorsements to your colleagues. By endorsing them, you will be shown on their respective profiles. This can allow anyone in your network to link you on their profile and increase traffic.
Over 49% of LinkedIn users are inactive accounts, so simply commenting or endorsing every week can set you apart from almost half of other job seekers on LinkedIn. It can be scary to start posting to any social media platform, but the connections that you may gain on LinkedIn are really worth it!
3. Connect With Others
Our last quick tip to search optimize your LinkedIn profile is to connect with other industry professionals. The best way to connect is to send a customized invite that lets people know why you want to connect with them. In fact, some professionals on LinkedIn will not connect with you at all unless you send a customized invite.
Even with a customized invite, it can be hard to decide who to connect with on LinkedIn. One great way to scout potential networking opportunities is to follow hashtags for your career interests.
After following a hashtag, connect with accounts that post content that you find interesting. Also feel free to comment and let others know how you feel about the post.
The more connections, posts, and comments that you have associated with your profile, the more discoverable your profile will be to prospective hiring managers and recruiters.
Combine this with a strong personal profile and you will be getting job offers in no time!
How do you feel about these LinkedIn tips? Have you tried any on your own profile? Let us know on Instagram and let’s talk about other ways to accelerate your job search!
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