Keeping yourself relevant, fresh and up-to-date can be a part-time job. But spending just 15-30 minutes per week on LinkedIn will most definitely help you in the long-run. 175 million registered users can’t be wrong!

Consider the following tips:

1. Make sure your profile is current and accurate. Keywords are essential in the recruiting process, so be sure to use them. If your profile is inaccurate and incomplete, then you will be passed over by your competition who took the time to fill out the detail on their profile. Being too detailed on LinkedIn is okay, as this will increase the odds that your profile is viewed by a recruiter.

2. Write a stunning Summary directed to your target audience. Ensure the following:

- Add dynamic details to specify your goals

- Focus on your relevant professional experience

- Establish a direct dialogue with the person or audience you’d most like to connect with

- Keep it concise

3. Include a professional picture that doesn’t include others, such as family members, pets, spouse, etc.

4. Edit your Public Profile URL to something meaningful, such as your name or job title. For example if you are a network engineer, a smart choice might be LinkedIn.com/in/systemadministrator…if it’s still available.

5. Contact Info must be filled out completely so a recruiter can reach you. At a minimum you’ll need a current phone number and private (gmail for example) email address.

6. In Experience, tailor your skills to match the detailed job descriptions for each of your positions throughout your career, including keywords. Add recent information to your profile just after you deliver your services to the customer. The project size, details and deliverables will still be fresh in your mind.

7. Fill out the Education section completely including all colleges or universities you attended. You never know when an alumni connection may help you.

8. Skills & Expertise is an important keyword tool. Adding these skills helps recruiters find you when they search on the keyword.

9. Take it to the next step and add a few widgets to your profile such as Amazon reading list, Twitter or even a link to your blog.

- Copy/paste your LinkedIn recommendations into a Word document and post it on Box.net. You can use this when applying for jobs via email or sites that allow you to attach multiple documents.

- Take advantage of the new Add Sections feature listed under the main profile box on your Profile page. You can add certifications, honors, awards, languages, organizations, projects, patents, publications, test scores and volunteer experience, as well as a variety of Applications.

Company Description

If you are having trouble deciding what type of content to add to your profile, an easy suggestion is to look for announcements regarding your employer, such as stock price announcements or “in the news” notifications. Copy the “about us” statement and add it to your profile under the correlating job history. Your profile may rise in search rankings since the web searches for relevancy.

Connect With Experts

Lastly, conduct online searches for whitepapers containing content in the subjects that interest you. Read the articles and send an invitation to the author(s) to connect with them on LinkedIn or via email. Tailor your invite by mentioning an interest that the author stated in their article. Add the article’s title in the subject line of an email or the body of the LinkedIn connection request to increase the chances of your message being read and responded to.

Once connected, keep communications going by asking their professional opinion. Ask questions such as:

  • If you were in my shoes, what type of certifications or work experience should I focus on to help my career and give me the chance to work on cutting edge technology?
  • What does it take to become a subject matter expert in your line of work?

 

Recruiters, feel free to add comments or ask for more information?

Views: 2783

Comment by Tony Palm on August 30, 2012 at 4:56pm

Great post Jay, mind if I forward this to my warfighter network?

PS. It was great seeing you at the convention last week. Wish I could have stayed but was beyond sick!

 

Comment by Jay Perreault {DCTechRecruiter} on August 30, 2012 at 5:27pm

Tony,

Thank you for asking, please feel free! Yes, it was good seeing you. Hopefully you and I can place a few of those vets!

Comment by Laurel Dunlap on September 7, 2012 at 1:51pm

I've been told that Twitter is a great resource when it comes to recruiting.  I know this especially because I used to manage my company's social media presence, particularly our Twitter account.  I have a personal Twitter handle but many of my personal interests differ from work-related interests and articles.  It seems obvious that I should maybe have two separate Twitter accounts but 1) that will involve more time and devotion and 2) I feel that the personal Twitter account gives me a more human appeal.  Do you have any thoughts on having separate accounts?  Would it be more appropriate/professional?

Comment by Jay Perreault {DCTechRecruiter} on September 7, 2012 at 2:14pm

Laurel, I tend to agree with you. I have taken those best practices to heat regarding Facebook. I am sure that my professional following does not want to hear about Aunt Barbara's upcoming picnic etc.

In regards to Twitter, I have yet to do this. I however do follow the 70, 20, 10 rule. Post 70% of the content as helpful to your followers, ex if you are an accountant, post items about tax saving loopholes, etc. I reserve the next 20% of content for commenting on relevant posts in my line of work by either forwarding or commenting on but always referencing back to the author. The last 10 is service related, "what am I selling" in my case it would be career opportunities for candidates.

Do you have any LinkedIn tips for the good of the RB community?

 

Comment by Laurel Dunlap on September 7, 2012 at 2:46pm

My apologies!  I think I added this comment to the wrong article but I appreciate your feedback Jay.

As for LinkedIn tips, I can't impress enough to my fellow coworkers how beneficial is it to personalize the messages when you are sending an invite to connect on LinkedIn.  Instead of keeping the "I'd like to add you to my professional network,"  write a quick message with their name and why you are connecting with them.  It's pivotal and personal.

Comment by Jay Perreault {DCTechRecruiter} on September 7, 2012 at 3:14pm

No worries Laurel. I like your additional tip regarding personalized messaging. I complete agree with you again!

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