In an online forum, a job seeker asked, ‘What job search strategies improve job seekers’ chances of landing interviews and a job since applying online often does not?’
My advice is that a well-thought-out LinkedIn profile which contains the following elements prove very effective in helping job seekers grab the attention of hiring managers and recruiters:
- A two or three-minute video introduction – You can use this as a vehicle to showcase your verbal communication or presentation skills. Also to literally tell hiring managers and/or recruiters who come across your profile, just what you are in search of in your new career opportunity. They will have literally heard it from the horse’s mouth. In addition, just like profiles with photos get more views, I believe that profiles with a short video intro attract even more views because videos engage the person who is watching and a video gives a quick glimpse into just who you are and what you feel you have to offer.
- Has fifty (50) or more connections – This shows that you keep in touch with others who might work in your career field of interest. It is also important to keep your LinkedIn connections warmed by sharing work-related ideas with each other and by keeping in touch. In addition, if you are very experienced in your career field, you can participate in LinkedIn groups and provide guidance to those who are less experienced than you. You can easily do so by wishing each other happy birthday, attending each other’s networking events, congratulating connections on their work anniversary, promotions, educational and work-related achievements, as well as on that new job they just landed.
- A headshot – Even if your headshot is not done professionally, you can do some pretty nice ones using your camera’s smartphone. The shot should be of you and no one else. I’ve seen some people with their children, significant other, or pet in their headshot. That is an immediate turn-off for some hiring managers and recruiters. The reason is that LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, not a social platform like Facebook and others. In addition, as a human resources professional, I recommend that you not include information to your professional profile that readily provides hiring managers with insight into characteristics about you that they should not consider when making hiring decisions. So, don’t readily reveal your family status, religion, political views, etc. This helps to maintain a level hiring field based solely on your job-related qualifications.
- An attention-grabbing headline – Your headline should indicate what you aspire to achieve in your career or your career identity. For example, my headline is simply, “Human Resources Subject Matter Expert.” I am not currently in an active job search, so I use my LinkedIn headline to share my current career identity.
- Highlights of your most career-impacting projects and accomplishments – The body of your profile should not be a regurgitation of your resume. Select a few to several well-chosen work projects that you’ve either led or contributed to and highlight them in a manner that gives a peek into your level of interpersonal skills, written and verbal communications abilities, creativity, resourcefulness, exceptional customer service, risk-taking business acumen, fiscal management, grasp of the technical aspects of your job/career field, emotional intelligence, etc. These are the types of characteristics that most employers seek in new team members.
- Recommendations from colleagues, clients, former leaders – When a potential employer sees that a current or former manager or colleague has positive things to say about you, it makes a very strong impression. Endorsements are also great; however, they do not make the same impact as recommendations. Any connection an endorse you because they only have to click to select an attribute, so it’s easy for someone who has no first-hand knowledge of your performance to endorse you. Because a recommendation must be written, they are typically written by people who have worked with you directly and therefore have first-hand knowledge of your work ethic, attitude, approach to your work and several other relevant work-related characteristics. I have had many well-meaning connections to endorse me on Linked in even though they have little to no first-hand knowledge of my work, ethics, or integrity. Although I appreciate their kind gesture, I realize that a recommendation speaks volumes that endorsements can’t.
- Articles – You can either write your own articles or share articles that are of interest to you or that inspire others. You can use your self-written articles to showcase your written communication skills, which are a definite plus these days. Articles that you share provide insight into causes that interest you and that you have a passion for.
Keep in mind that a simple LinkedIn profile can also be attractive to hiring managers and recruiters when they are free of grammatical errors, slang, and misspelled words. My recommendation is to begin simply and gradually build up to “outstanding” by adding one new feature every few weeks or every couple of months.
Beginning tomorrow we’ll be celebrating the return of Profile Code. That’s right, due to popular demand, your step by step course on online profile development will return as a separate module. So, join us tomorrow for all of the details of this limited-time celebration.
Here’s to your outstanding LinkedIn profile.
Career Search Success to You! Go Get Your New Job!
