LinkedIn tips to get you hired

Published Dec 25, 2016

Share

Most recruiters these days will take a look at your LinkedIn profile to learn more about you if your CV gets their attention and they’re interested in interviewing you.

They also often scan relevant profiles on LinkedIn to identify people they think might be a match for positions they are struggling to fill or prefer not to advertise.

A recent study on Global Recruiting Trends 2016 showed that 43 percent of recruiters use social professional networks as their key source of quality, and 42 percent use internet job boards.

This means that a clean, professional and presentable LinkedIn profile can be a major asset for developing your career. It can help you land that great job or expand your network for the future.

Heidi Duvenage, head of department at Sage Talent Solutions, says these are the key things Sage looks out for when evaluating job candidates’ LinkedIn profiles.

What to do:

* Keep your profile up to date. Don’t let your LinkedIn profile get out of date. Regularly update your experience, job titles and career activity so that prospective recruiters can easily see what you’re up to.

Even if you’ve held the same job for a while, add a bit of information about your most recent projects and achievements to show that you’re busy and productive.

* Highlight your strongest selling points in a prominent manner.LinkedIn profiles should be quite detailed, offering recruiters and business contacts a view of your education, experience, achievements, and your community engagements. But make sure that your most recent and important skills are easy to identify.

Take some time to polish your summary so that it really stands out and sells your strengths to the reader. And ensure that you use the right keywords in your summary and in your list of skills to make it easy for recruiters to find you when they’re searching for candidates with your profile.

DO THIS:

* Don’t be shy on LinkedIn, connect with people in your industry.When you approach someone, add a polite, personalised note asking them to accept your invitation and explaining what (or who) you have in common.

* Follow companies, publish content, and join relevant groups. There are millions of profiles on LinkedIn, so you might need to do a bit of work to get attention from the right people.

Share relevant professional content, write short posts if you have the time, join industry groups and get involved in their discussions, and follow companies to raise your profile. Companies and groups often post job openings, which can be handy if you’re looking for new career opportunities.

* Make your intentions known. Let other LinkedIn users see what you’re looking for. For example, if you’re a recruiter looking for someone to fill a certain position, post that information so interested people can contact you.

DON’T DO THIS:

* Use inappropriate pictures for your profile. Profiles without photos don’t get much attention. You don’t necessarily need a professional portrait for LinkedIn, but you should look presentable in the picture you use.

Avoid photos taken in social settings, especially with a drink in your hand. Don’t put up pixillated pictures or ones with distracting backgrounds. A recent head-and-shoulders, taken in your work clothes and with a smile on your face, will be ideal.

* Rely on jargon or clichés. Don’t get carried away with industry buzzwords or CV clichés when you talk about yourself.

Even if you’re a dynamic problem-solver and team player with an inspirational management style, these words sound empty and insincere because they have been overused.

Rather show off your characteristics by talking about your achievements. Consider asking people you have worked with to write endorsements for you so that the boasts aren’t coming from yourself.

* Fib or exaggerate. This should go without saying, but white lies and exaggerated claims on LinkedIn are effectively as bad as telling fibs on your CV.

It’s so easy for someone to check up on your claims, and you will be caught out.

* Use LinkedIn as a social media site. Your profile should reflect your professional persona, not your child’s first steps or pictures from your beach holiday.

* Have spelling errors in your profile. Typos in your profile create an unprofessional impression. You will lose the recruiters’ interest if your spelling and grammar aren’t correct.

CAPE TIMES

This article first appeared in June.

Related Topics: