A recruiter's guide to crafting your LinkedIn profile

In today’s digital landscape, a professional online presence is essential for building your brand. A recent study found that 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to source and vet candidates, with LinkedIn reporting that 6 people are hired every minute on the site, meaning that if you’re in the market for a new job (or even if you’re just open to the idea), having an eye-catching, up-to-date profile could be well worth the effort. Check out what recruitment expert and CEO at The Hiring Manager, Nick Warga, has to say about the best strategies to get found by headhunters, connect and network with people who can help you in your career, and optimize your job search.

1. Perfect your tagline

Your tagline is one of the first things people see when they find your profile, so you want it to convey who you are. Warga describes it as “An opportunity to voice your experience and who you are a little bit differently than you would in what I would consider the resume portion of your LinkedIn profile.” You don’t want to simply repeat what’s at the top of your resume section but rather use it as an extra space to highlight who you are. “I wouldn’t overthink it, but having a succinct tagline that is essentially your elevator pitch is a good idea.”

When it comes to creativity, you want to align with the role and company you’re targeting. Warga advises, “If you’re able to add a little pizzazz to it that fits the type of role you’re looking for, the type of organization you want to work in, and your industry, then use the appropriate amount of pizzazz. In certain industries, it’s going to be much more well-received if you have something really poppy versus if you’re going to work a conservative department of an accounting firm where they may actually look at that negatively.”

2. Update your experience

Your work experience is a vital part of any job search. “If you’re hoping to catch a recruiter or potential employer’s attention, it should at least be up to date to include current employer, current position, and at a minimum, your primary responsibilities and accomplishments.” To do this, you need to properly highlight your experience and make sure anyone who visits your profile page can see the companies you’ve worked for, the roles you’ve had, and your responsibilities within those roles.

“When the best recruiters are running a search for a specific position, the first search is going to be for the bullseye candidate or the person who has everything the hiring manager wants. For example, in a search for a senior accountant who has a CPA, uses NetSuite, has to produce financial statements, and build financial models in Excel, you want to make sure that all of those things show up in your LinkedIn experience so that when that recruiter runs that search on the back end for all those terms, you show up first.” If you haven’t mentioned the software you use or the CPA then you may not show up in a search for a senior accountant. Without details, you’ll have fewer matching points, so you won’t be at the top of their list.

Warga’s top tip: “Put yourself in the seat of a hiring manager, evaluate your profile, and ask yourself, ‘Is my profile going to speak to hiring managers for the roles I’m searching for?’”

3. Appearances matter

This isn’t so much about how you look, but about how you present yourself as a professional. You want something that makes people want to keep reading. Warga recommends “A Work appropriate headshot and tasteful cover photo to grab attention, brand yourself and speak to the type of environment you’re looking for. As an example, if I were personally targeting a large law firm, my headshot would probably be in a suit and tie. However, if I’m targeting a creative tech start-up environment, I’m probably going to opt for a little more business casual, but still a business-relevant photo.” You should also pay attention to the layout of your experience, and how it’s formatted, just as you do with your resume.

4. Showcase your skills

The skills section can be easily overlooked but when it comes to showing up in searches, ticking those little boxes counts. “You want to make sure that the most important skills you bring to the table show up on your page [by using] keywords that recruiters might search for.” If you know you work with a particularly in-demand software that’s widely sought after, make sure you’ve ticked that box. If you speak another language and you’re targeting international companies, that could be important. Think about what’s popular or sought after in your industry or the companies you’re targeting.

Warga believes that LinkedIn will use AI more and more, so the closer your skills match the roles companies are looking to fill, the more likely you are to show up in searches. You should also consider adding skills that a particular role is looking for if you’re going to apply via LinkedIn, but only if you actually have them, of course.

5. Proofreading makes perfect

According to Warga, something people often overlook on their LinkedIn profile is how tiny errors like typos or spelling mistakes can count against you. In a highly competitive market, the details matter. Your profile is your brand and everything on it is a reflection of you. Warga explains that it’s likely to depend on the type of role you’re seeking, but in his experience, the higher up you want to go in your career, the more likely it is that small errors or carelessness will be frowned upon.

As a tip, he recommends you get someone you trust and who knows your background to review your page for you. Ask them to look at the content, spelling, and keywords. If you don’t have someone to ask, try using AI. It can be a helpful resource for putting together a resume, checking spelling, and refining your content for succinctness. However, remember AI is not infallible, so proofread everything carefully before you put it out there.

6. Post with care

Warga also advises against using LinkedIn too casually. You’ve heard it before: it’s not Facebook people! In his words, “To each their own, but if you‘re using LinkedIn to try and land your next position or you think that you will do that in the near future, it could come back to hurt your search.”

He shares that what you choose to post and how often will depend on your background and the type of role you’re looking for. “Someone in marketing and social media may want to have a more robust presence within LinkedIn. It’s going to show some of the work they’ve put together, how they brand themselves and their organization, and give the recruiter a better insight into what this individual produces. If you’re not in that world […] I think that posting regular, thoughtful information can be useful in branding yourself and your LinkedIn.” Again, he cautions against being overly personal and recommends professional use only.

7. Repost with even more care

Sharing others’ content is a great way to build your network, and people are always going to be happy when someone engages with their posts. However, as with anything, you’re entering the public arena, so you need to make sure you know exactly what it says, down to the last detail. “Don’t just go with the highlights or the headline because the content can matter. If you put [something] out there, you are then representing the content and it’s representing you.”

8. Get inspired by top profiles

Often, the best way to learn how to do something is to take inspiration from others who are nailing it. Warga suggests you take a good look at your profile and ask yourself if it’s likely to entice a recruiter or hiring manager looking for someone with your background. “If you’re not sure, then the answer is probably no, and what I would do is go and review the profiles of your peers, as well as those in positions you want to grow into. Find the best ones and make sure yours competes with those from a visual as well as a content perspective.” Don’t copy things verbatim, but look at the information they’re including, look at the overall presentation, and keep that in mind when crafting your own.

9. Make your messages count

LinkedIn is billed as a networking site, but often we’re stuck wondering whether messaging people we don’t know is a good idea. Is it annoying? Does it make you look desperate? What if you’re the 100th candidate to do so today? Warga thinks that “it’s great to reach out to a company that you’re looking to get into, or to a specific hiring manager you want to work for, or to someone whom you want to network with.” However, there’s a certain art to getting it right. People are busy and in Warga’s words, “If they receive a five-paragraph note from you, they’re likely to check out from the start.”

So, how do you do it? Keep it short and sweet, be succinct, and be open with your intentions from the start. Warga recommends sending a note detailing your interest in the organization and position but also warns that not all recruiters will reply. Don’t waste everyone’s time with mass emails or copy-and-paste messages. Be specific and do your research so you know your message is worth the effort.

So there you have it — LinkedIn can be a great tool for helping with your job search and building a network. Just remember to keep it professional and use all of the tools available to make it work for you. Curate your profile for the jobs you’re aiming for, make sure to include all of your skills, keep everything up to date, and beware of silly mistakes! If you want to reach out to people, be concise, honest, and relevant. Most of all, use it to connect and interact with people, tell your unique story, and showcase what a valuable asset you’d bring to any team.

Photo: Welcome to the Jungle

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