Recently, a couple of ex-colleagues, and now indeed friends, were made redundant. It’s not the first time this has happened to someone I know and I’m certain it wont be the last. I found myself having the same conversation with them: “how do we make ourselves visible to recruiters?”, they would ask. 

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Seems simple enough, right? But, when I actually sat back and thought about it there was a realisation that even I needed to think about how to actually approach this. Flipping it on its head I thought to myself, “what type of profile attracts my attention?”.   

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With that being said, I have tried to create a whistle stop “Beyond the Paper” guide to getting your LinkedIn page the attention you want. 

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1 – Profile picture, name and location. These are the basics of your profile but they help to add a human element to the candidate. Nothing fancy is needed, just a simple picture of you!

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2 – A brief overview of yourself. This bit doesn’t have to be exhaustive, but it does give you an opportunity to explain what you do and some of your skills. This should help you appear in the right talent searches and help recruiters target your specific experience. 

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3- Update your career history. Make it current with up-to-date job titles, timelines and even responsibilities. The more information you provide, the better. Remember, key words really help. If you have been working in semiconductors, then state it. If you have been working in machine build, then state it. Niche industry candidates may want to think a touch broader in their descriptions, for example, equipment for manufacturing pillows should perhaps be original equipment manufacturer or machine builder.

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4 – Education. Internal and external education can be of huge value to future employers. Again, to remain visible it could make the difference between receiving a message or not.

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5 – Recommendations. As consumers we constantly look at product reviews from other consumers. It may sound really obvious, but potential employers will do the same thing on your LinkedIn profile. Ask your team, ex-colleagues and friends to write you professional references. Every little helps. 

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6 – Create visibility. If you want to be noticed by recruiters who are looking for the skills you have, then you can change your status on LinkedIn to “open to opportunities”. This is based on complex algorithms and ultimately stops anyone working for your current employer from seeing that you are open. However, it lets those outside of your business know that you could be open to a discussion. 

And there you have it, a quick guide to getting your LinkedIn profile noticed by more people. If you want more information or help in setting the profile up then feel free to contact me directly on [email protected] and I would be glad to help and advise.