Written by Kitty Carlisle and Michele Rock
If you are looking for work, use your LinkedIn profile to determine where you want to go: moving forward in your career or changing course entirely. Since 95% of hiring managers use LinkedIn to find their next hire, this is the perfect time to follow Miriam Spinner‘s roadmap to optimize your profile so that you stand out. Three hacks that Miriam discussed will help your LinkedIn profile become more visible to those who are looking to hire you.
Keynote
Be Searchable
Miriam detailed how recruiters find you by using the search parameter option to look for a particular job title, location and skills. They are also able to determine who has been active recently and if someone is open to new opportunities, as well as if those people are following the talent brand they represent (i.e., the job seeker is following the company’s LinkedIn page). Additionally, if the candidate has secured an All Star rating on their LinkedIn profile, their rating is more appealing to the recruiter.
Be a Magnet
Set up
- Identify who to ask for recommendations.
- Gather media in the featured section. Add links to videos you’ve produced/starred in, or take the time to create a brief video where you talk about your skills and why you’d be a great fit for the industry in which you want to work.
- Invest time in writing your summary. The About section is a place where you can shine.
- Review your privacy settings. You want to be found, so make sure your profile isn’t set so that only your connections can view it. Turn off the option to have the “viewers also viewed” show up when people look at your profile.
Stop the Scroll
1. Focus on your “prime real estate area”, such as:
- Background image – Pixabay offers free images you can use in your banner or use Google to search for images you are permitted to reuse.
- Headshot – Use a site like Photofeeler to get objective feedback on your head shot, which should be professionally taken.
- Headline – Your headline should describe the job you’re looking for.
2. Write your headline:
- Key words or tag line
- Add-in personal phrase to set yourself apart
- Avoid generic words (proven, passionate)
- Include a call to action
Two examples include:
- Project manager committed to helping technical leaders amp up their success and happiness at work
- Project Manager | Technical Services | Manufacturing Operations | Training | M&M Junkie | Let’s Connect
3. Craft your summary using key words and all 2300 available words.
- Start with an engaging entry
- Describe your superpowers
- Include accomplishments and numbers
- Make it personal by sharing what you do outside of work
- Use headers and make sure there is white space
One example includes “You can’t add fans and followers to the balance sheet…But for many agencies & B2B professionals, that is where the goalpost is, and it is why many struggle to see ROI.”
Other Profile Tips:
4. Personalize your URL
5. Upload images, documents and videos
6. Include volunteer activities
7. Leverage the project section to differentiate you
8. Differentiate yourself
Share of Mind
- Connect with people and choose quantity over quality
- Connect with people who are/were your cheerleaders
- Ask to connect during a video or face-to-face conversation
- Create a ”red line” of requests you do not accept
- Nurture your connection through milestones and comments
- Invite people to connect that follow you, view your profile or comment
Tips for reaching out to strangers by crafting the “cold message” (consider using LinkedIn’s voice option on your mobile device):
- How will your subject line be enticing?
- How do you know them?
- What interests you about the company?
- Tell them about how you can resolve their pain
- Ask for action
- Write articles, post, and comment
- Participate in groups
- Know your hashtags
- Monitor key words
Conclusion
Be a driver and determine which way your profile will go and how recruiters will find you when they’re searching for a job they need to fill. LinkedIn Premium offers an option to see what keywords are used to find you, so tweak the keywords you use every so often. While there is a fee for Premium, you can sign up for a free month to use this feature as well as see if the paid option is a better fit for you.
Here are the resources Miriam offered to attendees:
Hiring Companies
Freedom Financial Network
Heather Marcom, Sr. Director Talent Acquisition
Who We Are:
“At Freedom, we believe our people are the key drivers of our market-defining innovation and success. We strive to nurture an inclusive, caring culture that positions everyone to do their best work. We’re deeply committed to providing work that makes a meaningful impact by helping everyday Americans move forward toward a better financial future. “
3 Major Lines of Business:
- Freedom Debt Relief
- Freedomplus Lending (personal loans)
- Lendage (Home Equity Line of Credit)
FFN is an Industry Leader that has resolved $12+ Billion of Debt, saved $3+ Billion for consumers and originated $2.75+Billion in loans. 750,000 Customers served to-date, received over 21,000+ 5-star ratings, with 2,400+ employees in the U.S. If you are a person who wants to make a difference checkout out FFNJobs for all the latest postings including: Customer Service, Sales, Shared Services and Software Engineering roles. At this time, all roles are working at home. In the future, FFN is looking at a Hybrid model allowing most people to work at home and come into the office periodically for training, etc. However, they will also have the opportunity for those people who cannot work at home for personal reasons to have a safe environment in the office.
Hotfoot Recruiters
Liz Krieger, Sales Manager
Who We Are:
“Hotfoot is an Arizona based recruiting firm that has been providing talent placement solution solutions nationally for over 10 years. We work with companies of all sizes to identify and solve staffing and payroll challenges. Hotfoot offers a wide range of staffing solutions. Our team of industry experts and account support professionals leverage deep networks of industry specific candidates and innovative sourcing strategies to obtain top talent in and efficient manner that drives results.”
Staffing Solutions Offered with all costs paid by the employer:
Contract
Contract positions provide for immediate placement of pre-screened candidates for a contracted period. Weekly payroll services are included for contract positions.
Contract-to-Hire
Contract-to-hire allows employers the opportunity to evaluate an employee’s performance for 90+ working days before making the decision to hire them on as a permanent employee (and for the candidate to determine if it is the right opportunity for them). Weekly payroll services will be managed until a contractor goes permanent.
Direct Hire
Direct hire positions places professional talent directly on our client’s payroll with no probationary or evaluation period. This position is a permanent employee of client organization as of day one.
Industry Experts providing support in:
- Customer Service/Contact Center
- Engineering
- Manufacturing & Production
- Professional & Corporate Services
- Direct Hire Roles:
o Customer Experience Representatives: Tempe, AZ
o Inside Sales: San Antonio, TX
o Procurement Specialist; West Phoenix, AZ - Contract to Hire Roles
o Financial Services Specialist: Tempe, AZ
o MIG Welders: West Phoenix, AZ
o Press Brake Machinists: West Phoenix, AZ
o General Laborer: West Phoenix, AZ
o Industrial Sewers: Tempe, AZ
o Cycle Counter: Tempe, AZ
To see all their available positions, go here.
Resources
The Career Connectors’ website offers a number of free resources to assist job seekers, including free DISC assessment, LinkedIn basics, and career advice. Click at the top of the resources page to register in order to receive updates.