Tips on How to Attract Recruiters on Linkedin
In this modern era, the use of social media to get jobs and meaningful connections cannot be overlooked. Social media has moved from just a platform that connects people with their friends and families to a platform that exposes job seekers to numerous job opportunities.
LinkedIn is a great tool for recruiters to find talent. It is also a great tool for job seekers to sell themselves. As a job seeker, to reap the benefits of recruiters relying on your LinkedIn more and more, do what you can to improve where you come up when recruiters are searching, and ensure that your profile is compelling enough to get their attention.
According to research, 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to source candidates. Researchers found that about three-quarters of people that get new jobs haven’t actively looked or applied for a job in the previous three months, meaning they were probably poached or referred.
The following are tips on how to attract recruiters on LinkedIn:
- Be passionate: It is the desire of a recruiter to work with people who are passionate about what they do. No recruiter wants to employ someone that lacks passion. As a job seeker, always talk about what you do and the things that you are interested in. A recruiter might pick an interest and employ you to work in his/her organization because of how passionate you are.
- Show enthusiasm: It is not enough to say that you are passionate and enthusiastic, show the recruiter that you are the person that he/she has been searching for. A recruiter wants to be assured that you are employable and you are the right person for his/her organization.
- Have a portfolio: One great way to attract recruiters to your profile is through your portfolio. This means that you add the jobs you have done, the problems you solved, the company that you worked with, and also include the links to the samples of your previous projects. This gives you an edge over other job seekers.
- Go straight to the point: As a job candidate seeking the attention of job recruiters, your job is to go straight to the point with relevant details on your profile. Job recruiters do not have the time to dissect the details on your profile. Go straight to the point. Help them to help you.
According to Foss a career strategist and blogger “One big mistake he sees people (not just job seekers) make is that they have this ‘everything AND the kitchen sink’ mentality about what to put in their LinkedIn profiles. This is a mistake if you’re a job seeker because, assuming you want to have recruiters find and review your profile, realize that the last thing they want is to have to scroll until the end of time to get to the bottom of your LinkedIn profile. Your goal with LinkedIn is to include enough so that you turn up in the kinds of searches you wish to turn up in (use keywords that are relevant and common to your target role) and so that you whet the appetite of the reviewer and make them want to know more”.
- Have a complete profile: The more complete your profile is, the easier it becomes for you to be found by a recruiter on LinkedIn. Recruiters are looking for details. They want to know what you do, where you have worked, and the projects you have executed. A complete profile helps them do this.
- Build your network or connections: Building your LinkedIn connections gives you access to more recruiters. For example, if you have 1000 connections on your LinkedIn, it is likely that out of the 1000 connections, 20% of them are recruiters.
- Recommendations or testimonials: Having managers and colleagues sing your praises publicly go a long way, it is important to have at least one recommendation for each job you list on your profile. Post recommendations that will impress recruiters and hiring managers. It shows recruiters that people enjoy working with you. Make sure that the people that are recommending you, really know who you are.
- Show consistency: As a job seeker, if you want to be found by recruiters on LinkedIn, you have to be consistent. You have to show up every day on the platform to let people know that you exist. You can spend ten to fifteen minutes each day on LinkedIn by sharing valuable information and engaging in other people’s posts by either commenting or reacting to their posts. If you are inactive, job recruiters will not be interested in hiring you. A job recruiter can only notice you when you are consistent and active on LinkedIn.
- Transferable skills: As a job seeker, it is very important that you mention the skills that you have. Do not forget to highlight any transferable skills you picked up from previous positions.
- Include your education, courses, and certificates: Your LinkedIn profile should have your education history, the courses you paid for, and the certificates that were awarded to you if any. Including your education, courses and certificates give you an upper hand over other job seekers.
- Be visible: As a job candidate, your profile is not going anywhere if you are not showing up in a recruiter’s LinkedIn search. Use LinkedIn SEO to your advantage. When writing your profile, make sure it includes keywords that recruiters are searching for, get recommendations and endorsements. This will help to boost your profile.
- Be clickable: Now that you are ranking high in search results on LinkedIn, the next step is to make sure people click on your profile to have a closer look at your experience. Recruiters spend almost a fifth of their time looking at the profile pictures of prospective job candidates when reviewing LinkedIn profiles, so you definitely have to get it right with your LinkedIn profile picture, your name, and your headline. Your headline may just be what will convince recruiters to click on your profile.
- Update your LinkedIn profile: Your LinkedIn profile is your new CV. Always make sure to update your profile. For example, if you were given an award, indicate that you were awarded.
- Display a professional photo: As a job candidate, a recruiter that is visiting your profile for the first time should have a good impression of your personality through your profile picture. Do not upload any kind of picture. A recruiter may not be impressed with a picture from a family picnic or of you at a sporting event. Stick with a professional headshot of you alone.
- Show off group memberships: LinkedIn group memberships are another way recruiters evaluate job candidates. It is important to join LinkedIn groups that are in alignment with your goals, relevant to your work and your education.
- Be in good company: Most times, recruiters can tell if an individual will be a right fit for their organization by evaluating the people around the prospective recruit. Be aware that recruiters look beyond the content of your LinkedIn profile, they look at your list of connections as well. If you want to be treated as a professional, be mindful of the persons you connect with. Your connections can either make or mar you.
- Make the employer feel special: Recruiters do not want to recruit someone who just wants to get a job anywhere. They want someone who is passionate about working with them.
This means always customize the cover letters you send through LinkedIn and go a step further to tweak your profile when you apply for a position to highlight the qualifications a specific recruiter is seeking. For example, you can change your profile headline to feature some keywords that match a particular job description or rewrite the first paragraph of your summary statement to highlight those keywords and relevant experience. This will help your profile stand out for the position that you want.
- Reach out: Do not be afraid to reach out directly to a recruiter on LinkedIn. As a job candidate searching for better job opportunities, you can send a message to a recruiter when you feel that you are a good fit for a specific position the company has posted.
In conclusion, as a job candidate, your LinkedIn profile can be a gateway to your career success. Use every opportunity to prove that you are the best candidate for a job.