Experts assert that your LinkedIn profile is almost as essential as your resume in building a personal brand and getting your dream job. The reason is that LinkedIn has been around longer than other social networks, and it hosts more than 600 million professional profiles.
In 2019 alone, research shows that up to 14 million job openings were made on LinkedIn, and about 122 million people received interview offers through it. Also, 97 percent of recruiters admit to screening candidates using their LinkedIn profiles. From entry-level to executive positions, recruiters do not only validate resumes on LinkedIn; they also seek out the best candidates through it. Your profile must, therefore, stand out and be an impressive exhibit of your brand as a professional.
LinkedIn Profiles are Critical
Here are some reasons why a LinkedIn profile is crucial to your job search:
Branding
Your LinkedIn profile serves as both a professional summary and a personal brand. A LinkedIn profile not only aligns with your resume, but it also adds more flavor and engaging details to it. Maintaining an excellent online presence via the LinkedIn platform is one right way to sell yourself as the best candidate for a position. It also pays to have a resume ATS service like Jobalytics that will help you to get your resume behind the ATS barriers that sift resumes.
Authenticity
A LinkedIn profile lists out your achievements and skills in a way that prioritizes you as an authentic candidate when recruiters seek out people for jobs. The recommendations and endorsements that are also accessible help to validate the skills on your resume.
Networking
By creating connections on LinkedIn, you get the chance to connect with a vast network of people, recruiters included. Doing this not only helps to increase your chances at job search success but connects you with people in your industry.
Job alerts
LinkedIn allows you to create job alerts based on your industry and the roles you desire in it. It also provides company-specific signals to inform you of job openings in your target firms.
Optimize LinkedIn for More Job Leads
A functional LinkedIn profile gives you access to these benefits. However, if your profile has not aided your job hunt, it shows that it needs to be optimized. A LinkedIn optimization service adopts strategies that will put you on the radar of recruiters.
Here are some ways that this happens:
Identifying employment criteria
This begins by searching for a pattern in the skill set and qualifications of people with roles similar to your desired job. Optimizing your LinkedIn profile would then ensure that you have the fundamental requirements and skillset for your desired position. Doing this also helps to reflect your career goals.
Achieving visibility:
Recruiters and hiring managers search for candidates by using specific keywords. These keywords may include skills or experiences that are relevant to the particular industry. A LinkedIn profile with these keywords would help you get seen when recruiters are searching. This LinkedIn optimization helps your profile make an impact on recruiters by modifying the details in it to suit your dream job.
Try the Jobalytics Chrome App if you need help optimizing your resume with the right keywords that will attract recruiters and establish you as the best candidate for your desired role. To learn more, visit Jobalytics.