How to boost your LinkedIn profile strength to gain visibility

One of the challenges of today’s job search is the dramatic shift in the last 10 years to a much more dynamic job search strategy. It was easy when you only had to open the newspaper find an ad you liked and mail or drop off your resume. For the savvy job seeker back then who had already understood the concept of networking, they might have an unadvertised lead and had a friend deliver the resume right to the hiring manager or supervisor.

Job search strategies changed

Then came email, job boards, electronic resumes, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), LinkedIn, Twitter, and so many other aspects of just applying that many people got lost or just weren’t noticing all those changes because they were employed. I can’t tell you how many people tell me that it was so easy “back then” or they never had a resume because they never needed a resume, they just got hired. It is devastating to someone who has not looked for a job for 20 or more years to be presented with this whole new world. They often feel lost and confused.

Though I have been in the career industry for more than 30 years, I have made it my goal to stay cutting edge on strategies, tools, and systems so I can be the guide and asset to my clients to help them maneuver the changing job search terrain. LinkedIn is one of those tools that can be a benefit but is often largely understood. If someone doesn’t need to use it, they probably didn’t take the time to understand it.

What is LinkedIn profile strength?

Everything today is based on how easy it is to find online and that includes people. If your LinkedIn profile strength is strong, you should be able to be found on LinkedIn just by Googling your name. Why is that important? A key part of hiring someone today is finding out what they look like online. Googling the candidate is part of the hiring process for many firms.

How do you maximize your LinkedIn profile strength?

The strategy for increasing your LinkedIn profile strength is multi-faceted. You need to be found when someone Googles your name but you also need to be found for your skills and experience. While your name is important when someone is verifying your identity or learning more about you, you also want to be found for the skills and expertise you offer. To be seen as a viable candidate, you need to incorporate words depict your talents throughout the profile.

• Headline — The brand you offer on LinkedIn should be clear to the reader immediately:
  • Insightful and Intuitive Human Resources Professional | Onboarding | Relationship Management | Coaching
• Your photo — Don’t omit the photo. LinkedIn profiles are 7x (and some sources say 11x) more likely to be seen with a photo. Make the investment into a quality photo.
• Summary — Your summary should be robust with stories combined with keywordsthatidentify the traits that will resonate with your field or industry:
  • CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
    Oversaw project management group charged with execution of 20 to 25 major commercial projects on a regular basis.PRE-CONSTRUCTION SERVICES
    Played a key role with pre-referendum support services to achieve successful passage of six public school referendums with values from $6.9 million to $28 million.
• Connections — A robust profile with all the above things right with less than 100 connections isn’t working. You are missing the opportunity to grow your network. Spend some time seeking people on LinkedIn. Use keywords in your industry, your hometown, your current city, your alma mater, your former companies, and your interests to find people to connect. Use your existing connections’ LinkedIn connections (your 2nd level) to figure out who else you know.
• Experience — Make sure that you complete the LinkedIn experience section with more than your title, company, and dates. This is the opportunity to familiarize your readers and your connections with your experience:
  • ♦ Boosted loan production by 400% four months after start-up by capturing market share by establishing substantial business relationships and community partnerships with real estate agents, builders, affinity groups, and individual clients.
    ♦ Implemented solution selling methodology within numerous residential mortgage loan programs to establish consistency.
• Skills — Think deeply about your industry and occupation, select LinkedIn skills that reflectviable needs in the workforce. Study some job descriptions you would like to see what employers are looking for in skills. Skills are always a noun not a verb or adjective:
  • Leadership | Vendor Management | Change Management | Process Improvement | Strategic Planning

Your LinkedIn profile strength will increase with a fully optimized profile that better reflects your value and provides meaningful content that acknowledges how you helped your past employers. This allows the reader to recognize opportunities for you to replicate your past successes in a new role.

If you are ready to hire an expert to help you increase your LinkedIn profile strength and create a resume that describes your past career contributions and success stories, learn more here. 

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