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As recruiters, we use LinkedIn as a tool to review potential hires on behalf of our clients. Every day, we come across profiles that misrepresent people. Even worse, some profiles are not even complete enough for them to be found by a recruiter. If you are new to LinkedIn, check out our top mistakes to avoid when creating your profile.
1) Remaining a mystery
LinkedIn states that profiles with a photo attract far more interest. 40% more in fact. You’d be surprised how many people don’t consider their choice of photo. Keep this professional rather than the fun, social photos that you would use on Facebook.
2) Not highlighting your skills
If you want to be found and approached by recruiters on LinkedIn then including your relevant skills, qualifications and experience on your profile is crucial. If you only enter your job title, your profile is unlikely to be found when recruiters are searching for people that match their candidates’ requirements. If you hold a qualification, mention this in your summary section and in the name field if you can abbreviate it easily. Think about your day-to-day responsibilities and make sure your key skills are included in your profile.
3) Only talking about today
Recruiters are not only interested in your current role and responsibilities. Mention your previous roles and experience and give details on the areas you work in rather than purely including a link to the company name. This helps if you have worked for a smaller unknown company or if you have experience in a large PLC so you can be clear on which part of the business you worked for.
4) Mutual recommendations
It doesn’t look as impressive if you have made an agreement with a colleague to both leave recommendations for each other. Try to reach out to your network to gain genuine recommendations. This is far more impressive to a recruiter.
5) Too many current roles
A common mistake we see is that people don’t amend the dates of employment on their profiles so it can seem like someone is holding down multiple jobs at the same time. Check that only your current role shows to present.
6) Abandoning your profile
What you may not realise is that behind the scenes, LinkedIn can tell recruiters if you have been more active on your profile. If you are open to opportunities, it helps to make sure your profile is kept up to date. That way, you will be approached about roles that are relevant to you today.
Once you have created your profile, we would also recommend that you ask a friend to review it to check for any grammatical or spelling errors. Asking for a second opinion can go a long way as selling yourself is not always an easy task.
Once you have created your LinkedIn profile - don't forget to follow Cobalt on LinkedIn for more tips and tricks
Job hunting can be full of uncertainty. But with us, you can be sure that we’ll do everything we can to get you to your ideal job. Send your CV to us to get started or search for the latest job vacancies and we’ll get the ball rolling.