As you know, sometimes the best things in life cross your path when you aren’t looking. Even if you are not in the market for a new job, a recruiter may stumble upon your page hoping to fill a role you didn’t even know you needed. But, if your LinkedIn profile isn’t set up correctly, they may never find you.
Even if your LinkedIn profile is up to date and you have a strong personal brand, there may be some small tweaks you can make to catch the attention of a recruiter.
We consulted with Tammy Chatkin-Newman, Executive Vice President of Global Search at 24 Seven, our parent company. With 35 years of experience in recruiting, Tammy claims that from a positioning, networking, or recruiting perspective, there is so much good that can come as a result of having an up-to-date LinkedIn. Here’s what she had to say.
LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES OF LINKEDIN RECRUITER
First, it’s helpful to understand the LinkedIn tools a recruiter uses to search with, and what information they source from your profile.
What is LinkedIn Recruiter?
LinkedIn Recruiter is a recruiter’s backdoor to go into LinkedIn to see who is open to work. Recruiters search by keywords, companies, sectors, awards, companies, and industry specific profiles—for example, if a recruiter is looking for an art director for a beauty brand, they will use keywords like CPG, beauty brand, makeup, art director, etc., and it will source all marketers with those terms on their profile.
What are the most important areas that a recruiter sees from the LinkedIn Recruiter platform?
Only your job experience, education, headline, and location will be visible at first glance on LinkedIn Recruiter. If these don’t catch a recruiter’s attention, they likely won’t click into your profile to see more. On the other hand, if these areas align with what a recruiter is searching for, you may just be contacted.
STAND OUT ON LINKEDIN: A RECRUITER’S PERSPECTIVE
Second, knowing what a recruiters eyes go to first when they see your profile is key. According to Tammy, “LinkedIn and resumes are similar in that if you can look at the page for 10 seconds and get the ‘meat and potatoes’ out of it, then it’s worthwhile.”
What are the top 1-3 things recruiters look for on a candidate’s LinkedIn profile?
We are looking right away for what work you have done and how much skipping around you have done. We want to know where you are working, job titles, growth within job titles, achievements (sales, promotions, return on investment, etc.) It says a lot by how clear you are about your impact and experiences.
Are there any major “dos” or “don’ts” for candidates looking to stand out to recruiters?
Do:
- Use relevant keywords.
- Upload a current headshot.
- Talk accurately and be truthful.
- Keep experiences and bio up to date.
- Be quick and to the point.
- Share the ROI you’ve had in past and current roles.
- Post current and relatable content specific to what you want out of LinkedIn.
Don’t:
- Oversell yourself.
- Overthink it.
- Lie or add fluff.
Does a candidate having a highly active LinkedIn presence and clear personal brand help them stand out compared to other’s who don’t? Why/why not?
High activity generally doesn’t matter as much to recruiters. But if you are a content or brand marketer, yes it does matter.
At what level in your marketing career does your LinkedIn profile importance not matter as much?
It’s common practice for recruiters to look at your profile before they do an interview—no matter the level of your career. If you want to be relevant, then your profile should be up to date. You never know what opportunities will present themselves. It’s required for everyone now, and even more so for marketers.
If a candidate wants to stand out to recruiters, how should they think about their LinkedIn profile compared to their resume?
LinkedIn is not your resume. Don’t over-labor it. Bios don’t matter as much for lower-level marketers compared to C-suite executives. If you choose to have a bio, be specific enough that it attracts the right people. Don’t be broad. What attracts people is knowing who you are, and what you want.
Do career gaps matter to recruiters on LinkedIn?
It depends on how big of a gap it is. Recruiters are looking for how you are filling in those gaps. What are you doing with your time? Are you involved in things like boards, consulting, volunteer work, education, events, etc., to level yourself up?
Do recruiters take LinkedIn recommendations seriously?
No. How many recommendations you have doesn’t matter. We see LinkedIn recommendations as your friends more so doing you a favor. Professional recommendations during the interview process have more value.
Should you direct message a recruiter?
Yes, but how you message them and how you show up in their inbox matters. Many people treat LinkedIn messages like texting. Speak in full sentences with formal, professional communication—this goes a long way.
Will recruiters only reach out if you have the “open to work” feature on your LinkedIn?
Recruiters will reach out to people even if they don’t have “open to work,” especially if they are a great candidate. However, as soon as someone marks that they are open to work it gets sent to recruiters’ inbox, which will bring you top-of-mind. That said, people will come up in the recruiters’ search process even if the candidate isn’t open.
How should you position your LinkedIn if you want to change careers or industries?
You need to illustrate knowledge in that other industry, put some keywords in your bio that would attract people in that field, show that you have some experience in that field, and really start connecting with peers in that industry.
Meet Tammy Chatkin-Newman, Executive Vice President of Global Search at 24 Seven:
Tammy has been a leader in the Fashion and Creative staffing industry for over 28 years. She opened the first west coast office for 24 Seven over 21 years ago which spearheaded the freelance fashion community in Los Angeles. Under her leadership 24 Seven has seen continued success. In the first half of 2022, we had over 5,800 people start in freelance roles, a 48% increase from the first half of 2021. Additionally in the first half of 2022, we placed nearly 1,000 people in full-time jobs, a 57% increase over the first half of 2021.
Marketers That Matter® is a community of top marketing executives coming together to pioneer the future of marketing, sharing real-time experiences, and solving current challenges.
Our parent company, 24 Seven, specializes in helping you find exceptional marketing and creative talent for your teams.
