95% Of Recruiters Are On LinkedIn Looking For Job Candidates. How To Impress Them.

Robin Ryan

LinkedIn is the hottest career development tool out there right now. It is where Recruiters and HR personnel are looking for candidates. Whether you are passively looking, or actively engaged in a job hunt, making sure you have an enticing LinkedIn Profile that effectively advertises you is essential.

Here is a brief guide to improve your profile and help you stand out to employers.

The HEADLINE

By default, LinkedIn lists your current job title as your headline. Crucial mistake. This section is the most searched section on LinkedIn’s platform especially by recruiters and HR. This headline is your big advertisement to market yourself to the world. It needs to be well thought out, concise, and strategically written. It uses words that will attract someone to check you out in the search. But first, they must find you. In your headline, use the appropriate job titles you want to hold. Use a straight slash -  l  - between each job title. You can also add the industry you want to work in.

For example, Mary, 57, was a career counseling client who was stuck at the Director level and kept getting passed over. At 57, she needed to make a move and needed help with LinkedIn. She said, “I never realized you could optimize your headline. Certainly, I never thought of using it to target where I want to go.” So we developed this headline: 

Healthcare Consultant l Vice President Pharmacy l Vice President Healthcare l VP Pharmacy

Caution: when you add a new job to your work experience, there is a checked box that automatically changes your headline to this new job title. Be sure to uncheck it, so the new headline you have created does not get erased. 

Read the full Forbes article for more tips and tricks

The Summary or ABOUT section

Use a background photo  

Choosing your personal photo

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