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LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional services network and is a key tool for recruiters to source talent for their business.

Recently, Microsoft announced that it will be taking over LinkedIn for over USD 26 billion. Without a doubt, more and more businesses are utilising this tool, however, there is a large proportion of individuals who are still quite new to this network. Not only is it a key tool for recruiters, but it can become a key source for you when finding your next job. BUT, only if you know how to fully optimise this resource. 

Through my experience as part of the Talent Acquisition Team, and as someone who was headhunted through LinkedIn, here are my 7 top tips to fully optimise your profile and put yourself at an advantage. 

1. Don’t be lazy. Do review 
Always review your work, make sure that you have removed any typos and fixed grammatical errors in your profile. There is nothing more unattractive than seeing misspellt words or lengthy paragraphs without full stops. Can you imagine if a recruiter finds your profile and sees that you're a newspaper editor but your Linkedin profile is full of mistakes? It will just tell them that you don't have the attention to detail they need for their clients. Get your friends to proofread it for you, they should be more than willing to! 

2. Key words
An inside secret, have you ever wondered how recruiters will find you amongst millions? Well, a lot of recruiters use boolean search tactics to identify key words within an individuals profile that relates to their job description. So, if you specialise in a particular industry or if you’re looking for a particular job, use those keywords in your profile.  

3. Let the recruiters know more about you - Summary
Fill out the summary part of your profile; this ties in with keywords. It is probably the most important part of your profile. It gives an overview of your experiences and lets the recruiter know more about your personality, and how well you can potentially fit in with the organisation. 

4. No Facebook profile pictures - Be professional
Have a professional photo of yourself. Do not use a photo with your partner on a Saturday night in a bar. I can guarantee you that the recruiter will disregard you 100%. Remember, first impressions count.

5. Profile headline
Spend some time and think about how your headline can attract recruiters. Put yourself in their shoes. This is another first impressions thing. How will a recruiter know that you’re looking for a job? Highlight what you’re looking for, don’t make it vague. Make it clear and put some passion into it.

6. Be social on LinkedIn
Ideally after your profile is complete, start being engaging and join groups. Take advantage of the like and comment section. This is a social network, therefore you should be utilising it as if you were on Facebook (professionally) - put your ideas out there, respond to people's updates about themselves and reach out to people who you are potentially interested in working with.

7. What have you achieved?
Recruiters want to know what you have achieved in the past. Whether you improved as a person, exceeded targets or improved the organisation as a whole. Even if it’s volunteer work, it’s impressive to see that you have had an impact somewhere. A lot of recruiters obviously want talent (those that have achieved something, or over achieved), and that’s why it’s called talent acquisition in businesses.

I agree that it may be a lot, but think of it like this - it’s identical to passive income. Once you’ve invested in it, then you’ll just have to sit back and wait for returns (of course you’ll need to visit it at least once every few days though). However once you have these tips nailed, then you’ll no doubt be contacted about your dream job. It is worth it.

Written by Daniel Wong, Intern