A Guide to Getting Headhunted on LinkedIn

Want to get recruited on LinkedIn? As Recruiters, we sift through countless LinkedIn profiles on a daily basis. Whether you’re actively seeking employment or simply open to new opportunities, spending time refining your LinkedIn profile is a smart investment that can pay off in the long run.

Resume Rules Apply

For some, LinkedIn is more of an online resume than a social network, which is why it’s so surprising that those same people frequently have terrible LinkedIn profiles.

When headhunters are looking at LinkedIn profiles, they look for complete work histories, job descriptions, and (yes) a picture of you. Make it easy for them to get a sense of your career trajectory by completing your profile. Even if you never post a status update, apply the same rules to your profile that you apply to your resume.

• If a position is worth having there, it’s worth explaining. Just keep it skimmable.
• Not all positions are worth having there. Your profile should reflect your current career, not the two years you owned a ranch.
• Post a picture. This is the only rule that’s reversed from a standard resume.

Skills Show Up in Search

A resume is a place to show off your skills, but you can do more than just include them in your job description with LinkedIn. Under the “Skills” section, you can tag keywords and skills related to your role and industry. These tags will help you show up in search results. So, if we’re looking for “software sales Toronto”, having “software” and “sales” is a good start to getting noticed.

There are a lot of different tags you can apply to your profile, so don’t be afraid of a little overlap, for example, “Marketing” and “Web Marketing” are going to attract different audiences and the more specific you can be, the better.

Request Recommendations

Nothing will replace a reference check, but a recommendation is a good way to establish that everything on your profile isn’t a complete fabrication.

If you work directly with clients, they may take it upon themselves to recommend the work you’ve done, but in any other situation, you’ll probably have to ask. When you do, try to get someone senior to vouch for you. It carries more weight than swapping recommendations with the guy in the cubicle next to you.

Be There or Be Square

This isn’t equally true for every industry, but LinkedIn is the go-to resource for Recruiters in technology, finance, and a host of other sectors. If for whatever reason, you’ve decided to avoid LinkedIn you’re missing out on opportunities to get headhunted. There are still ways you can come across our desk (recommendations, applications, etc.), but we might not even bother if someone else’s well-manicured LinkedIn account has given us everything we need before we have to ask for it.

For the most part, LinkedIn is a “set it and forget it” social network, which is good for people who might not be social media savvy.

These basic steps will ensure your profile is informative and easy for Recruiters to find. Of course, connecting with your colleagues, joining groups and connecting with a Recruiter also increases your odds of getting headhunted, but start with the basics and go from there.

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