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The Art of LinkedIn

Illustration of a large letter 'A' with the words 'AREA TALENT' and circle text reading 'LinkedIn Profiles Recruiters Love.' Diagram highlights various LinkedIn profile features like 'Keyword Optimized Headline' and 'Unique About Section.'

By now you are probably pretty eager to get that new profile in front of some eyes. I don’t blame you…it looks pretty sweet! BUT there are a few things to consider before taking your profile for a new drive. The profile alone, while an important tool in your toolbox, is not the only driver in getting profile views. Follow these simple steps and start seeing your profile views and connections rise! (These tips apply to job seekers and entrepreneurs).

Newly added hacks for career changes, job seeking, and salary negotiations have been added below.

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94% of Recruiters Use LinkedIn

Post. Comment. Like. ENGAGE WITH YOUR CONNECTIONS!

One thing you may notice right after your update is the number of views on your profile has dropped. That’s okay. As with any SEO, it may take up to three months for LinkedIn to sync your content to the web. The goal with the optimization is not to get you MORE views, it’s to get you QUALITY views. Depending on your subscription to LinkedIn, you can see the top keywords your profile is found for and the titles of the people searching for you. To increase views, you need to engage on the platform which the next few bullets outline.

Build your credibility as an industry thought leader. Share content that you find interesting to engage your audience. Evergreen content is not necessary and not everyone has the time to create their own. Sourcing content is an excellent way of building your professional reputation on LinkedIn. See an article that you found interesting and relevant to your job? Share it! Add a few lines on what you found interesting.

PRO TIP: Consistency is key. Post a minimum of one time per week or a maximum of once per day. The quality of your content outweighs the frequency. The more engagements your content gets, the more likely LinkedIn will serve it up on a silver platter to others in their feed. Poor quality content, with fewer engagements, will bury your post.

Post

Comment

Commenting on someone else’s post is one of the best ways to get your name in front of out-of-network eyes. But don’t leave lame comments like “I agree!” or “Thank you for sharing.” Be thoughtful in your response. I’m not saying write a dissertation, but make sure your comment is adding VALUE. Value is key and LinkedIn rewards your profile when you share thoughtful commentary.

PRO TIP: Connect and Follow Industry Thought Leaders (people with a huge following). Engagements on these posts drive your profile views up! (This is how I doubled my connections in 90 days)

Like

One of the easiest things you can do is “Like” a post. But just like most things in life, the easiest things aren’t always the best things. LinkedIn will reward your profile by engaging with others through “likes” but a “like” weighs less than a “comment” and a “comment” weighs less than a “post”. Keep that in mind!

Network.Network. Network.

ending an InMail is one of the best things you can do if using LinkedIn for a job search. Send a quick message to a hiring manager or recruiter to open a dialogue around a position they may have open (or a company you are interested in working for).

PRO TIP: Skip the recruiter and go straight to the decision-maker (the hiring manager).

Go Premium

Premium memberships fall at the top of the search results for recruiters. Premium members also have access to the skills a company wants in their next hire, taking the guesswork out of what your resume or profile should include. If you see you are missing skills, see if you can make room for them in your skills list.

Don’t Change Your Settings

Keep your settings the same from the optimization session. These settings were changed for a reason, reverting back to old settings will only hurt your profile performance.

Grow

Grow your connections. You need 50+ connections to raise your visibility. This doesn’t mean accepting anyone! It’s important to weed out the salespeople and leave your connections for those that are more likely to engage with your content

Get Endorsed

Now that your skills section is optimized, you may have the need to get new endorsements for your top three skills. Ask your network to be endorsed. The more highly skilled they are in the skill you are being endorsed for, the more weight the endorsement has. You must have at least one endorsement for LinkedIn to recognize it as a skill.

Join Groups

Join industry professional groups. You may find valuable shares and make some key connections through these groups. You can also find some good content to source on your own page.

Photos

If we did not upload a new professional photo, make sure the photo you have is one that you want to represent you on the platform. Don’t forget, if you purchased directly through my website, you have access to a free professional photo with my AI service. There is also a place for a banner photo. Make sure you do NOT leave this blank. Add a photo (it does not have to be work-related). PRO TIP: I use Unsplash for images.

Future Profile Updates

Treat your profile like your resume. It’s a living document and should be updated as you reach new career milestones. When you add a new position to your profile, make sure the box next to “Update Headline” is UNCHECKED. If it’s checked, when you click “Add to Profile” your awesomely, keyword-rich, unique Headline is replaced with your current position. It is a known fact that the Headline is the number one driver to a profile. Don’t be like everyone else!

Career Changes + Job Search + Salary Insight Hacks

Use LinkedIn filters to identify people with similar career paths, find people hiring, and see what salaries are being paid for your target roles.

Career Change Hack

Changing careers? There's no one better to connect with than someone who has already made the transition you're looking to make.

Here's how to find them:

  • Search for your target job 

  • Filter for "People" 

  • Add 10 targets to the "Companies" filter 

  • Add 10 companies in your current industry to "Past Companies" 

Now you have a list of everyone who went from your current industry to your target industry!

Salary Negotiation Hack

Most companies won't post a salary range. But Colorado, California, and NYC passed a law that requires them to. The list keeps growing!

So search for your target job in Colorado, California, or NYC. 

Then adjust the salary range for the cost of living in your area. 

Now you have more accurate salary data! Bonus points if you repeat this for other states and cities that have similar laws. The more data you get, the more accurate the numbers will be!

Job Search Hack

Many hiring managers post about open roles. Here's how to find them: 

  • Search for: Target Job Title + Hiring 

  • Filter for "Posts" 

  • Go to All Filters > Author Company 

  • Add your target companies.

Apply for the role and DM the person who posted it!