Boost Your LinkedIn Profile to Get Noticed By Headhunters in Sydney

Did you know that 4 people are hired through LinkedIn every single minute? Most job seekers make the mistake of only updating their LinkedIn profiles when they’re out of a job and looking for the next one. Keeping your LinkedIn profile updated at all times not only helps you connect with influential people, establish yourself as an expert in your field and develop your digital CV, it also helps recruiters and headhunters in Sydney consider you for high-level positions.

Over 87% of recruiters use the LinkedIn profiles of potential candidates to figure out if they are worth reaching out to for a position. When your LinkedIn profile isn’t updated, or doesn’t offer any insight into who you are as a person and what your expertise is, you’re setting yourself up for being overlooked! If you’d like to be on the radar of headhunters in Sydney for top management positions, it is important to have a LinkedIn page that depicts your expertise in the field. Here’s how to make your next position come to you:

1. Don’t skip the summary

The summary section on your LinkedIn profile tells a headhunter looking at your profile more about who you are. Your summary needs to be an extension of your digital resume and tell viewers about your achievements, your future professional goals, your skills and interests. Think of it as a cover letter. Your summary should grab the attention of the headhunter and give them reason to scroll down and look at your qualifications and previous roles.

2. The importance of a professional photo

Most people like to have a face to put to the name, regardless of whether they’re interacting with them for professional or personal reasons. In fact, research shows that LinkedIn profiles with a photo are 21 times more likely to be viewed than those without one, and 9 times more likely to receive connection requests.

But be careful about the picture you choose. Remember that your profile picture is likely to be the first time a potential employer sees you and will be the first impression they have of you. Ideally, your LinkedIn profile picture should be a well-lit, high-resolution headshot with you looking into the camera and smiling. Avoid poorly lit, cropped and low-resolution, as well as pictures with more than just you in it. Potential recruiters should not have to guess who you are in the picture!

3. Your educational background counts

Adding your school or college to your LinkedIn profile not only helps your classmates find you through the search or ‘People you may know’ feature, it also helps recruiters who are from the same college reach you for a position. However, leave your graduation year out to prevent potential age bias.

4. Check your communication settings

Are headhunters and recruiters able to send you a message and connect with you? From the Settings & Privacy menu, navigate to Communications. Click on the Messages option and allow people to send you messages, including InMail messages. By keeping these off, you may be preventing your future employer from reaching out to you for an opportunity.

5. Your LinkedIn profile should be an extension of your CV

More than just listing down your previous experience, current position and your skills, your LinkedIn profile should tell your story. Join groups, interact with your connections and create and share posts that solidify you as an expert in the industry. Not only will this allow people in the industry to get to know you, it will also tell headhunters who you are as a person, what your motivators are and how you think. When headhunting for top management positions, executive search firms consider personality and approachability among other soft skills in addition to qualifications.

6. Use the power of keywords

View available job descriptions for the industry you are in and your preferred role and incorporate the terms used there into your own profile. That way, when a recruiter or headhunter searches for specific keywords on LinkedIn, your profile will pop up. Of course, it is important to be honest and not add skills and qualifications that you don’t have just for the sake of adding keywords to your profile.

7. Keep your profile updated

Finally, it is important to keep your LinkedIn profile updated, especially when it comes to your recent positions and roles. Unlike a CV, which may only be viewed when you personally send it to a recruiter, your LinkedIn profile can be viewed at any time by anyone. An outdated profile can signal to potential headhunters that you may not be active on the site and may not respond to a message. And with no other way of getting in touch with you, this could lead to you being overlooked for a position you may otherwise be qualified for.

In addition to having an updated, well-managed LinkedIn page, it is important to form connections in real life, attend networking events and conferences and excel in your industry to be noticed by the top headhunters in Sydney. These individuals find talent for the highest management positions in the country, and being approached by one clearly means you’re doing something right and heading in the right direction! Even if you haven’t yet been approached by a headhunter, having a stellar LinkedIn profile is one step closer to getting there.

I am skilled in go-to-market strategy, product and consumer insights, messaging, demand generation, digital marketing, product marketing, customer advocacy, and content development. I believe data should drive strategy and inform its evolution.