Optimizing your LinkedIn profile might not be as difficult as it seems. At first, the challenge may seem unattainable but with a few tweaks in your approach and mindset, you will be able to build a winning profile helping you secure the next big opening.
In this article, we take you through the inner dynamics of LinkedIn to reorient your mindset in the right direction while strategically directing you toward crafting an ATS-optimized and job-winning profile.
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Like a powerful professional profile, dependable internet is also one of the key requirements of the digital age. From working in a hybrid environment to going fully remote and exploring learning and other job opportunities on the go, one cannot last longer in the competitive and ever-changing professional landscape without a trustworthy internet connection.
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Now, before we move to the actual practical steps. It is important to condition your mind on how LinkedIn actually works for recruiters. You may think that they go through thousands of profiles every day to find the right match but here is where you are totally in the wrong. The world has gone digital and with it has created automated tools for everything. Even automated completion of a hiring cycle.
What is the Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?
Within this scheme of things, it has now become a general practice across the recruitment community to filter out the best candidates through tools known as the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Some of them use dedicated tools and some rely on in-house platform tools that are readily available on platforms like LinkedIn. These tools allow hiring managers to automatically find quality talent and prioritize candidates in line with the job role’s requirements.
It is not as confusing as it sounds. Read away!
Like Google, ATS also relies on keyword searches to sift out the most relevant keywords for its audience. Like the world of search, it looks at a number of well-defined variables to generate the best candidate recommendation. In a similar fashion, the LinkedIn search algorithm and in-house recruitment tools operate in the same way.
The best part is unlike SEO, winning at ATS/LinkedIn optimization is much faster, leaner, and achievable.
All you have to do is follow this manual for success religiously!
Now without further waiting. Let’s dive right into the world of LinkedIn keyword optimization.
Identify/Target the Right Keywords
Like SEO or the world of search, identifying the right keywords is the first step towards constructing a winning profile. The first thing you need to know here are the relevant keywords, which are popular across your industry and have become the requirement of modern-day recruiters in your field.
One you have all of them down. The next step is naturally integrating them into your profile. The key here is doing it just enough to get your profile ranked while not raising any red flags for the rest of the recruitment cycle.
For instance, if you are an On-Page/Off-Page SEO specialist who is not even aware of the fundamentals of paid search and social media marketing then you don’t simply write it down as your go-to selling point or even secondary selling point. Even listing paid marketing tools here would be a damaging and disadvantageous endeavor.
The best practice here is to be pragmatic and practical in your approach and list only the relevant or matching key terms to get yourself ranked among a competitive pool of potential candidates. Once you are through, focus your energy on filling in the missing pieces in the recruiter follow-up, tests, and interview cycles. Also, remember to prioritize online safety by using VPN for LinkedIn when browsing through LinkedIn job applications.
Where to Integrate the Keywords?
There are many sections you can target for ATS optimization. However, for a platform like LinkedIn, the approach is to target the following:
Headline
A powerful headline can be a make-or-break moment for any recruiter.
So, forget the industry buzzwords and hashtags. Focus more on making yourself stand out from the rest of the lot by writing a catchy yet keyword-focused headline. It should be technical and precise.
Professional Summary
Tell your professional and personal story.
The best practice here would be to channel your inner creative and sell your sell to potential recruiters by adding only a hint of keywords. Like SEO, overdoing it or keyword stuffing would only make your profile a mess. So, stick to the most relevant technical terms while being fun and impactful.
Accomplishment/Number-Driven Job Descriptions
One of the easiest ways to add technical terms to your profile is your resume section.
Your approach here should be adding the relevant terms while quantifying the impact of the term in the form of a number or a result. In the case of an SEO professional, this can be increasing a website’s rank or traffic by leveraging a number of strategies. Here, the strategies are your technical terms.
Closing Thoughts
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile is not a daunting task you believe it to be. With the right mindset and approaches such as these you start getting offers within a matter of days.
So, what are you waiting for? Let the job hunt begin.
