How can you improve your LinkedIn profile effectively to find more jobs?

LinkedIn is one of the most popular platforms to get noticed by recruiters which may eventually lead to you being shortlisted or even chosen for a job – maybe even by your dream company! The website has long had a reputation for having some of the most talented workers and freelancers on the internet.

Recruiters and employers are aware of the high-quality skillset that people have to offer online through LinkedIn which means that it is all the more competitive, which is why you need to stand out from the crowd.

What you need to do to be able to get a job through your LinkedIn profile is to make sure that it is well-maintained, up to date, and relevant to what your expertise is.

However, there may be some cases where you may need to rework your entire profile from square one. Keep reading to find out how you can improve your LinkedIn profile to effectively find more jobs.

Understand the importance of your profile, think like an employer.

Remember, when employers and recruiters land on your profile page they will not spend hours finding out every intricate detail about your life and where you have worked, or what skills you have.

They will at best spare a few seconds skimming through your profile before deciding whether or not you are fit for a job. Think of it as submitting a CV or resume at a well-reputed, busy, and popular organization.

The company you are aiming to work at probably receives thousands of work applications every single day and your job is to make sure your CV lands in the shortlisted pile. This can only happen if you put in the effort to make sure you stand out from the rest of the stack. An employer on LinkedIn is very much similar to this organization.

You need to showcase your best talents, skills, and expertise where they are most visible so that the recruiter can see it easily and quickly.

Make it easy for employers to find you both appealing and useful at the same time. Put yourself in the shoes of an employer and try to figure out what they might be looking for and adapt your profile accordingly.

Make sure that your profile is complete.

Now that you are working towards crafting your profile in a manner that allows you to be able to secure jobs, you need to ensure professionalism. If your profile is not complete, potential employers and recruiters who land on your profile page will not be amused.

Make sure you don’t disappoint employers who double-click your profile only to find out that some sections are missing. From an employer’s perspective, it just looks unprofessional and gives off the impression that you may not be taking LinkedIn too seriously.

Additionally, there’s no reason not to complete your LinkedIn profile. The website allows you to measure what fraction of your profile remains uncompleted. Don’t be lazy, finish that LinkedIn profile if you want employers to at least consider you.

Incorporate client feedback into your services.

As with any sector within the business industry, the rule of thumb is that ‘the client knows best. A lot of LinkedIn profiles will make use of a particular template that includes a script that asks users for feedback either in the form of a 5-star rating scale or a thumbs-up/thumbs-down.

What this does is that it allows you to know whether you are heading in the right direction with the services that you are offering. If a client does not give a thumbs-up you can always reach out to them to find out more about where things may have gone sour.

It allows you to come across as concerned about the services you are offering and speaks volumes about the amount of effort that you put into your work. Asking for feedback and making it part of your template is one of the most sure-fire ways you can use to skyrocket your job acceptance rates.

Use the right keywords in the skills segment of your profile.

In the modern age of telecommunication, the internet, and the World Wide Web – keywords are everything. The correct and apt use of keywords is crucial to being able to stand out in the online world.

Keywords will help make it easier for employers and recruiters to find you when they search for similar or corresponding words. Recruiters search for multiple keywords several times a day, so by using the correct keywords in the right location, you increase your chance of being noticed by employers.

Even though LinkedIn allows you to choose 50 skills to place in your profile, make sure that you don’t go overboard and spam it with unnecessary skills. Make sure that the skills that you have chosen are relevant to what you actually have to offer as an individual to clients and customers.

Additionally, it helps if you have a particular niche that you can cater to because that helps you ‘specialize’ in a specific domain.

If you are a creative person or an artist, it makes sense for you to showcase your skills as being a: graphic designer, logo designer, website designer, visual media expert, short-video maker and etc.

However, if your skills are all over the place and range from programming in C++ to vocal training for singing, then you are more likely to come across as confused and unprofessional and therefore attract much less attention towards yourself and your profile.

Make careful use of the job description box.

You need to play your cards smartly and use the job description box to your best possible advantage. Once again, you need to make sure that you are careful about using particular keywords in the job description box.

It has a word limit so you need to make sure that you are making every single word count. Consider the type of positions that you are after and look up similar job descriptions. Make sure that you re-write your job description several times before finalizing it.

Include relevant keywords so that your profile is able to stand out even more in search results. By using the description box and the skills section to your advantage you will increase the likelihood of employers dropping by your profile. That is all you really need to be considered by clients, and the job description box can help you do that.

Even your summary space should be used wisely!

If you are extremely serious about being considered for jobs through your LinkedIn profile then even the summary space is a section that should not be wasted. Ideally, your summary should incorporate a few paragraphs, but no less than 3 and no more than 6.

Make sure that the paragraphs in your summary section are short and succinct but carry meaning. Don’t think of the summary space as a place to mindlessly ramble away or alternatively, just be left blank.

Writing nothing at all and writing too much of little value will both result in you being taken less seriously by employers and recruiters.

Make sure that you are careful in your choice of words in the summary section. While it may be a place for you to show off your quirky personality, be funny or even use it as a creative outlet – just remember to not go overboard with it.

Make use of a bulleted section in the middle which focuses on the most crucial things that your summary will involve. Employers will make sure to pay attention to this bulleted section the most while skimming through the rest of the summary.

Only a select few will choose to ponder over the details of your summary, and that’s why you’re writing it in the first place – for that small fraction of recruiters who are extremely particular. This is because you want to make sure that you don’t let go of any opportunity that comes your way.

Ensure that your summary section is welcoming and open to anyone who reads it. Think of the summary section as an interview for a job. It gives you a chance to show your personality.

Think of the summary section as almost having a conversation with the employer who is visiting your page. What would you want to tell them about yourself that you interest them, how would you phrase your past experiences and your best achievements, what is something that makes you stand out that you would like them to know? All of these are questions that are typical to an interview, but you can use your summary section to answer them.

Just make sure to incorporate your brand message (if you have one) and be careful about not coming across as pretentious or trying too hard. Be as personal and candid as possible but walk the fine line of being both frank and professional at the same time.

What are you waiting for? Sign in to your LinkedIn profile and get to work!