Optimising your LinkedIn profile is one of the smartest things you can do when you are looking for new work. Recruiters and employers use LinkedIn daily to find candidates, and a strong profile determines whether you surface or stay invisible. In this article you will read why a good profile matters so much and how, step by step, you optimise your LinkedIn profile: from your headline and summary to your skills and visibility, and how to use LinkedIn to genuinely find work.
Why a strong LinkedIn profile matters
A strong LinkedIn profile is your digital business card and often the first impression a recruiter gets of you. Even before you apply, employers actively search for suitable candidates through the LinkedIn search function. Anyone who optimises their LinkedIn profile appears more often and higher in those search results and is therefore approached more often. Conversely, an incomplete or outdated profile costs you opportunities you never see.
Your profile also confirms the impression from your application. If an employer finds your CV interesting, they almost always check your LinkedIn. A consistent, professional and complete profile strengthens your story, while contradictions sow doubt. Optimising your LinkedIn profile is therefore a fixed part of a modern search for work. Within an outplacement programme, building a strong online profile is a logical part of your personal presentation.
How to optimise your LinkedIn profile (step by step)
Optimising your LinkedIn profile does not have to be complicated. Work through the elements that have the most effect, and do so through the eyes of a recruiter. Go through the following steps:
- Profile photo and background. Choose a recent, professional photo where you come across as approachable. A fitting background image completes your profile.
- Headline. Put here not only your job title, but who you are and what you have to offer. Use keywords that match the work you are looking for, because recruiters search on these.
- Summary. Tell, in the first lines, who you are, what you are good at and what you are looking for. Write actively and concretely, and weave in relevant search terms naturally.
- Work experience. Describe not only tasks but above all results. Make clear which value you added.
- Skills. Add your most important skills and have them endorsed by contacts. They count in the search algorithm.
- Recommendations. Ask former colleagues or managers for a short recommendation. That gives your profile credibility.
The biggest gains often lie in your headline and summary, because they weigh most heavily in the search results. Take your time here. If you want to align your profile with a new direction, targeted support with finding work through jobsearch helps you choose the right keywords and positioning that match suitable vacancies.
Using LinkedIn to find work
Optimising your LinkedIn profile is the foundation, but the real work begins when you actively put the profile to use. LinkedIn is not only an online CV but also a networking and vacancy platform. By being visible and active, you increase the chance that the right people notice you and that you come across suitable vacancies.
This is how you get more out of LinkedIn when finding work:
- Turn on your job-seeking status. With “open to work” you let recruiters know you are available, optionally visible only to recruiters.
- Expand your network purposefully. Connect with people in your field and at organisations where you would like to work.
- Be visible. Respond to posts, share something professional now and then and keep your profile up to date.
- Use the vacancy function. Set alerts and apply purposefully, with a profile that matches the role. Then prepare well for the job interview.
That way your optimised profile becomes a tool to actually find work. Do not forget that an online profile and a strong application work together. If you want to sharpen your interview technique and presentation, read more about interview training, so your online visibility and your conversations reinforce each other.
Make sure, too, that your LinkedIn profile and your CV tell the same story. Recruiters compare the two, and differences in dates, job titles or results raise unnecessary questions. So keep your work experience consistent and phrase your results the same way in both places. If you are coming out of redundancy, the article on writing a CV after redundancy helps you get that basis in order, after which you align your LinkedIn profile with it. A profile that matches your CV seamlessly makes your story more credible and increases the chance that a recruiter reaches out.
More help with your LinkedIn profile
Optimising your LinkedIn profile gives you a real head start: you get found more often, make a stronger impression and increase your chances of suitable work. Start with the elements that have the most impact, think from the recruiter’s perspective and keep your profile current once your search is running.
Not quite managing on your own, or want to align your profile with a new step? In an outplacement programme from Care4Careers you work with a coach on your personal branding, your CV and your online visibility, as part of a programme that helps you find new work. Our coaches are happy to think along, so your LinkedIn profile not only looks good but genuinely helps you land a new job.