“I have updated my profile but I haven’t been getting any calls/emails because of it? What might I be missing?”
Being cognizant that it is important that your online profile needs to be discoverable is an important first step in creating a profile that not only reflects well on you as a candidate, but also gets noticed by people looking for your specific skill set.
There are two distinct areas on your LinkedIn profile that are crucial to ensure that you add keywords that will capture the attention of recruiters searching for someone with your background.
The first area is the header, or title. Right under your name, be sure to put your title and your industry. In addition to your current title, think in terms of what someone searching for you would use in terms of key words, and use those key words. Industry words as well as position words are smart to include here. There is a very limited number of letters you can use in this area so be sure to really give some thought as to what you include here and be sure to include the most valuable words possible to gain maximum value in this space.
The second critical area to maximize is the space on LinkedIn where you should add your work experience. Most professionals put something akin to a resume here. Just like with a resume, focus on adding career accomplishments as opposed to job descriptions. Again, think in terms of keywords. If you have earned accreditations, put them here. Have you won awards? Add them here! Anything that you can think of that will get someone’s attention should be included. Adding bullet points is the most effective way to provide career highlights in a pleasing format.
Most people do not realize that LinkedIn puts a maximum number of contacts at 30,000. So be cognizant of who you are connecting with. Since there is a cap on connections, give some thought to the value on each connection. My personal rule of thumb is I try to only connect with people that I believe that I can either help, or can help me. LinkedIn can be a terrific tool for executive job seekers, helping you stay in touch with current and former colleagues. Nurture your connections by providing valuable content and make a point never to take advantage of your network by pestering them with unnecessary messages, and it can be an incredible tool to help you expand, as well as remain in contact with your professional network.
Ask Ann,
Have a question you’d like a recruiter to answer? Write to me at AskAnn@execunet.com
