What’s one piece of advice for making a LinkedIn profile stand out? What catches your eye?
LinkedIn is a powerful job search tool because it’s where employers and recruiters look for candidates. But exactly what are they looking for? We asked several recruiters with the legal practice group at Robert Half this question to get their advice on how job seekers can update their profiles for higher visibility on LinkedIn.
Here are five recommendations they shared for enhancing your LinkedIn profile so it’s more likely to stand out to recruiters and prospective employers:
- Be personable and creative
- Add ‘buzzwords’ to your profile to make it searchable
- Include job responsibilities and successes
- Invest the time to write a solid ‘About’ section
- Align your message to your target audience
1. Be personable and creative
There are millions of postings on LinkedIn (company updates, promotions, job postings, etc.), but the posts with the most traffic are always the most relatable ones. Share an inspirational story, offer a few words (or a paragraph) of appreciation for a coworker, or take a fun survey asking your followers if they like coffee or tea. You’ll increase engagement and attract new contacts when you’re authentic, kind, and approachable.
Jess Duong, talent manager, Minneapolis, Minn.
2. Add ‘buzzwords’ to your profile to make it searchable
A detailed LinkedIn profile is the best way to stand out to prospective employers and recruiters who run keyword searches to identify prospective candidates with relevant experience. You want to make sure your LinkedIn profile is tailored to appear in these searches. You can do that by including a thorough description of your responsibilities and experience in your current job and past roles.
If you’re targeting a specific kind of position, make sure your LinkedIn profile contains the “buzzwords” that are relevant to those job descriptions—for example, words that describe experience with a specific practice area, software, supervisory experience, and so on.
Allegria Berg, vice president and senior recruiting manager, Los Angeles, Calif.
3. Include job responsibilities and successes
Hiring managers can review hundreds of LinkedIn profiles and applications for each open position, so it’s more important than ever to include keywords and successes on your profile to stand out. I recommend including a few bullet points around your specific job functions, so your profile will populate at the top of the list during a keyword search. Listing successes will make your profile more eye-catching, telling reviewers why they should contact you over another candidate with similar experience.
Adding successes with tangible outcomes, such as saving your company $100,000 by finding an accounting error, can be a key differentiator in attracting a reviewer’s attention. Including your experience and wins shows the hiring manager that you excelled in your position and will make your profile stand out from the crowd!
Erika Winkler, practice director, San Francisco, Calif.
4. Invest the time to write a solid ‘About’ section
A well-worded and nicely summarized “About” section on a candidate’s LinkedIn profile stands out. Recruiters place a high priority on writing skills — and the summary section provides an instant preview, including the use of good grammar and consistent punctuation. It also gives a recruiter insight into a candidate’s desired career path, personality and lifestyle interests.
Jon Lucchese, vice president, senior recruiting manager, San Francisco, Calif.
5. Align your message to your target audience
Decide whether your LinkedIn profile is meant for your clients, future employers and hiring managers, or colleagues. Then, align your message to appear to that audience.
Create an eye-catching summary highlighting your strengths, experience and what you seek. Use words strongly connected to the industry you’re seeking employment in, so those keywords will be searchable by future employers.
Under each listing about previous employment, use bullet points to list quantitative examples of work product results, success and growth. When skimming your profile page, future employers look for impressive accomplishments that highlight your work history. So, stand out by emphasizing your impact in prior roles!
Be YOU!
Teri Herbstman Appel, senior recruiting manager and vice president, Chicago, Ill.
Robert Half recruiters (top row, from left): John Lucchese and Allegria Berg; (bottom row, from left): Jess Duong, Teri Herbstman Appel and Erika Winkler.
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