For all my LinkedIn Newbies, this is not the article for you. Filling out all the little small details on your profile still matters. Making sure you have the basics like your location, industry, summary, and work experience sections filled out FIRST, will set you up for success.
If you have a blank LinkedIn profile page, you should read this first. After you do everything that the article says to do, come back to this article to #LevelUp!!
For everyone else, this article is The LinkedIn Blueprint for anyone who wants to:
- Level up and get that promotion
- Switch careers and do something new
- Establish a unique professional brand and voice on LinkedIn
- Finally, get noticed by recruiters!
Now that we got the basics out of the way, here are the LinkedIn Profile Optimization Hacks that most people are sleeping on.
“Steal” keywords.
Keywords, keywords, keywords.
Most people tell you to just stuff your intro section with keywords. I personally don’t think you should do that. Plus, why would you even want to do that? I’m telling you to strategically place them throughout your headline, about, work experience, volunteer, and skills sections.
But, where do I find these keywords?
Whether you’re someone who’s new to an industry/ job field or someone who’s been working in the industry for a while, it doesn’t matter. The best way to figure out what the heck is going on in your industry, and find the most relevant and in-demand keywords is to:
- Find someone who works in the industry and the job that you want to work in. Then proceed to “steal” their keywords, skills, etc. But… Only add those keywords to your profile if you have those skills and the keywords make sense for the experience that you do have. If you can’t prove or perform those skills that you’re borrowing, then don’t list them! I don’t want you saying that I told you to lie on your LinkedIn profile.
- Follow industry publications, thought leaders, and recruiters who work in the field that you’re interested in. Chances are they are publicizing exactly what’s hot right now in the industry. Anytime they post about a skill or keyword, that you resonate with, drop it on your profile in the section that makes the most sense.
- Set up industry-specific Job Alerts on LinkedIn. I mean… This one is obvious! Most job descriptions include skills and requirements sections, and both sections are usually stuffed with keywords or industry buzzwords! Go ahead and copy all the ones that apply to you, from a handful of job descriptions and put them on your own profile.
Check out my example below!
I work as a Creative Strategist, so I found a Creative Strategist who works for another company. Once on their page, I scrolled down until I found their skills section.
Now, I can use the “skills” that I found on their profile and use them in my own skills section and then sprinkle these throughout my work experience section, summary section, and more.
Bonus LinkedIn Keyword Hack: Check how well you’re doing with your keyword placement by going to the “search appearances” page on LinkedIn. Check out the video below to see it in action.
*If you don’t like what you see on your search appearance page, continue to place industry and job-specific keywords in your profile. This page changes weekly so continue to check back!
Change your job title.
I have two MAJOR points to make about tweaking your job titles on your LinkedIn profile page. You’re probably thinking, “but isn’t it wrong to change the job title that I was given?” Short answer: no.
Yes, you were given a specific role, but chances are you can get away with changing it just a tad. Here’s why this is important:
- Point Number 1: The Job Title that you are seeking Needs to Show Up on YOUR profile. This is how you’ll start to get noticed by recruiters and hiring managers who are searching for specific job titles. Plus, some jobs are called different things depending on the company, team, industry, etc. So look at it as you are being strategic.
I mean, if you want to be a Journalist, and the job title “Journalist” isn’t anywhere on your LinkedIn profile, do you think a recruiter will come knocking on your door? Maybe, but it might take way longer than it needs to. So, if you’ve been given the job title of Content Producer, or production assistant, or some other role where you were doing the same thing that a journalist might do, then just simply include the word “Journalist” right beside it.
Here’s how you can set it up: Content Producer/ Journalist
On the flip side, if you’ve never held the position that you’re seeking, then simply create a freelance job entry so that the “job title” that you really want is listed. It’s as easy as creating a new job entry and putting “Freelance Journalist” as the job title.
Once you do that though, you need to actually start putting in the work to prove that you can do the work. Consider taking on some clients, joining a boot camp program, or starting your own side project, so that you can show proof that you know what you’re doing!
- Point Number 2: Everyone doesn’t need to know your business. This advice is mostly for my young professionals. Here’s a bit of tough love. No one cares that you’re an aspiring “______”, Assistant II, or an Intern. The recruiters on LinkedIn don’t need to know ALL your business from the get-go.
In order to keep the recruiters out of my business, my favorite thing to do is rephrase my job titles to match the industry and role that I’m headed to. If I pique the interest of a recruiter and they ask for specifics, THEN and only then do I spill the beans on my work history.
For example, if you want to be a Digital Marketing Project Manager and the only experience you have is Assistant II and a Marketing Intern, this is what you could do:
1) Get more specific with your past job titles. I.e. you could say that you were a Digital Marketing Assistant, and within the job details area, you could mention your ability to juggle and manage multiple projects (aka skills needed to be a project manager).
2) Completely drop the job title, and just say that you worked in “Digital Marketing.” You get to be as specific as you want, so if you think people aren’t giving you a shot because your experience says “intern” or “assistant” then just simply drop those extra words.
In the example above, you see that the person just included the type of work and the brands that they worked with. Nothing more. When you make it to the interview, if the recruiter asks you to specify your role title or ask about why your stint was so short-lived, then you can say, it was an internship or an apprenticeship, or you were an assistant, etc. But if they don’t ask… mum’s the word! Your title will never be more important than the IMPACT that you’ve made!
If you absolutely need the world to know that you were an intern, you can still add it to the job section, without it being a part of your title. Here’s how:
Step 1: Click the edit pencil on your job entry. Change your “Employment Type” to the choice that best describes your work situation.
Step 2: Once you click the save button. Your employment type will show up right below your job title.
Make your work experience concise.
