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8 essential LinkedIn profile tips according to recruiters

Your LinkedIn profile can be a useful tool in helping you to find a new job, with your online profile effectively becoming an online CV of your work experience. Recruiters, hiring managers and industry professionals see it as an essential tool in finding new candidates to fill their job vacancies.

We asked members of the First Recruitment Group team to give their advice on how to get the most out of a LinkedIn profile. Take a look at what they said below.


Ensure contact information is up to date

The first step is to ensure that any contact information is up to date. Andrew Curran, Senior Recruitment Consultant for our Permanent Recruitment team says, "Any success that may come off the back of any job search would be wasted if recruiters and hiring managers cannot get in touch with you. Make it as easy as you can for people to communicate with you."

Use a professional photo

Research has shown that LinkedIn profiles that have a picture are 11 times more likely to be viewed. ‘Professionalism’ should be the priority here, as you work to reinforce your personal brand.

First Recruitment Consultant Katie Marnell recommends using a recent photo of yourself in office attire, with a simple plain background.

Write an effective summary

This is your opportunity to sell yourself and really stand out using 2-3 sentences. Think of it as an opening gambit, or the summary paragraph at the top of your CV, including information that highlights your skills and capabilities.

As Ryan Kirkpatrick, First Recruitment Group Delivery coordinator suggests, "Mention your areas of expertise, key projects or achievements, management experience and any essential qualifications. The summary should be concise, punchy, and packed full of content."

Use key words in your profile

Recruiters often search for candidates using a set of keywords from the job description or by using a selection of similar job titles; you want to make sure that you’re appearing in these searches.

Mark Wallace, Business Manager for our Oil & Gas team says that "If you are a Structural Engineer looking to work in the Oil & Gas industry, for example, include keywords such as ‘Offshore’, ‘Oil’, ‘Gas’, ‘Gas’ and ‘Engineer’ throughout your profile, along with any key competences or skills."

Join groups and participate

Groups on LinkedIn exist across practically all sectors and specialist areas. These groups offer a great opportunity for like-minded people to share content, offer advice or steer people in the right direction, when you need advice on a work related topic.

Kevin Riley, Business Manager for IT recruitment at First, recommends finding a group that matches your area of expertise; "Use the group to digest relevant industry, career driven content, increase your market knowledge and confidence in your field. The more you interact with these groups, the more you are likely to get out of them."


Get recommendations & endorsements

Your business reputation is a powerful thing, so an excellent recommendation is essentially a publically visible testimonial or reference. Contact those people you have worked with and provide your own recommendations for them, then follow up by asking if they could also provide one for you. Think about those clients, colleagues that you have worked with best and produced the best results for.

Endorsements are similar to recommendations but are not written posts – a person can simply click to ‘endorse’ a skill that you have put on your profile. As with recommendations, don’t be afraid to endorse the skills of others; chances are they will return the favour.

Follow your dream companies

Follow companies that you’d love to work for. Why not keep up with the best? Seeing a company’s news and updates will keep you in the loop of what is happening in that industry and at that particular company. These bits of information can be used when planning your own movement, and can be strategically referenced throughout a CV or cover letter when applying for related jobs.

Upload your CV today

Once you’ve followed our LinkedIn tips and your profile is looking as good as it can do, it is a good idea to check that your CV reflects the same positive image. Check out our article here for tips on enhancing your CV.

Feeling motivated to pursue your next career? Start your proactive approach to job hunting right now by registering your details and uploading your CV here and we’ll contact you if we have any jobs matching your skills.

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