LinkedIn profiles present a multitude of criteria that candidates can use and highlight to their advantage, and that recruiters exploit to refine their search for the ideal candidate. These criteria include past and current experience, skills and certifications, location, openness to new opportunities, etc. Encouragingly, most users fill in this information at a basic level, but are often missing essential pieces of the puzzle that are important to develop! Are you one of them? Read this entire article to see if your LinkedIn profile is optimized to attract recruiters. β¬οΈ
1. The Experience section: complete it all!
Let’s start from the basics: the importance of the “Experience” section on LinkedIn seems obvious. It’s the essential link that gives context to your career path. But beyond simply listing your previous jobs and companies, it allows you to tell the story of your career path and highlight your successes. Here’s why and how you need to complete this section.
Stand out in a competitive job market
In a highly competitive job market, differentiation is key. Although many applicants may have similar qualifications, it’s the uniqueness of your career path, as reflected in your “Experience” section, that makes you memorable. It’s the opportunity to reflect your personality and passion in your profile that makes it more attractive to recruiters.
Making yourself visible
As a recruiter, I always use LinkedIn’s search filters to refine my selection according to specific criteria. If you neglect to provide details of your experience, you risk failing to meet these criteria.
On the other hand, by highlighting your achievements and responsibilities in detail and with examples, you increase the likelihood of your profile appearing in recruiters’ search results. This means that more of them will discover your profile and have the opportunity to contact you.
Staging relevant details
As you can see, the “Experience” section is much more than just a list of your past and present jobs. It provides an overview of the context of your projects and the skills you have mobilized.
To optimize your LinkedIn profile and attract recruiters, for each position you’ve held, provide a detailed description of your responsibilities, achievements and any significant projects to which you’ve contributed. Use active language and quantify your achievements whenever possible.
Here are 2 visual examples to illustrate the difference between a LinkedIn profile with insufficient information VS a well-filled profile:
The first example shows a profile with limited information, while the second presents a richly detailed description. The difference is striking, isn’t it?
Well-documented details facilitate more direct communication and can lead to starting a recruitment process if the candidate’s skills prove to be a good match for the position to be filled.
Professional experience is crucial, but it’s not the only piece of the puzzle. Lhe other four elements listed below will also help attract (and retain) recruiters on your LinkedIn profile. β¬οΈ
2. Keywords not to be overlooked
When recruiters search LinkedIn for candidates, they use specific keywords to refine their search and find the people who best match their needs. So, to maximize your chances of being identified and contacted, it’s essential to make sure you use the right keywords for the job you’re looking for. It’s a good idea to integrate them strategically into several sections of your profile, notably in your current job title, in the “About you” section, and in the section dedicated to listing your skills.
By adding these keywords, you also increase the likelihood of your profile appearing in recruiters’ search results. Keywords act as tags that direct LinkedIn’s algorithms to your profile, signalling your expertise and clearly indicating your technical skills, certifications and areas of expertise. Keywords are the key to attracting the attention of recruiters and optimizing your chances of a successful job search!
Want some examples? As a recruiter in the Information Technology sector, I’m often called upon to recruit developers. So I’m going to need to know at a glance whether their technical specifications match those required by our customers. Language (.NET, Angular, Java…), location (local or international candidate: this has a major influence on the immigration process that may or may not have to be put in place, and therefore on recruitment timescales), ability to work remotely and/or travel on site… etc.
3. Languages, another asset to make you stand out
In the Information Technology sector, communication is of crucial importance, especially in multicultural teams where bilingualism in French π«π· and English π¬π§is often essential. This is particularly true in Montreal, where French and English are spoken on a daily basis and in the workplace. That’s why it’s so important to highlight your language skills on your LinkedIn profile. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to mention all the languages you speak, along with your level of proficiency in each.
At maltem, you’ll find that our job offers almost always include a section specifying that we’re looking for candidates who are fluent in English AND French. This not only meets our customers’ needs, but also our own, as it’s easier to communicate in a multicultural context like ours if you’re fluent in both languages (remember, we have 15+ nationalities and 65+ employees!).
4. Open to opportunities? Clearly indicate your availability!
If you’re currently looking for new professional opportunities, it’s imperative to ensure that your LinkedIn profile reflects your openness to such opportunities. To do this, you can use LinkedIn’s dedicated feature called “Open to work(= available to work). This feature lets you tell recruiters that you’re looking for new career opportunities. It’s an effective way of making your immediate availability visible, by making you a priority in recruiters’ searches.
And the main advantage of this feature is its flexibility! You can choose whether you want to share this information only with recruiters or with your entire network, allowing you to preserve your confidentiality if you feel it’s necessary.
5. Education, Certifications and Training
Of course, your academic background and certifications also play a crucial role in the selection process. As recruiters, we often look for degrees and certifications specific to IT-related positions. Relevant certifications reinforce your credibility and demonstrate your personal involvement, your commitment to improving your skills and your ability to remain “current” as a candidate in your specialty. So be sure to highlight these elements on your LinkedIn profile.
Let’s take the example of a cybersecurity consultant, a profile I regularly look for in my job as a recruiter. In this area, we scrutinize the profiles of candidates looking for certifications such as CISSP and OSCP. Why do we do this? Because these specific certifications are highly prized by maltem canada customers, and are particularly in demand in the Canadian market.
In conclusion, it’s important to understand that LinkedIn is a powerful tool for your professional development. So don’t hesitate to make the most of it! To sum up the 5 points raised in this article, attracting (and retaining) recruiters on your LinkedIn profile requires a meticulous, detail-oriented approach. You can distinguish yourself 1. by describing your career path in full, 2. using the right keywords, 3. highlighting your language skills, 4. clearly indicating your availability for new opportunities and 5. your educational background and valuable certifications.
These strategies will help you stand out in the highly competitive job market, particularly in the Information Technology sector.
That said, the opportunities you deserve are not only to be found on LinkedIn. Go explore! Online job platforms, job forums, company websites… You need to multiply your sources to make yourself visible and find the job that’s right for you.
Don’t hesitate to take a look at our LinkedIn Jobs page, as well as the Career page on our website. By applying via our online site, our recruiters (myself included) will receive your profile directly in their inbox. This way, we’ll be more responsive and get back to you in no time to discuss possible collaboration opportunities! π€
