Do These 5 Things To Attract Employers To Your LinkedIn Profile

By Lilian Wamaitha
It had been a year and three months since he had been laid off his previous job. With a kid on the way and the little savings he has accumulated dwindling by the day; James knew that it was only a matter of time before his young wife and unborn baby starved. So he did what anybody in his position would have done. He started looking for a job and knocking on almost all doors.
Though he had planned on starting a business rather than go back to the corporate world, that dream seemed farther now more than ever. Six months down the line, he was yet to land a job. He was almost giving up until he logged into LinkedIn and a HR from one of the recruitment firms in Nairobi reached out to him with a job offer that she felt he was the perfect fit for.
She sent him the job description and true enough, he had all the qualifications they were looking for and so he confirmed that he was interested in an interview.
Fast forward, all this happened last year and now James is employed with a leading auditing firm along Mombasa road. The salary is good and he is thinking about remaining in the corporate world for a while before venturing out to establish his own auditing company.
“To tell you the truth, I had even forgotten that I had a LinkedIn profile. It must have been fate that I even thought about checking it that day. I guess boredom has a way of driving you to do things you don’t want to,” he chuckles as he narrates his ordeal.
James is an example that LinkedIn works.
You may be looking for a job or trying to change careers and have no idea where to begin.
Well, take it from me. I am surrounded by recruiters and what all have in common is the confirmation that they use LinkedIn to seek for candidates to fill various positions.
“Most of the time when I have a position pending and is not getting the right candidates, I will go to LinkedIn and try to connect with those I know to recommend someone,” confirms Ms. Cynthia Wangeci, a recruitment manager at Corporate Staffing Services.
So how do you draw employers to your linked in profile without looking desperate?
1. Have a complete profile
Think of your LinkedIn profile as your CV. Just like you would write a CV, ensure that your LinkedIn page contains all your qualifications.
To bring you closer to landing a job, fill out your profile, that is, career history and education as well as the skills that you possess.
The more complete your profile is, the higher you rank on LinkedIn search results making it easier for employers to find you.
And on that note, profiles with photos are more attractive to employers that those without.
Consider This >>> 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Using LinkedIn for Jobs
2. Grow your network
One of the mistakes that job seekers make is think that by having a LinkedIn profile, they should only stay connected with people they already know.
Yes you may have a few people you have added that you know – former colleagues, classmates, lecturers and so on. But building a network is about connecting with other people outside your social circle.
Think about this, every person you connect with on LinkedIn has the potential of introducing you to more than 400 other people. Having more direct connections will increase your overall network, creating more opportunities and chances of getting noticed.
Don’t treat LinkedIn like other networks but treat it like a networking tool where you get to meet professionals who will come in handy now and in the future.
3. Recommend others
The law of nature is that you receive what you give. The more you give, the more you receive. An impressive profile will help draw employers to your profile but it is the recommendation of others that will convince them that you are right for the position.
And so ensure that you recommend other people as well because chances are that they will reciprocate that when an opportunity they know you would be a perfect fit for comes along.
Start as early as now and it will make your job search easier.
4. Join groups
Like other social networks, LinkedIn also has groups that you can join.
This is something I am personally very keen about and I have joined groups of people in my industry and who are interested in what I am interested in.
Whatever industry you are in, taking part in group discussions will establish you as an expert while helping you connect with like-minded people you might not have connected with outside the group.
5. Optimize for search rankings
Recruiters use keywords related to an industry when sourcing for candidates. Optimizing your profile for search rankings means incorporating these keywords to ensure that you appear in search results when an employer is looking for someone with your qualifications.
Having 40 words or more in your profile summary  ensures that you appear in search results and research also shows that people with at least five skills on their profiles receive up to 17 times more profile views.
However, in as much as you are optimizing your profile, keep off cliché statements that only drive employers away. Worlds like visionary guru or marketing genius only serve as a turn off.
Job search is a tedious process and taking the necessary measure to make sure that you get noticed will go a long way. And the first step is to revamp your LinkedIn profile to ensure that employers are drawn to it without looking desperate.
Lilian is a Communication Officer at Career Point Kenya. Got any career related questions? Email them to lilian@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke.