How to look for a job on LinkedIn and how to create such a profile so that recruiters can find you? Mariia Dvornikova (IT recruiter, who knows the entire interview and selection process from the inside, conducts interviews and, of course, was interviewed as well) will help us with these questions.
First of all, you need to define your goals: what do you need LinkedIn for?
For example, to be present and visible on LinkedIn so that recruiters can find me. We also determine the location: where are these recruiters from? Ukraine? Poland? Switzerland?
And now let's move on to practical advice.
LinkedIn Profile
Next, we fill out the profile. For what? Filling out your profile correctly is a must-have. The better you fill out your profile, the more relevant content and offers you will receive. What should be added to the profile:
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First name, last name,
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Photo,
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Current position
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Previous experience,
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Location,
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Industry;
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Skills.
Important! Industry is about your work, what you do. Even if you work in an IT company but work as a recruiter or marketer, choose a relevant industry like marketing. After all, if you choose Software Development, you will be found by recruiters who are looking for developer candidates, for example, and not marketers.
What else can strengthen your profile?
This is a URL. Make a "nice" url of your profile, specifying your first and last name in it.
And one more lifehack: go to the Visibility settings and adjust each line there according to your wishes.
Photo, Headline, Summary…
Photo: which one to choose?
What can be difficult in this step? But in fact, the photo plays a really important role! You can try the Photofeeler service, where you can get independent feedback on your photos. Try it!
Background photo
Do not leave it blank or default, as this is an opportunity to convey your position/expertise/credo.
Headline
This is about you skills: the text that comes after your name (below it). Why should you pay maximum attention to this part? Because this line gives understanding of what you do and what skills and experience you have. Even without opening your profile, it is already possible to understand what positions can be offered to you and in which field you have expertise.
Summary
Here it is important to write where you want to work, indicate your relevant contacts, you can also write “open to new opportunities”, mention your skills that recruiters are looking for (before this, you should conduct research on what skills are indicated in the job description of the positions that are potentially interesting for you).
Skills and Endorsements
We have this block at the bottom, almost at the end. But! If you have confirmed skills, it will help you to be higher in the search results.
Additional sections
Certificates, presentations, your website. All this can also be added to your profile. These blocks will be under your summary, and after that comes your experience. It boosts your profile!
Analytics
How to find out who is looking for you, which companies' recruiters are viewing your profile? Just click on the “Analytics” section and check who is finding you and from where. By the way, if recruiters are not looking for you, think about a plan to increase the number of recruiters in connections.
Promotion
Let's talk about how to help your profile be more visible. Promotion can be divided into active and passive:
Passive promotion:
- Fill out the profile;
- Increase the number of your connections
- Like posts and leave comments there;
- Follow companies/groups;
- Get recommendations;
- Buy LinkedIn Premium Career.
Active promotion:
- Comments;
- Give recommendations;
- Add colleagues from your location and your industry;
- Write posts;
- Write articles.
Job Search
To start your job search, go to the Jobs section. Customize your search using filters.
If you found an interesting vacancy and want to apply for it, you can use the Easy apply function, but we advise you to submit your resume through the company website (career portal), because it is important for the company to see your motivation letter, your CV.
By the way, you can see a recruiter who is looking for candidates for this position in the vacancies on LinkedIn. So you can write a message to this recruiter directly.
Moreover, you can view who works at this company. Perhaps one of your friends or former classmates works there, so you can contact them and ask them to recommend you for this position :)