What is the importance of LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a social network where professionals, applicants, students, headhunters and recruiters hang out. In a nutshell: The "business Facebook", which belongs to the software giant Microsoft, is exactly the right place to position yourself attractively as a job candidate. The increasing number of users shows the importance of LinkedIn in this context. While only one million users were active in the DACH region, i.e. in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, in 2009, by mid-2022 there were already 18 million. In Austria alone, user numbers have risen by a third from 1.4 to 1.86 million in the last two and a half years.
The absolute user numbers are roughly the same as those of its biggest competitor XING. But the development of registrations and daily users shows: LinkedIn is in pole position internationally - and should therefore get your full attention when it comes to becoming attractive for recruiters.
What do recruiters look for? 5 tips for your LinkedIn profile
Every minute, six people worldwide are hired on LinkedIn - this number is published by the network itself. So it's time to start thinking about how you too can become part of this statistic in the future!
But what do recruiters value on LinkedIn? What adjustments can you make, what tricks are there to help you be found better by headhunters and recruiters? We at Schulmeister have put together five practical tips that you can use to raise your LinkedIn profile to a new level. Because: The better and more meaningful your profile, the more likely you are to be approached.
Tipp No1.: Update your profile
Have you ever given your profile a general overhaul? LinkedIn offers plenty of opportunities to present yourself attractively. The platform itself even offers tips that you can follow. In order to present your LinkedIn profile in the most meaningful way possible, you can do the following things:
- Status: LinkedIn allows you to mark your profile as "open to work". This is a transparent and clear signal that you are open to offers from recruiters.
- Profile picture: Use a professional portrait picture of yourself. A quick snapshot or a picture of you partying is not appropriate.
- Slogan: You have the possibility to describe yourself with a short slogan. Use this option and state what your strengths are and what exactly you are looking for.
- Vanity URL: Your profile has a cryptic URL after you register. Change it in your profile settings - this will change www.linkedin.com/in/maximilian-mh-68a9a199/ to a much easier to read line such as www.linkedin.com/in/maxmustermann/.
- Info / Description: If a recruiter scrolls over your profile, he or she will stumble across your info / description. Use this opportunity to provide a summary of your skills! Who are you? Why are you looking for a job? What are your strengths? What do you expect? Compared to the slogan, you can go into a bit more detail here.
Always remember: Your profile picture and the first visible information such as the slogan are your digital business card. So always keep this information up to date!
Tipp No2.: State your degrees and work experience
Regardless of whether you have already completed your studies, have your Matura in the bag or are still in training: Always indicate on your profile which stages you have passed through in your life so far. This section is the equivalent of the classic CV. It's important not to leave anything out and to include all relevant work experience, degrees and training.
This also applies to your skills and strengths: State these as well and, if possible, have your contacts confirm them. This gives recruiters a good impression and shows that what you can do is not just made up out of thin air.
Tipp No3.: Be active on LinkedIn
The third tip may sound unspectacular, but it is one of the most important of all. Be active on LinkedIn! You know how social networks work - interaction is created through likes, posts, shares, comments and so on. That's what makes Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitch so successful. The same applies to a professional network.
Recruiters are not looking for quiet candidates whose profiles are dead. Write posts, comment on other users' posts and make contacts to grow your network.
You are active and are found by recruiters on LinkedIn, but don't really know what to do with yourself in the future? Don't worry: At Schulmeister Consulting, we will accompany you on your way to your dream job. A broad network of companies and exciting career opportunities in finance, technology and IT are waiting for you. We look forward to taking the first steps of your career with you.
Tipp No4.: Present your references
LinkedIn offers you the possibility to link documents as PDFs in your profile. If you have interesting projects or references from your education or previous work experience, upload them there. This way, you not only write and talk about what you can do and what makes you stand out - you also show it.
Tipp No5. Examine and expand your interests
One part of your LinkedIn profile that is often overlooked is the "Interests" section. This is where all the company pages you follow on the platform are gathered. These should match you, what you are looking for and what you stand for.
You can therefore proceed strategically and follow certain pages and unfollow others that do not fit into this series. This way you round off the positive effect and the coherent overall impression of your profile.
No-Gos: You should avoid this at all costs on LinkedIn
Now that you know which tips will make you attractive to recruiters on LinkedIn, we'll show you the pitfalls you should never put your foot in.
- The first rule of thumb: LinkedIn is a professional network. Dishonest and (too) private content has no place there.
- Number two: Don't just randomly send contact requests to people you have no connection with. The same goes for writing posts: You don't have a relevant message to make right now? Then don't post at all, because: Nobody likes spam.
- The third no-go: unclear information and vague formulations. Be clear in the description of yourself and the details of your CV. Recruiters value transparency, honesty and clarity.
We accompany you on your way to becoming every recruiter's darling
Have you followed all the tips and avoided the pitfalls? Then one or the other recruiter:in should soon find its way into your inbox. If you don't know what to choose, we'll be happy to guide you through the process.
As an HR consultancy, we are very well networked in Austria and know what is important when starting your career so that you can realise your dream job. Whether via LinkedIn or our own extensive networks - together with you we will find the perfect solution for your start in professional life.
JUST SEND US YOUR CV AND WE WILL DISCUSS EVERYTHING ELSE PERSONALLY.
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