It seems as if there is nothing left to do on your LinkedIn profile.
Your summary section is beautifully written. A clean, professional headshot has been taken and uploaded. Educational background, skills and experience are all filled out in full, and you post semi-regularly to engage with your followers.
LinkedIn has even awarded you their coveted “all-star” profile status. On paper, your profile is golden.
Yet still, your inbox remains sparse. There’s little activity, save for the occasional piece of sponsored content or a marketing offer. Every so often an old colleague will DM to check in, but for the most part it’s tumbleweed.
So where are the recruiters? Well, despite your best efforts, there may still be straightforward ways to better position yourself and enhance your visibility.
1. Optimise Your Profile
Notwithstanding your belief that your LinkedIn profile is complete (spoiler: it is never finished), you might want to run your eye over it again. Make sure that you have included detailed descriptions of every role but try to focus on results instead of responsibilities. Prospective employers often care more about what you have achieved rather than the day-to-day intricacies of your current position.
LinkedIn’s search algorithm weighs your profile headline and most recent job title very heavily. Write a compelling headline that is not just a duplication of your current job title, but an encapsulation of who you are, or who you aspire to be, as a professional. Use keywords for positions that you might be interested in. For example, if your current headline is “Finance Manager” but you are interested in shifting to a more data-oriented role, try “Finance Manager – Data Analyst & Data Project Manager.”
In your current job title, try to use the available characters in full. For example, instead of “Digital Marketing Director” try “Digital Marketing Director – Automation, eCommerce & Digital.” The more relevant keywords that you include, the better. Historical evidence suggests that those with the job title/keyword in their headline, current job title and a past job title are more likely to appear in top results for that search.
Look at multiple job postings that you are interested in. Find skills and qualifications that they have in common, then map them to your profile, interweaving them throughout the summary content and job descriptions. This will better position your profile to appear in searches that focus on those specific details.
“LinkedIn’s search algorithm weighs your profile headline and most recent job title very heavily. Write a compelling headline that is not just a duplication of your current job title, but an encapsulation of who you are, or who you aspire to be, as a professional.”
2. Provide Contact Information
The easier it is for a recruiter to find your contact information, the more likely it is that they will reach out. Recruiters who are using the free version of LinkedIn need to connect to open a dialogue. Those who pay are limited too, with a restricted number of InMail messages available to them each month.
To bypass these limitations and make contacting you easier, add a phone number and your email in the “About” section of your profile, and list them at the end of your most recent work experience. If you are concerned about receiving unsolicited emails, consider creating a new Gmail account specifically to list on your LinkedIn page (and remember to check it regularly!).
3. Build Your Network and Create More Content
If you have shared connections with a recruiter, you may appear higher on the results page when they search for keywords that pertain to your profile. Building up your connections list will help to enhance your visibility. Try to create genuine connections with those in your industry. This should have a compound effect and will more than likely help to put you on recruiters’ radars.
In line with the above, start to write more posts. Consider bulk writing and scheduling your content in advance (there are tons of free social media scheduling suites) to take the sting out of having to produce ideas every day. The general recommendation is that you should post at least once a day on LinkedIn to start building a following, but a minimum of three times a week is acceptable.
There is no prerequisite in terms of post length. Just try to be topical and engaging and use relevant hashtags. Having a unique viewpoint will go a long way but always make sure that your content and how you engage with others on the platform is hygienic.
“If you have shared connections with a recruiter, you may appear higher on the results page when they search for keywords that pertain to your profile. Building up your connections list will help to enhance your visibility. ”
4. Directly Connect and Engage with Recruiters
Sending a recruiter an invitation to connect can be a clever idea. Include a simple message with the request that outlines your reason for reaching out. Something along the lines of:
“Hi XYZ. I work in XYZ industry and thought it would be mutually beneficial to connect. Please let me know if you have any open roles that fit my profile. Thank you.”
By giving context you will increase the likelihood of the recruiter accepting, thereby increasing your chances of appearing in search results when they are looking for candidates. If the recruiter lists their contact details on their profile, consider following up with a more in-depth introduction over email.
Not sure which recruiters to connect with? Start by doing a “People” search from the options available. Use the word “recruiter” or “headhunter” in the search bar, coupled with the location you are interested in/available to work in and your specific industry.
5. Show That You Are Available
LinkedIn gives you the option of letting recruiters know that you are open to work. Take advantage of this feature.
In the note section, which you will be prompted to fill out upon switching the feature on, try not to be too specific. Include areas of interest, but do not provide an overwhelming amount of information in the 300 available characters.
Recruiters will prefer easily digestible information – they look at a lot of candidates every day – so try to remove the busy work by using clear bullet points and short, legible sentences.
The above are starting points in your endeavors to get more recruiters to notice you on LinkedIn. Know that the most important thing when it comes to marketing yourself to recruiters is persistence.
Understand that, even if you have an “all-star” profile and you follow the right guidance, you may find that recruiters do not contact you as often as you would like. Sometimes the timing may not be right.
Recruitment market conditions change all the time, as does the remit of many recruitment consultants. A recruiter who once specialised in your industry and location may move on to something completely different. It happens often.
However, if you stick to the principles we have outlined and remain engaged and active on LinkedIn, then it is inevitable that recruiters’ interests will eventually be piqued.
Keep connecting, keep writing and keep focused on keywords.