Your LinkedIn Profile Should Be Working for You – Even When You're Not Looking
If you're looking for a new job, there's a good chance you'll spend hours searching LinkedIn for vacancies.
But here's something candidates sometimes forget:
Recruiters are searching LinkedIn for you too.
Every day, recruiters, Executive Search consultants and internal Talent Acquisition teams use LinkedIn to identify people for vacancies – including people who haven't applied for anything.
And the more senior or specialist you become, the more important this can be.
Some opportunities are advertised. Others are filled through networks, recommendations and direct approaches before many candidates even know the vacancy exists.
So if you're considering a move, here are 10 things we'd recommend doing.
1. Stop Treating Your Headline as Just Your Job Title
Your LinkedIn headline is one of the first things a recruiter sees.
“Store Manager at ABC Retail” tells us where you work.
It doesn't necessarily tell us what you're good at.
Think about the searches a recruiter might make when looking for someone like you.
If you're a multi-site Retail leader, for example, relevant terms could include Retail Operations, Area Management, Multi-Site Leadership, Store Openings, Turnaround or Team Development.
If you're in Head Office, make your specialism clear.
Buying. Merchandising. eCommerce. Marketing. Finance. HR. Supply Chain. Property.
Don't fill your headline with meaningless buzzwords.
Just make it easy for somebody to understand what you actually do.
2. Make Your About Section Worth Reading
A surprising number of people either leave their About section empty or fill it with something that could describe almost anybody.
“Results-driven professional with a proven track record…”
You can do better than that.
Tell people what you've actually built your career doing.
What sectors have you worked in?
What size businesses?
What are you particularly good at?
What kind of challenges have you solved?
If you're senior, what have you led or changed?
Your About section doesn't need to be an autobiography.
It needs to make somebody think:
I'd like to know more about this person.
3. Show Achievements, Not Just Responsibilities
This is probably the biggest one.
Recruiters already have a reasonable idea what a Store Manager, Head of Marketing or Retail Director does.
What we don't know is how good you are at doing it.
Instead of:
“Responsible for 20 stores across the South East.”
Tell us what happened while you were responsible for them.
Did sales grow?
Did you improve profit?
Reduce staff turnover?
Open new stores?
Improve conversion?
Develop people into bigger roles?
Turn around underperforming locations?
Deliver a transformation programme?
The same applies in Head Office.
Don't simply tell us you managed Marketing, Finance, HR or eCommerce.
Tell us what changed because you were there.
Responsibilities describe the job. Achievements describe you.
We've covered this in more detail in our guide to finding the best Retail jobs in the UK.
4. Use the Words Recruiters Are Actually Searching For
LinkedIn is a search engine as much as it is a social network.
If a recruiter is looking for a Retail Area Manager with new store opening experience, they're unlikely to search for “passionate people person who loves a challenge”.
They're searching for things like:
Area Manager. Multi-site. Retail Operations. New Store Openings. Turnaround. Fashion. Outdoor. Luxury. Home. eCommerce. FP&A. Buying. Merchandising.
That doesn't mean stuffing your profile with keywords until it becomes unreadable.
It means using the language your industry actually uses.
If you have valuable specialist experience, make sure LinkedIn knows about it.
5. Make Your Career Progression Easy to Understand
Don't make somebody investigate your career like a detective.
If you've been promoted three times within the same company, show it.
If your responsibilities increased significantly, explain how.
If the business changed name or was acquired, give enough context for somebody outside the company to understand what happened.
Career progression can be incredibly powerful.
Someone moving from Store Manager to Area Manager to Regional Manager within the same business tells us something very different from three years appearing under one generic job title.
Make your journey obvious.
6. Decide How Visible You Want Your Job Search to Be
You don't necessarily need the green #OpenToWork frame around your photograph.
Particularly if you're currently employed or operating at senior level.
LinkedIn allows candidates to indicate that they're open to opportunities to recruiters without displaying the public green frame, although LinkedIn cannot guarantee complete privacy from your employer.
We've put together a separate guide explaining how to make your LinkedIn profile visible to recruiters without your employer knowing.
The important thing is to understand your settings rather than simply switching everything on.
Visibility and broadcasting your job search aren't the same thing.
7. Stop Being Invisible on LinkedIn
You don't need to become a LinkedIn influencer.
Please don't feel you suddenly need to post a motivational quote every morning at 7am.