Most people are overwhelmed and like the easy way out, so being super clear about what you can do is important! The bulk of your LinkedIn Profile is your work experience. So figuring out how to make this section skimmable and as visual as possible is a must!
Here’s how to do that:
- Include a Too Lazy, Didn’t Read Blurb about what you do.
- Include a quick list of the tools you use to complete your job
- Include a handful of brands you’ve worked with at your job.
- Include a handful of work accomplishments that you’re proud of.
- Optional: Include responsibilities (but make sure you show impact!)
Make sure you add adequate spacing between each list!
Also, include links, docs, PowerPoints, or any other digital media to make your job section look pretty! This will show that you have tangible experience, plus it will take a recruiter down a rabbit hole! Check out the example below.
Turn On “Open to Work” (but only for recruiters).
This is one of the easiest things you can do! If you’ve already identified roles that you want to pursue, then list them all under the “Job Titles” section. If you have no clue what roles you want to pursue, then spend some time figuring it out. I don’t advise you to turn this feature on until you know what roles you want to pursue.
Aside from “Job Title,” you also can choose: Your preferred “Workplaces”, “Job Locations”, “Start Date”, and “Job Types.” Check out an example of how you can set up your open-to-work section below:
Turn on the #opentowork feature for recruiters only now!
Get Inspired By Someone Else’s Path.
I mean if you find someone you really admire, and you already stole their keywords, you might as well get inspired by their career journeys too. Haha. If you see something on someone’s LinkedIn profile that intrigues you, then figure out how you can get the same kind or similar type of experience! For example, you can look into their:
- The past and current companies they work with
- The certifications they’ve gotten/working on
- Any bootcamps they’ve been a part of
- The schools that they’ve attended
- The newsletters they follow
- The groups they’re a part of
- Following the industry thought leaders that they follow
You could potentially find your next opportunities, just by digging around!
Become a LinkedIn Creator.
Try your hand at posting about topics that you care about. The more you talk about these topics, and share your knowledge, the more likely you are to start receiving opportunities (including interviews and job offers). This is also, a great way to start talking and sharing your opinion about the industry that you’re interested in entering! If you don’t know what to post/talk about check out the recommendations below.
Example LinkedIn Post Topics
- Lessons learned as a professional
- Job search hacks (what’s worked vs what hasn’t worked)
- Opinions on industry hot topics
- Respond to someone else’s post (instead of leaving a comment, share the post and include your thoughts in that post. See an example here.)
- Personal wins
- Breaking down how you finished your latest project
By turning on LinkedIn’s Creator Mode you also have the opportunity to feature your portfolio, Linkedin articles, LinkedIn Newsletters, or anything else you want that reflects your professional and personal brand at the very top of your LinkedIn Profile (see how that looks below).
Turning on this feature may seem like one of the smallest LinkedIn profile optimization hacks, BUT, it’s powerful! Just by using LinkedIn’s Creator Mode feature, you also get access to creator-only analytics! As you post, you’ll be able to see the type of people that view and interact with your content. You can also see what content performs the best as well.
Let the Recruiters know you’re watching.
LinkedIn is all about being proactive. Start following and connecting with recruiters in the industries that you want to be in. Even if you’re not looking for a job, you should be following and connecting with recruiters. This way, you’ll know what’s happening in your industry.
Here’s how to do that:
In the LinkedIn Search bar, simply type (job title) (industry) Recruiter.
If you don’t like what you’re seeing, then switch up your word choice. Instead of using “Recruiter”, try using:
- “Talent Acquisition”
- “Talent Sourcer”
- “Career Match Maker”
For young professionals/recent college grads, you can also try:
- “Early Career”
- “University Recruiter”
For people of color and those with unique backgrounds try:
- “Diversity Recruiter”
Bonus LinkedIn Job Search Hack: If you see an open job that a recruiter that you’re following is staffing for, apply to it, and then let them know that you’ve applied to it! Make sure you customize your note to the recruiter before hitting the “connect” button.
Stock up on skills, skills, skills
It’s one thing to say that you know how to do something, but it’s a million times better to SHOW that you know how to do something. One way that you can show that you know how to do something, is by earning a LinkedIn Skills Assessment Badge.
Taking the LinkedIn Skills Assessments can be really beneficial if you’re in an industry or want a job where knowing certain skills can be helpful. The LinkedIn Skill Assessment tests are very technical, so if you do decide to take them, make sure you study before taking the test. You can watch LinkedIn’s prep videos before diving into the test. If you don’t pass the assessment, LinkedIn also allows you to retake it.
TL;DR: LinkedIn Profile Optimization Hacks
If you’ve gotten the LinkedIn basics down, and you’re looking for LinkedIn profile optimization hacks to help you stand out, you should:
- Steal keywords from other professionals and sprinkle them throughout your own profile to beef it up.
- Change your job titles in order to attract industry recruiters and other professionals to your profile page.
- Make your LinkedIn work experience impactful and easy to read.
- Let recruiters know that you’re #opentowork by turning on Linkedin’s “Open to Work” profile feature.
- Do some digging on other people’s profiles. Consider taking the course, certificates, bootcamps, etc. that they’ve done in the past.
- Start creating content on LinkedIn as a LinkedIn Creator, and showcase your content on your profile page.
- Engage and connect with recruiters to keep a pulse on where your industry is headed, or to stand out in your job application process.
- Brush up on your industry knowledge and prove that you know what you’re doing by taking LinkedIn Skill Assessments.
WHAT’S NEXT?
After trying these LinkedIn Profile Optimization hacks, continue updating your LinkedIn Profile and building your network on LinkedIn with the resources below.
Featured Image: CreateHer