Start making social posts and ensure you feature the most relevant/popular ones on your profile.
First impressions are everything, and in an online work environment nothing speaks louder than your LinkedIn profile, which is now the new CV or business card. As a recruiter, your profile is a potential employee’s first glimpse into a new work opportunity – which is why it had better be a good one.
Think carefully about the impression that you would like to make as a recruiter and use the following steps to make the most of your recruitment LinkedIn profile.
let’s get social: how to create a memorable profile.
A well-tailored, noteworthy profile helps present your personality – and your portfolio – to the world. Thus, it’s really important to learn how to create and maintain a memorable profile.
LinkedIn vs. social media (and why you should know the difference).
While your curated Instagram page may say a lot about your hobbies and interests, LinkedIn is solely for business networking. In essence, it’s your online CV – and it should be treated as such. If a potential employee or employer looks at your profile, it should reflect not only who you are as a working professional, but also your company’s work culture.
individual profile vs. company page.
However, it’s worth pointing out that LinkedIn is a social network, and therefore, it's designed for individuals to interact with one another. It’s not designed for companies, as company pages tend to be very limited in their ability to interact with potential candidates.
Due to the interaction limitations inherent in company page’s design, candidates would much rather interact with a person (a recruiter on behalf of the company), rather than the company page itself. The key recruitment tactics, which rely on direct messages between the recruiter and the talent, aren't available to company pages.
Thus, the company can’t headhunt for necessary talent – which is why an individual profile is important!
standing out from the crowd: how to set up personal profiles.
You don’t have to be a social media wizard to set up a personal profile that stands out from the crowd. Why invent the wheel when you can just copy the best design?
setting up your personal profile.
New to LinkedIn? Navigate to the LinkedIn signup page, where you’ll be prompted to type in your name and password. Click ‘Join now’ and follow the prompts to get your profile up and running.
The best course of action when it comes to setting up a personal profile is to research your peers. Search for people in your industry to find the profiles that look most appealing, and then base your profile off of their design/profile layout. Then, use the built-in search to find the required talent. For example, if you’re a recruiter in the gaming industry, you can use the appropriate industry search filters.
how to update your page.
To update any section of your LinkedIn profile, scroll down to the relevant section and click on the pencil in the corner of that section to edit it.
To add job experience, click on the plus (+) icon. Note that you can search for a company’s page to showcase your experience.
Messaging and contacts
A primary update to make is to add your contact information to your profile. Edit this on your profile page by clicking ‘Contact information’ and clicking on the pencil to add forms of contact. This may include your website, email address, phone number, or social media platforms.
If you have a Premium LinkedIn profile, you can allow anyone on LinkedIn to contact you directly, even if you aren’t connected. Do this by heading to ‘Edit intro’ and clicking on the gold Premium dropdown menu, where you’ll see sliders to add this option.
using the best images on your profile.
There’s been much debate among professionals about the ideal profile photo to use. As you know, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are a few tips to using the best photo to communicate a professional and approachable LinkedIn profile.
To add an image to your profile, click on the pencil icon, either on your profile picture or background image frame.
Profile pic: Don’t use your best photo ever
Although it may be tempting to use a photo where you look like a million dollars – like you did on your wedding day, for example – this creates an unrealistic expectation for when people meet you in person or over an online meeting for the first time.
Instead, opt for a photo of you ‘on a good day’. Here are a few tips for a great profile picture:
- Use a high-resolution photo. Grainy photos might distract from the professional and approachable message you are trying to communicate. No selfies!
- Head-and-shoulders portraits are a go-to. Don’t cut off your face, and make sure to use a clean background.
- Smile! You want to look welcoming and approachable.
- Dress as you would for work, to represent your work culture.
- Opt for a video profile picture. Few people are doing this, and you will stand out from the crowd.
Background image: Make it your own
LinkedIn has a default background image on your profile, but that doesn’t mean you can’t shake things up. Change the image to better reflect your business.
- Show what your company stands for.
- Show your staff.
- Showcase that diversity and inclusion is a priority.
- Show candidates where they can apply for jobs.
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nailing the wordy bits: filling in your profile.
Although people like to use this space to write about themselves, as a recruiter, you should balance this space to be about yourself as well as your company.
how to write a summary (the ‘about’ page).
In most cases, shorter is sweeter. Summarize what you and your company do in as few paragraphs as possible, and always incorporate a call to action. This may include something like ‘Contact me for job opportunities with (company name)’.
LinkedIn allows 2,600 words in this section. Aim to not to go over half of that, as you don’t want to bombard people with detail.
building an interactive following.
Post job opportunities and information relevant to your field of work. Tag people who might be interested and engage with people through responses and comments.
making connections.
LinkedIn is all about making business connections. To add connections to your profile, click on ‘My Network’ at the top of the screen and a list of people you may know will appear. Click on ‘Connect’ to send them an invite. You can also look for contacts in the ‘Search’ box.
When adding a new contact, send them a personalized message to help your invitation stand out.
showcasing skills, endorsements, and recommendations.
Showcase your skills by writing your highest and most relevant qualification after your name – for example ‘Claire Smith, MBA’. Here, it’s essential not to bombard the reader with too much information, as this might scare off potential recruits.
Next, update your profile headline: This will be the second thing (after your name) that someone sees when you make a connection request. This headline does not need to be a one-sentence job title – list multiple relevant job roles and skills.
Within your headline, you can also kick off the introduction with a sentence like ‘We’re hiring!’ to immediately show recruits that you mean business. Increase accessibility by adding your email address to your headline.
Lastly, start making social posts and ensure that you feature the most relevant or popular ones on your profile. You can do this by scrolling down to the featured section and adding your link. Here’s an example:
it’s time to take your profile from mediocre to memorable.
And there you have it! These tips will help you be clear about what your LinkedIn goals are and remind you to keep your profile up to date.
To stand out as a recruiter, don’t be afraid to make use of images, audio, videos, or even emojis – whichever suits your company’s style. Start making social posts and ensure you feature the most relevant and popular ones on your profile.
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