3 Simple Steps to Get Found by Recruiters on LinkedIn


By Joshua Waldman

 

If you’re looking for a job, and you are reasonably smart, there are recruiters out there who would benefit from talking to you. The problem is, they simply can’t find you. Or if they do find you, something about your LinkedIn profile turns them away. In either case, you have more control over this situation than you think. Getting found by recruiters doesn’t have to be a passive strategy.

Here is a three part active strategy for getting found.

First, Get on Search Results

The first step to getting found by recruiters is to simply show up. Like me, recruiters are using keywords to search LinkedIn profiles. Results will show up based on degree of separation and presence of the search term. 

Tip 1: become 1st degree connected to as many recruiters as possible. They are the ones making the most searches. Having recruiters in your network increases your chances of popping up based on your degree of separation.

Tip 2: describe yourself as specifically and as accurately as possible. The well known social media strategist Christopher Penn uses his own profile as a great example of this: 

My job is simple: get qualified leads in the door using Inbound Marketing methods such as social media, search, and email. 

Not terrible, but it doesn’t show results. Here’s an improved version:

My job is simple: get qualified leads in the door using Inbound Marketing methods such as social media, search, and email. In the first 8 months, I’ve helped to create a 10x increase in the number of inbound leads through organic SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, and other marketing methods. 

Tip 3: Adjust your profile for an upward trend in search appearances. Most LinkedIn users have access to a graph called “Appearances in Search.” You can find it by going to your Home page and clicking on “Who’s Viewed Your Profile.” This is an area on the right side of that page.

On this page you’ll find the “Trends” box with a graph in it. Click on “Appearances in Search.” By filling out your profile with specific and accurate information about yourself, you should start to see an upward trend in this graph. The better you write about yourself, the more this graph will grow. If you're struggling with writing about yourself, there are plenty of LinkedIn profile writing services.

Make Them Click

Think of your profile not as an advertisement rather than an online resume. Once you start to show up on search results pages for recruiters, your next job is to get them to click on your profile.

Just like with other paid ads online, just showing up on the page isn’t enough. The ad headline and description text needs to compel you to click.

On LinkedIn your photo, headline and recommendations have the greatest impact on click rates (from my own experience). 

By making small changes to these three elements, you will begin to see increases in the number of times your profile was actually viewed. This is the graph called “Views” from the page we just visited.

If you're not seeing an upward trend, the fix your photo, headline or try to get more recommendations.

Be an Internet Marketer

Simply by shifting your perception of LinkedIn from an online resume to an online advertising platform, you can approach your career opportunities from a quantifiable perspective. First you have to show up on search results for the right people, then you have to compel them to click. Using LinkedIn’s two graphs, “Appearances in Search” and “Views” allows you to make measurable improvements and increase your chances of getting recruited to that dream position.

 Joshua Waldman, author of Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies, is recognized as one of the nation’s top authorities in Social Media Job Search Advice. To learn Joshua’s secret strategies for shortening the job search and getting the right job right away, watch his exclusive video training: Using Social Media to Find a Job.

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