5 Things Recruiters Wish You Knew About LinkedIn

5 Things Recruiters Wish You Knew About LinkedIn 5 Things Recruiters Wish You Knew About LinkedIn Even though LinkedIn is the number one online tool for professional recruiters, it often lets them down. Many recruiters fail to find the candidates they need bedrngnis because of problems with the site itself, but because simple profile mistakes render the candidates invisible. If this is happening to you, youre missing out on great opportunities.So here are the top 5 things recruiters wish you knew about LinkedIn.1. A complete profile makes the difference between being found and being invisible.If youre one of those people who has chosen to complete only parts of your profile, it is unlikely that you will be found by a recruiter. Thats because LinkedIns search engine gives preference to fully completed profiles. If youre going to join the site, make sure youre not wasting your time complete every section of your profile as thoroughly as you can. 2. Using key words is vital Recruiters can only find you if your profile contains the words they commonly search for. When a recruiter is asked to find a social media manager for example, he or she may search for terms like social media but also for specific sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn or for terms such as content marketer or blogging. So when you write your profile, think about the words commonly used in your field and be sure to include them throughout.3. Its best to sound like a human Because the resume tends to be a somewhat formal document, many people feel they have to write a formal LinkedIn profile many even write about themselves in the third person. But actually, its much more effective to write in your own voice and to write in the first person (using I rather than he). Be professional of course, but be human too. Show a little of your personality and more recruiters will contact you.4. Your photo is important I still landsee profiles without photos and this is a huge no-no. Research has shown that profiles without photos are viewed far less often than those that include a photo. Whats more, the type of photo matters. Make sure that you look approachable and friendly. Smile. And, like the tone of your profile, keep it informal but professional. Being concise is a good thing LinkedIn restricts the content you can include. For example, you only get 2,000 characters for the summary. But they also allow 2,000 characters for every job youve held. Some people are tempted to use all this space, and simply cut and paste their resume content into the profile. I dont recommend this. The level of detail on your resume is just too much for busy recruitrs to read online. Plus, it just makes you look lazy. Instead, develop concise summaries about each position and keep them focused on your impact and results. Follow these 5 steps and you response rate will increase Recruiters are busy people and have to work quickly. If your profile doesnt meet one of these 5 criteria, its li kely that they either wont find it, or wont bother reading it. So take the time to make sure its the very best it can be. And if youd like my help, check out my ebook The Blue Sky Guide to LinkedIn. You can start reading for free.photo credit Avard Woolaver via photopin cc