It is now widely understood how important a strong LinkedIn profile is to your job search efforts. Since its launch in 2003, LinkedIn has grown to include 875 million members and become THE place for professionals to network and be found. Unfortunately, I have found that most of my clients are not leveraging the platform to its capacity and, as such, are missing out on attracting new career opportunities to them.
It is important to invest in your LinkedIn footprint so that your profile and your content work for you. While hiring has slowed down this holiday season invest some time into your LinkedIn presence and you will find that come January you will be in a great position to re-start your job search.
Use the following eight steps as a guide to maximize your findability on LinkedIn while simultaneously increasing your connections and followers.
1. Identify Keywords
Plain and simple, recruiters use keywords to find you. If you have the right keywords in your profile, you are exponentially more likely to be found. Applying the principles of SEO, you can boost your LinkedIn profile visibility by incorporating occupation and industry-specific keywords. According to JobScan, “you need to make sure your LinkedIn profile is optimized for LinkedIn’s search algorithms by incorporating relevant keywords into your profile sections. This way, you can appear in the search results and increase the chances that the recruiter will open your profile.”
Hiring managers use simple keyword searches or Boolean searches to uncover profiles that match the criteria in their job openings. The more targeted your profile keywords are to a specific occupation or industry, the more likely you will be found in a search.
The most effective and easiest way to find the right keywords is through ChatGPT. At the prompt, type in, “What are the most searched-for keywords when sourcing for a [name of occupation]?
2. LinkedIn Profile
Your LinkedIn profile is your arena to communicate your personal and professional brand. It is a place to showcase your experience and achievements but also your passions and interests. Incorporate keywords into your profile, particularly in the professional headline, job titles, skills and experience sections. Focus on the impact you made in your jobs, not just job responsibilities. Take the time to think about and communicate what positive outcomes arose from your work and quantify where you can. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to spark your memory.
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- Innovation: Did you implement any new ideas, systems, or processes? What was the impact?
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- Efficiency: Did you increase efficiency or productivity by a certain percentage? Did you resolve any particular issues? How soon? Did you decrease delivery or turnaround time on a project? How? Did you complete a project within a tight deadline?
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- Management: Did you recruit, work with, or manage a certain number of employees or teams?
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- Financial: Did you increase sales, market share, or customer satisfaction by a certain percentage?
Other things to keep in mind:
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- Tell your personal story in the “About” section to not only demonstrate your credibility but also your likeability.
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- Secure recommendations to transform your words into evidence of your achievements.
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- Include your community involvement. Sometimes it is the things outside of work that inform your audience what differentiates you from the competition.
3. Publish High-Quality Content
High-quality content showcases your expertise and professionalism, establishing you as a credible authority in your field. This helps build trust with your connections and followers. People are more inclined to connect with and follow individuals who consistently provide well-crafted, valuable and insightful information. Engaging and well-presented content tends to receive higher levels of engagement. Whether through likes, comments, or shares, quality content is more likely to capture the attention of your audience and encourage interactions. Here are some great ideas from LinkedIn on what to post on your page.
PRO TIP: If you do have a Company Page, publish your content there, and “share” with your audience. After you post on your company page, click the “View as Member” button, and share it on your personal profile with comments.
4. Publish Content Consistently
Regularly publishing content keeps you in the minds of your connections and followers. The more consistently you appear in their feeds, the more likely they are to remember you and engage with your content. In addition, consistent content creation allows you to showcase your knowledge and expertise in your field. Over time, this builds your reputation as a thought leader, making you a go-to source for information in your industry.
LinkedIn’s algorithm tends to favor active users who consistently engage with the platform. When you publish content regularly, it signals to the algorithm that you are an active and valuable contributor, potentially boosting the visibility of your posts.
PRO TIP: Use the new scheduling feature on LinkedIn to easily schedule your posts. You can also go back and edit before you publish.
5. Post More Attractive Videos & Images
Visual content tends to capture attention more effectively than plain text. High-quality images and engaging videos are more likely to attract viewers and result in increased likes, comments, and shares. In addition, videos and images provide a powerful medium for storytelling. You can convey your message, share experiences, and showcase your expertise in a more compelling and memorable way.
6. Interact with Your Audience
Interacting with your audience on LinkedIn is a key component of building and maintaining a strong professional brand and following. Interaction fosters meaningful connections. Responding to comments, liking others’ posts, and engaging in conversations help build relationships with your connections, followers, and others in your professional network.
7. Add Popular Hashtags
Hashtags make your content discoverable to a broader audience beyond your immediate connections. Users who follow or search for specific hashtags related to your content are more likely to find and engage with your posts. LinkedIn users often search for specific topics or industry-related content using hashtags. Including relevant hashtags makes your posts more likely to appear in search results, increasing the chances of reaching a targeted audience. Hashtags help you reach a specific audience interested in the topics you’re discussing. By using relevant and niche hashtags, you can attract users with a genuine interest in your industry or field.
PRO TIP: You can use LinkedIn’s search bar to find trending hashtags. Begin by typing keywords related to your industry or topic of interest. LinkedIn will display relevant hashtags along with the number of followers they have. Choose hashtags that have a substantial following but are not excessively saturated, as this can help your content stand out.
8. Promote Your LinkedIn Profile
Your LinkedIn profile serves as a digital representation of your professional brand. Promoting your LinkedIn URL allows you to showcase your skills, accomplishments, and expertise to a wider audience, reinforcing your personal brand. Share your LinkedIn profile URL on your resume, email signature and any other social media platforms that your target audience is frequenting.
Conclusion
Improving your SEO on LinkedIn won’t happen overnight. By implementing these steps, you can increase your findability on LinkedIn, creating a robust professional presence on the platform. This presence can lead to opportunities, partnerships, and even job offers. If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn or email.
As always, if you need further help don’t hesitate to reach out to me via LinkedIn or email.