Eight tips to improve your LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn, like SEEK, is now a key platform that people visit to find a new job. But if you’re new to the platform or haven’t used it extensively, you mightn’t realise the benefits of having your profile the most up to date as can be.  

Why? 

Because LinkedIn recognises skills from your profile and then recommend them to recruiters. And when recruiters are searching for candidates, they’re searching on skills and job titles that are pulled from your profile, meaning if your profile isn’t current, you’re going to be contacted about the wrong positions.  

Ever received a message or email from a recruiter and thought that the role isn’t right for you? Yep, you’re LinkedIn profile might need some TLC.  

Basically, by updating your profile, LinkedIn will do some of the groundwork for you and make your profile more accessible by recruiters.  

What’s the point, you ask? 

If your profile is as current as it can be it will allow people to assess whether you’re right for a job and then contact you if it is.  

So, if you’re looking for a job and would like your profile to appear in as many recruiter searches as possible, there’s a few things you can do, including:  

1. Update your location. It doesn’t have to be down to your suburb, but to your town or city.
    
2. Update your experience section. This includes updating your latest role and company, bonus points if you add a description of your role 
   
   
3. Update your headline. You get 120 characters here so use them wisely. Use it to inform people about what your role is but what you’re also interested in.  
   
   Eg. If you’re an Environmental Manager and are passionate about teaching people at the start of their careers your headline could be “Environmental Manager dedicated to leading the future generation of enviro’s”
   
   OR
   
   Maybe you’re a Communications student, your headline could be “Communications student known for their juggling ability interested in gaining generalist experience” 
   
   
4. Update your contact information. Sometimes this is an easy one to forget if you’ve changed jobs or updated your phone but making sure your contact details are correct is quite important for obvious reasons.  
   
   
5. Add any skills and endorsements. This section is right at the bottom of your profile but often recruiters search for candidates based on the skills listed in your profile, making it important for you to update this. 
   
   
6. Add a photo. This doesn’t have to be a strictly professional one (if you’ve seen the Eight Recruitment’s team photo’s you’ll know we’re big fans of this) but it also doesn’t need to be too serious.  
   
   
7. Update your profile as Open to Work. Whether this to be to the public or to recruiters only, making your profile Open to Work lets people know that you’re open to receiving job opportunities.  Check out the link below to see how to change your profile to be Open to Work. 
   
   https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a507508/let-recruiters-know-you-re-open-to-work?lang=en#:~:text=Tap%20your%20profile%20picture%20%3E%20View,re%20open%20to%20job%20opportunities. 
8. Build your connections and engage with others. Bonus points if you do this one. Engaging with others and sending connection requests (to people you genuinely know or have an interest in connecting with – no spammers please). Engaging with others may be liking or commenting on their posts, or maybe messaging them and asking for their advice or opinion on a certain topic. Be a respectful Ricky though, don’t pester people. That’s a fast way to not get a job.
   

LinkedIn is a recruiter’s stomping ground. We know it inside out and back the front (literally). If you have any questions about any of the dot points above, feel free to give the office a buzz or send us an email. We’ll answer if you call 02 4069 0880 or email info@eightrecruitment.com.au.