Most professionals are well aware of the business-oriented social media platform LinkedIn, but few job seekers use the network to its full potential–resulting in missed opportunities and lessening their chance of being discovered by job recruiters in need of quality talent.
“Contrary to popular belief, companies have a hard time finding talent,†said Emmelie De La Cruz, founder of The Branding Muse. “According to the recent findings of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Resourcing and Talent Planning Survey, ‘73% of organizations have noticed a marked increase in the number of unsuitable candidates applying for job vacancies.’ Thus, recruiters are hard at work trying to find the perfect candidates on websites like LinkedIn.
De La Cruz says, after, updating her LinkedIn profile in early 2015, she noticed a spike in the amount of recruiters that were trying to connect with her about potential opportunities within their company.
“I was getting leads every single week. Although I am happily employed, it is refreshing to connect about new opportunities. In late April, I went through the interview process and ended up receiving an offer from a company that found me on LinkedIn.â€
Even if you aren’t in search of a new position, updating and maintaining your LinkedIn profile will only increase  your chances of possibly finding a better opportunity or allow the opportunity  to find you.
“Recruiters don’t only want active job seekers, they want to diversify their pool of applicants and find some passive candidates as well,†said De La Cruz. “A large number of young professionals would leave their job if a better opportunity came along, so recruiters are using all of the resources possible to find the right candidates.â€
The 24-year-old branding muse believes there are seven parts of your LinkedIn profile professionals need to make sure are “on point†to attract recruiters.
See De La Cruz’s tips below:
1. Your Headline –Â This shouldn’t be your job title, it should be descriptive of your skill-set.
2. Your location –Â This should be set to the place where you want to find a job. For example, if you live in New York but want to relocate to Atlanta, your location on Linkedin should be set to Atlanta.
3. Your contact information –Â The more ways they can learn about you and connect with you the better.
4. Summary –Â This is your opportunity to shine. Your summary should be accomplishment based and highlight the value that you add to a company, not a laundry list of all the places you’ve worked.
5. Job Descriptions – This area is not meant to be a regurgitation of your resume. Use sentence format to briefly describe the company, your role, the skill sets you are using and developing, and your greatest accomplishment.
6. Blog Posts –Â This is a great way to increase your exposure and drive fresh traffic to your profile without the need to create a full personal website. You should be showcasing what you know and positioning yourself as a thought leader through content.
7. Media –Â Being able to add documents and links to your job description makes it easier to understand your work and the value you can add to a company. Pick your best two portfolio pieces for each role and attach them on LinkedIn. The more information you can provide upfront, the more likely recruiters are to want to work with you.