Having a strong LinkedIn presence is crucial for any job seeker. With over 740 million members, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and an important platform for recruiters searching for candidates. Optimizing your LinkedIn profile for recruitability can significantly improve your chances of being discovered by recruiters and landing job interviews.
Complete your profile
A complete LinkedIn profile has a much higher chance of appearing in recruiter searches. Make sure to fill out all sections of your profile, including:
- Professional headline
- Summary section
- Work experience
- Education
- Skills
- Accomplishments
- Recommendations
- Links and multimedia
Don’t leave any sections blank – provide as much detail as possible. Profiles that are less than 40% complete will not appear in many LinkedIn searches. You want recruiters to get a full picture of your background, skills and achievements at a glance.
Optimize with keywords
LinkedIn profiles are searchable by keywords. To get found, make sure to sprinkle relevant keywords throughout your profile. Include keywords that recruiters may use to search for candidates like:
- Job titles and roles
- Industries
- Skills and expertise
- Tools and technologies
- Certifications
- Companies
For example, if you are a marketing manager, you would want to include keywords such as “marketing manager,” “SEM,” “social media marketing,” “digital marketing,” “content marketing,” and more. The keywords in your profile should align with the types of roles you are targeting in your job search.
Highlight relevant skills
Your Skills section is one of the first places recruiters will look. Make sure to include at least 5 key skills but ideally closer to 10. For each skill, add a few bullet points to elaborate on your proficiency and experience with that skill.
Prioritize listing skills that align with your target roles and are in high demand. Referencing the job postings you are applying to can provide insight into the most desirable skills that recruiters are seeking.
Customize your public profile URL
LinkedIn automatically assigns your public profile a random URL, but you can customize this to make it more memorable and searchable. Your customized URL should contain your name and be as short as possible, like:
www.linkedin.com/in/firstname-lastname
Or:
www.linkedin.com/firstname-lastname
Include your customized URL in your resume, cover letters, email signature, and anywhere else you reference your LinkedIn profile. This makes it easier for recruiters to quickly find and view your profile.
Showcase work samples
Including work samples on your LinkedIn profile can give recruiters a fuller picture of what you can produce. You can add samples such as:
- Presentations
- Infographics
- Reports
- Videos
- Spreadsheets
- Graphics
When adding samples, focus on portfolio-worthy pieces that demonstrate skills and abilities recruiters are looking for. Be sure to only post samples that are professional and relevant.
Publish long-form content
Publishing long-form content on LinkedIn not only shows your subject matter expertise, but also helps boost your profile’s visibility in searches. Consider posting content like:
- Industry trend articles
- How-to guides
- Case studies
- Whitepapers
- Research reports
These demonstrate your ability to produce the type of content an employer may be looking for. The content also allows you to organically insert target keywords.
Engage with your network
Actively engaging with your LinkedIn network improves your profile’s ranking in LinkedIn’s algorithm. Ways to engage include:
- Commenting on posts
- Liking and sharing content
- Posting regular updates
- Joining Group conversations
- Providing recommendations
This boosts your profile’s visibility and keeps you top of mind with connections who may refer you to open roles. But engage thoughtfully – your activity should add value for your connections.
Grow your network
Having more connections on LinkedIn improves your visibility in recruiter searches. Focus on making quality connections with a goal of 500+ connections. Ways to grow your network include:
- Connecting with former colleagues
- Following and connecting with companies you want to work for
- Joining alumni and professional Groups
- Connecting with second-degree connections
Customize your connection requests with a note to grow your network authentically. Avoid spamming connection requests.
Join talent communities
Many companies have LinkedIn Talent Communities where you can sign up to receive notifications about new job openings. Benefits include:
- Get exposed to roles before they are posted publicly
- Make connections with company recruiters
- Learn about company culture and values
- Possible opportunity to do “pre-screening” for roles
Search LinkedIn Jobs to find companies you want to work for and join their Talent Community. This signals your interest and proactively gets you on a recruiter’s radar.
Turn on recruiter alerts
LinkedIn has a setting that notifies recruiters you are open to opportunities. To enable:
- Go to your LinkedIn Profile
- Click “See all profile settings”
- Go to the Privacy tab
- Under Job Seeking, switch “Let recruiters know you’re open” to Yes
This adds an “Open To” banner on your profile photo. Recruiters can now reach out to you directly about roles.
Watch out for vanity metrics
While growing your LinkedIn presence, beware of vanity metrics that don’t actually impact recruiter visibility. Things like number of profile views and followers/following have minimal SEO impact. Focus efforts on the engagement, content and networking steps above.
Join LinkedIn Pro groups
LinkedIn Learning and LinkedIn Pro offer special professional Groups. Benefits of joining:
- Participate in virtual events with industry experts
- Access exclusive job boards and posts
- Get insights on in-demand skills and roles
- Network with top professionals in your field
Monthly fees apply for access but may be worthwhile depending on your career goals.
Consider premium job seeker services
For an added boost, LinkedIn Premium Job Seeker accounts provide services like:
- Seeing how you “rank” for jobs you apply to
- Knowing how recruiters view your profile
- Seeing unlimited reader insights on content
- Contacting recruiters directly
- Removing LinkedIn ads
The monthly subscription may be worthwhile if actively interviewing. You can always cancel after finding a job.
Promote yourself offline too
While LinkedIn should be a key focus, you need a multi-pronged approach to get on a recruiter’s radar. Be sure to also promote yourself through:
- Your resume and cover letters
- Informational interviews
- Networking events
- Referrals from your network
- Job boards and postings
- Recruiters and staffing agencies
Use LinkedIn as one critical component of your broader job search strategy.
Track and measure results
It’s important to track the results of your LinkedIn optimization so you know what’s working. Metrics to monitor include:
- Profile views
- Recruiter InMail messages
- New LinkedIn connections
- Engagement with your posts
- Job interview requests
Continuously refine your profile and strategy based on the results you’re seeing.
Conclusion
Boosting your LinkedIn profile’s visibility takes time and effort, but pays dividends in terms of recruiter discoverability. The most impactful ways to get on a recruiter’s radar include completing a robust profile, using target keywords, highlighting relevant skills and experience, publishing content, actively engaging your network, and joining Talent Communities. Combine your LinkedIn efforts with a broader job search strategy for the best results. With a strategic and optimized LinkedIn presence, you will be much more findable and attractive to recruiting professionals seeking top talent.