But being completely invisible doesn't help either.
Follow businesses you're genuinely interested in.
Connect with relevant people.
Comment intelligently on things happening within your industry.
Congratulate people when they move roles.
Share an informed opinion occasionally.
The objective isn't to collect thousands of followers.
It's to make sure that when somebody in your industry sees your name, you're not a complete stranger.
This becomes increasingly valuable as your career progresses.
8. Build Recruiter Relationships Before You Need Them
One of the worst times to start building your entire professional network is the day after you've lost your job.
Speak to good recruiters while things are going well.
You don't have to be actively looking.
You might simply want to understand your market value, what businesses are recruiting, whether your experience could transfer into another sector or what the next logical step in your career could look like.
At senior level this becomes even more important.
Our recent article, Thinking About Your Next Senior Retail Role? Start Before You Need To, explains why some of the best career conversations happen long before somebody actually needs another job.
Build the relationship before you need the relationship.
9. Don't Just Click 'Easy Apply' 50 Times
LinkedIn makes applying for jobs incredibly easy.
Perhaps too easy.
Applying for 50 vaguely relevant jobs doesn't necessarily give you a better chance than making five properly considered applications.
Before you apply, look at the business.
Understand the role.
Make sure your profile supports your application.
If there's a recruiter managing the vacancy, consider introducing yourself.
If you know somebody at the company, speak to them.
And if it's a role you genuinely want, don't assume clicking a button is the only thing you can do.
Make fewer applications. Make better applications.
10. Look at Your Profile Through a Recruiter's Eyes
This is the one I'd encourage everybody to do.
Open your LinkedIn profile and pretend you've never met yourself.
Give it 20 seconds.
Can you tell:
What this person does?
What level they operate at?
What sectors they understand?
How their career has progressed?
What they've actually achieved?
What they're particularly good at?
If you can't, neither can a recruiter.
And remember, they may be looking at dozens of profiles.
Don't make people work hard to understand why they should speak to you.
What Should Senior Candidates Do Differently on LinkedIn?
The more senior you become, the less LinkedIn should look like an obvious job search.
At CEO, Managing Director and Director level, your professional reputation and visibility become particularly important.
Keep your profile current.
Show scale and impact.
Maintain relationships.
Have opinions about the industry you lead within.
And make sure the right recruiters know who you are.
Many senior opportunities are handled confidentially and may never be widely advertised. C2's guide to starting a confidential senior Retail job search explains how that process can work without announcing to your entire network that you're considering leaving.
Frequently Asked Questions About LinkedIn and Job Searching
Should I use the green Open to Work banner?
It's a personal choice. If you're openly job seeking, it can make your availability obvious. If you're currently employed or want to be more discreet, LinkedIn's recruiter-only setting may be more appropriate, although no online setting can guarantee complete confidentiality.
Do recruiters really search LinkedIn for candidates?
Yes. Recruiters and in-house Talent Acquisition teams use LinkedIn to search for potential candidates, including people who haven't applied directly for a vacancy.
Should I put my salary on LinkedIn?
Usually, no. Your LinkedIn profile should demonstrate your experience, level and achievements. Salary expectations are normally better discussed privately when there's a genuine opportunity to consider.
How often should I update my LinkedIn profile?
Don't wait until you need another job. Review it whenever your responsibilities change, you're promoted, you complete a significant project or you have a meaningful achievement worth adding.
Should my LinkedIn profile be the same as my CV?
They should be consistent, but they don't need to be identical. Your CV can be tailored to a particular opportunity, while LinkedIn provides a broader picture of your professional experience, expertise and career.
Should I message recruiters directly on LinkedIn?
Yes, if the approach is relevant. You don't need to write an essay. A short introduction explaining your background and what you might consider next is normally far more useful than simply sending “Hi” or asking whether they have any jobs.
Your LinkedIn Profile Can't Guarantee You a Job. But It Can Get You Found.
LinkedIn isn't a magic answer to finding your next position.
But a strong profile can make it much easier for recruiters, headhunters and employers to understand who you are and why they should speak to you.
And sometimes that's all it takes to start the conversation that leads somewhere.
If you're considering your next move, you can also read our guide to finding the best Retail jobs in the UK or speak to C2 Recruitment on 01743 770 280.
You don't have to be actively looking. Sometimes it's simply worth making sure the right people can find you.