How to make Your LinkedIn Profile effective

Hi Friends,

Hope you are doing well!!

I was just going through my LinkedIn Profile and updating some experience. I thought how I can I make my LinkedIn Profile effective. And, Finally I got some interesting Points thought to share with you….

LinkedIn is a searchable database of talent and skills. You are potentially visible to everyone specifically looking for what you have to offer. 

Whether you’re job hunting, gathering leads, or networking in your industry, having a professional, eye-catching LinkedIn profile is an excellent idea to make sure that you can be found by the right people at the right time. 

When I look at your profile, if I don’t get the impression that it’s "on-purpose," I have to wonder about your intentions. I’ll guess you are new to LinkedIn, or you haven’t yet taken the time to flesh it out.

The worst impression you can give me is that you don’t care about it, and you are just fishing for network contacts that you can spam. Seriously, having a half-baked profile will make me question what your intentions are.

 So let’s get started to make your LinkedIn Profile effective: 

1. Your picture  

The picture should be of your face. Not your dog. Or a waterfall. Choose a simple headshot where you are looking straight ahead. No selfies. It’s well worth the money to have a professional picture taken. Remember, it doesn’t have to be boring or artificial. You don’t have to wear business attire if that’s not your style. But you need to look professional and pleasant. Smile. You are going for “dependable” and “trustworthy.” Avoid “sexy” or “quirky.” 

The old adage is true. People remember faces more than names. This is also why one needs to see your face and not some other part of you. For example, a yoga instructor should still use a headshot and not a photo of her/himself in a yoga pose. Pictures that attest to skill or talent can be uploaded elsewhere on your profile, along with training videos and presentation materials. 

2. Your headline

You have 120 characters at the top of your profile to describe to the world what you do. Many people just put their official job title. Which is one way to go… or you can really use the system to your advantage here. Choose descriptive and compelling keywords that a) make you as marketable as possible, and b) help you get found by the right people. Remember, LinkedIn is a search engine. 

Examples of effective headlines are “Recruiter, HR, Talent Management Expert” or “Brand Marketing, PR, Communications Professional.” Comes in handy especially if you are currently looking for work.  

How to increase You Sourcing speed

If you are a Recruiter, You should be very quick at CV Screening. CV Screening depends on your Basic knowledge. You should aware about the points what to read in a CV or not. 

Although we may never know why we didn't get chosen for a job interview, According to TheLadders research, recruiters spend an average of "six seconds before they make the initial 'fit or no fit' decision" on candidates.

The study used a scientific technique called "eye tracking" on 30professional recruiters and examined their eye movements during a 10-week period to "record and analyze where and how long someone focuses when digesting a piece of information or completing a task."

In the short time that they spend with your resume, the study showed recruiters will look at your name, current title and company, current position start and end dates, previous title and company, previous position start and end dates, and education.

There are some points through which you can increase your resume sourcing speed.

1. Location. If the client is in Chenai, India and you aren’t – goodbye. Few if any clients want to relocate anyone in this economy, and I believe most shouldn’t have to. If they do have to consider relocation the position has to require some very unique experience that few jobs do. I can do this in about 1 second.

2. Industry. If my client is in banking and your background is primarily manufacturing – goodbye.  These two often are so different that the client isn’t open to considering such different industries. This works both ways, if you have a manufacturing background I’m not going to consider someone with banking. 2-3  seconds to determine this.

3. Function. If I’m doing a sales search and your background isn’t sales – goodbye. Generally companies are paying recruiters to find them a perfect fit. We never do find a perfect fit, but we have to be very close. They don’t need a recruiter to find them someone in a completely different function. 2 seconds to figure this one out.