Last time I shared with you the first five of the Top 10 ways you can assure yourself of little to no LinkedIn traffic. Now I’m quite sure that you want traffic, and lots of it, particularly if you are in or anticipating an active or passive job search.
If that’s true, then these mistakes are ones it will quickly payoff for you to avoid:
Non-Strategic Extra Sections
If you have relevant material you can use for some of LinkedIn’s other sections, such as organizations, professional development coursework, languages, or certifications, listing all of it may make your profile too dense to read. Strategically select the best material to include and keep it lean and simple. The goal here is not to list things just to have more information on your profile. The goal is to include details that will make recruiters and hiring executives want to know more about you.
Attaching a Generic Resume
And speaking of resumes, the vast majority of those included on profiles are generic in focus which makes them inappropriate to attach. If a recruiter downloads your resume, will their Applicant Tracking System find enough key words to ensure you get an interview? It all depends on how well you aligned your resume with your profile’s title and how well you tailored the document to make the key words for the types of roles you are pursuing. If you’re only looking for one type of work this approach may serve you well. But most folks are looking for a variety of possible positions, which may mean that attaching a resume will inadvertently eliminate you from consideration from roles for which you are actually a great match.
Too Few Groups
Have you ever noticed how few groups most people join on LinkedIn? Yet one of the easiest and fastest ways to build up your network or to expand your reach in targeted industries or companies is to join more LI groups. LinkedIn allows you to join up to 50; I recommend joining as close to that number as you can.
Too Few Skills Listed
Unless you live under a rock you probably already know that LinkedIn’s search algorithm seeks out and counts the number of times certain words are used. One of the key sections it focuses on when doing so is Skills. Here again, LinkedIn allows you to list 50; here again it makes sense to maximize your list in order to enable your profile to rank higher in recruiter and hiring manager searches. Listing less than that amount is job search suicide on LinkedIn.
Inadequate Key Words
While your Skills section will boost your profile’s key word count, don’t stop there – your profile needs more key words than 50. Embed industry-specific key terms in each employment listing and in your summary. Consider using a skills subsection in your summary. And if you’re a new grad or a professional with specific training in your field, consider adding coursework to your education section.
You want your profile to be read, right? If so, it’s imperative that yours includes the right types of details in the right volume in the right locations. Otherwise you’re begging recruiters to ignore your online presence.
