It’s not enough to create a LinkedIn profile. It is more important to help head hunters find you on the world’s largest professional networking site.
To do this, you need to optimize your LinkedIn profile. Thankfully, this is not difficult. You can do so by using the following seven tips:
Tip 1
LinkedIn asks you to enter your professional headline. You have a choice: you can enter your designation or you can enter your specialty. The second is more valuable. For instance, if your area of specialization is social media then your LinkedIn Headline should be “Social Media expert”; if it is website designing then it should be “experienced website designer”.
Remember that head hunters search for domain specialists. They search for website designers, SEO experts, heart specialists, maths teachers etc based on their client needs. Your LinkedIn profile will figure prominently in these searches only if you have used the right keywords.
Tip 2
You must make sure that you enter your domain keywords in the Experience section where you list Current and Past Employment titles. For instance, if you are an e-learning specialist, then you must mention “e-learning consultant” or “e-learning advisor” after your job title which may be Editor, General Manager or Vice President. Your LinkedIn profile will figure high in all searches related to e-learning.
Tip 3
LinkedIn provides you considerable space in the Employment Description Section. Make full use of it. Give a full and complete description of your job profile, your responsibilities and your achievements. While dong so, make sure that you insert keywords that establish your domain knowledge. These keywords must be the same that you have entered in the earlier fields.
Tip 4
Take time in creating your Professional Summary. Keep it short and crisp, but ensure that your domain keywords are present in the summary.
Tip 5
LinkedIn has now merged the Specialties section with the Summary Section. The big advantage of specialties is that you are not required to write long descriptions about your professional skills. You use one or two words to describe each skill set that you possess. These work like keywords, and push your LinkedIn profile to the top of the search page.
Tip 6
You should not dismiss Interests Section as a frivolous one. You must enter all your skill sets in this section because they increase keyword density, and improve your chances of being found by head hunters.
Tip 7
You must customize your Linkedin url. This can be done by visiting the link: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/public-profile-settings. Enter your full name. Grab it, if it is available. Otherwise, you may add your city or country name or any other identification that can help people locate you. For instance, my name – Sunil Saxena – was not available. But SunilSaxenaIndia was available. I made it my LinkedIn identity.
Tip 8
Make full use of Projects section. List all the important projects that you have done as part of your professional work. Insert keywords that best describe your skill sets. They will make your LinkedIn profile more searchable.
These are small steps. But they will go a long way in optimizing your LinkedIn profile, and improving your chances of being head hunted.
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