The vast majority of employers and recruiters search LinkedIn before deciding whether to interview you. If you're conducting a job search, do you know how to optimize LinkedIn to your advantage? Here are a few ideas. Please add additional ones in comments!
- After your title, add your industry (if that's the one you want a job in) and then pump it up with your brand if you wish: "Go-to SAP Project Manager"
- In your summary, nail your value proposition and competitive advantages.
- Use the common keywords recruiters or hiring authorities would use when searching for someone like you.
- Put in a comprehensive list of keywords under Specialties to attract search engine attention
- Under Experience, just hit your main achievements and contributions. Use numbers whenever possible.
- If your title isn't the one a hiring manager would use to search for someone who does what you do, put your formal, legal title in, then a slash, and then the title that you would have in most companies: "Business Continuity Analyst / Business Continuity Manager"
- Make your profile as complete as possible. Include links to any websites or blogs and to your Twitter and Facebook pages.
- List all your educational institutions, training, associations, and memberships to provide keywords that may help other users find you.
- Include a headshot. Make it professional even if it's taken from your digital camera.
- List your interests, community involvement, and extracurricular activities. They give you individuality and make you memorable. Also, studies show that skill in one area (swimming) tranfers to perceived skill in your professional area (Program Management).
- List your LinkedIn groups.
- Consider which applications you'd like to download (see bottom of your profile).
- Participate in the Answers feature in your field to demonstrate subject matter expertise and thought leadership.
- Join one or more groups related to your field of expertise. Contribute to it regularly. This helps your reputation as a thought leader.
- Ask as many people as you can to write a recommendation (stick to professional contacts).
- Recommend others. They may return the favor.
- Consider embedding a video in your site - it's a real differentiator and allows you to show your enthusiasm and expertise in your field.
- Connect to people you know and have confidence in.
- Let LinkedIn mine your email addresses and give you the opportunity to invite some of them.
- Do research on companies you are interested in working for.
- Find names of people who work in those companies or who have worked there recently (all this can be done in a simple search).
- Send a message or an inmail if it's available to them to ask if you could speak with them for 5 minutes to learn something about the culture of the company from within.
- Find out any inside information you can about where the company is going that will help you tailor your message to them.
- Go to Settings and check the box that says you'll allow inmail and introductions.
- Go to Jobs and start using the largest job board on the Web!
