How to optimize your LinkedIn DevOps account to attract recruiters and hiring managers.
Today, in 2024, your LinkedIn account is your business card.
More than 90% of recruiters search for candidates on LinkedIn to fill company job openings. LinkedIn is becoming the default for recruiters and hiring managers to check your work history. Some of them also search for your posts to see if you are passionate about what you do. If you have a good and active LinkedIn account, you will probably be able to attract attention.
Remember the famous interview question, “Tell me about yourself”?
Your LinkedIn account should answer that question.
I can tell you what I do when I’m looking for a new DevOps role.
I’m searching for the desired companies on Glassdoor and LinkedIn. I’m reading the company reviews, checking the employee feedbacks, turnover rate, etc. When I get scheduled for a job interview, I research the interviewer's LinkedIn and Facebook accounts to understand who I am dealing with.
Probably you do the same.
The recruiters and interviewers do the research on applicants, for sure.
They are visiting your LinkedIn account for a couple of reasons:
- Look into the common connections (maybe they can contact someone for a reference).
- Check the groups you joined.
- Research your professional experience.
- Explore your posts and articles (to see your commitment toward the field).
Your goal is to grab the attention of recruiters who are searching for DevOps engineers and visiting your account. In order to do so, you need to optimize your LinkedIn account.
Let me tell you how to do that.
Create a clear headshot for the profile picture.
The first thing anyone who visits your account sees is your banner and profile picture.
Think about it. Every time someone visits your LinkedIn account, you make an impression. What message do you want to send?
A clear, professional headshot always wins.
You don’t need to hire a photographer for that, your own phone in portrait mode is enough. Try it with different lights and angles until you get the best result.
Update the background photo (banner).
Your LinkedIn banner needs to say what you do.
For example, here is my banner image. Anyone visiting my account can immediately understand what I’m doing.
You can use Canva to create LinkedIn banner, it’s free.
Use DevOps-relevant keywords in a headline.
Think about what the recruiters will type into the search bar when they are looking for the DevOps Engineer.
DevOps Engineer, obviously.
It could be Cloud Engineer, Automation Engineer, or a DevSecOps as well.
Optimize the “about” section.
Your about section is your professional summary. When you write it, present yourself as an “achiever” rather than a “doer.”
For example, this is a “doer” about section:
Planned, implemented, and documented a CI/CD pipeline for Angular, React, NodeJS, and Python services using the following tools:
- Kubernetes, Helm and Helm Charts
- Jenkins
- Scripting (Python, Bash)
- Databases (MySQL, Redis, PostgreSQL)
- AWS services with Terraform
Here is the second, “achiever” version:
Implemented various DevOps tools and processes, achieving a 40% reduction in deployment time and significantly improving system reliability and scalability.
Reduced the monthly price for AWS ECR and EKS by 50%.
Changed the way the Artifact Registry pulls the images, which led to a 30% decrease in release cycle times and a 30% decrease in server resources.
Planned, implemented, and documented a CI/CD pipeline for Angular, React, NodeJS, and Python services using the following tools:
- Kubernetes, Helm and Helm Charts
- Jenkins
- Scripting (Python, Bash)
- Databases (MySQL, Redis, PostgreSQL)
- AWS services with Terraform
As you see, the second version shows the achievements, or, in other words, “why you are useful for the company.”
Read more about it here.
Create a list of skills based on the job requirements and your knowledge.
You can add skills to the “About” section. Check the job requirements of your desired companies, choose the ones that are repeated most often, and add them as your skills.
You can add up to 5 skills you want to be known for. They’ll also appear in your skills section.
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is public.
Click on the “Me” icon at the top of the homepage, then Settings & Privacy.
Then press on Visibility > Edit your public profile.
On the next page, you can edit your visibility and what sections of your account are visible to others.
I suggest you open your profile to the public.
Next, go back to visibility and click on “Who can see your last name.”
Choose the first (full-name) option.
Be active in DevOps-related groups and engage with the community.
Ask questions, answer questions, comment, and write articles and posts by yourself. Write for the people who are few steps behind you. If you are a skilled DevOps engineer, write for junior engineers. If you are a tech lead, write for those who are aiming to become tech leads.
Step by step, become recognized in the industry.
Read here about the importance of writing online.
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