LinkedIn profiles that get noticed

A colleague recently told me that she is very selective about what she shares in her LinkedIn profile. Her rationale is that she is very concerned about identity theft. She is afraid that is she shares too much in her LinkedIn profile that she will be too easy to “find” and someone may use the information she discloses for malicious purposes.

While her concerns may have some validity, she also has made the probability of potential employers finding her much lower. With the sophisticated LinkedIn search tools being used by recruiters, you really do need to do everything you can to make it “easy” for them to find you.

Use a professional photograph

Because we are so used to not using photographs on our resumes, the concept of using a great photo on your LinkedIn profile may seem foreign in some way. In fact, research done my LinkedIn shows that profiles containing a profile are seven times more likely to be viewed by a prospective employer. Do you want that photo to be from your most recent camping trip, or a well-crafted professional photo?

Ensure your profile is complete

Completing a LinkedIn profile is a task that takes time and effort. Many people become frustrated by the time and energy the process of completing a profile takes. They either don’t finish their profile or cut corners. That incomplete or bare bones profile will not likely attract the attention of a potential employer.

Consider the writing of your profile to be a multi-part task that will require several visits to LinkedIn. After writing your basic profile, return visits will allow you to rethink what you have written and add important content that you may have initially forgotten. A complete profile that reflects your “hot button” skills and gives a complete picture of your professional background will attract much more attention from recruiters.

Update your profile constantly

This advice is the same that I constantly give to clients about their resumes. Never consider your profile to be “done.” You are constantly developing new skills and gaining new experiences. To attract a potential employer’s attention and present the best possible overview of yourself, you need to revise your profile regularly to reflect who you are and your expertise.

Stand out from the crowd

More and more employers are accessing LinkedIn before even posting job opportunities. In fact, so companies source candidates solely through LinkedIn. Because of this, in addition to making yourself easy to find, you also need to make yourself stand out from the crowd of the millions of profiles on LinkedIn.

Post updates

LinkedIn allows users to post updates whenever they want. Whether you are posting a link to an article that you think will be of interest to colleagues, and sharing information about research you recently completed, you should post appropriate updates regularly. LinkedIn research indicates that sharing something on just a weekly basis will increase by ten times the likelihood of your profile being viewed by a prospective employer.

Request endorsements and recommendations

Prospective employers find candidates who have the respect of their peers to be attractive. The fact that your peers respect your competencies and professionalism says a lot about your potential as an employee. In particular, recommendations carry a lot of weight. Because they require the recommender to write in some detail about what you have to offer, they tell an employer that the recommender thinks highly enough of you to devote the time and energy to write the recommendation. You may want to consider requesting those who know your work best to write a recommendation for you.

Consider the impact of your online presence

Look at all the information to provide in your LinkedIn profile with a very critical eye. Are you providing any information that might cause a recruiter to screen you out?

Beyond your LinkedIn profile, you should also review your overall online presence. If you have a website, is it up to date and accurate? Have you used a search engine recently to conduct a search for yourself and reviewed what surfaced? One client of mine discovered some vacation pictures of him posted by a friend that he felt depicted him in a less than positive way. He contacted the friend and asked her to take a couple of the pictures down, which she willingly did.

Special thanks to Alan De Back from Learning & Communicationsopens in new window for this article.