Why do people make it so damn hard for themselves in the online (social) world of recruitment? After my last post on LinkedIn that explained why your LinkedIn profile doesn't appear in people's LinkedIn searches, I just want to add ONE more CRITICAL simple piece of LinkedIn advice.

But first - do you know what job you do, who your intended audience is and what they search for to find people like you? For many people on LinkedIn the answer is no to all three!!

If you are a recruiter (internal or agency side) then tell people that. Be proud and loud to be a recruiter. Don't hide behind stupid meaningless (to candidates) job titles and job descriptions, that give you a false sense of importance and boost your ego (or your companies for that matter). 
A person checking you out is not interested in spurious job titles or 'airy fairy' headlines and descriptions, they don't have time - in fact you probably only have 3-4 seconds to get their attention!
When they land on your LinkedIn profile they want to know if you are the right person for them to make contact with / reach out to / find them a job in their industry / help recruit relevant talent for their company.

Here is mine for example:

I tell people what I do - Consult, Train and Advise; to who - Companies; and what about - Recruitment Strategy, Social Recruiting and Recruitment Process.
AND remember the keywords of your sector/industry/marketplace - I have made sure the three main keywords I want to use currently - Recruitment Strategy, Social Recruiting and Recruitment Process - are right there in the headline. 
Are your main keywords in your headline?

So, just take a look at your profile - how fluffy is it? If I landed on your profile, could I tell what you do within 3-4 seconds? Why not ask someone to take that test - show them your profile and ask them if they understand what you do.

Words like executive consultant, director, consultant, manager, talent scout, innovator, thought leader, talent acquisition (candidates don't ever refer to themselves as talent, do they), talent solutions executive, human resource professional, account manager, managing partner etc etc. MEAN DIDDLY SQUAT to candidates UNLESS you add in some of the keywords they associate with and search for when looking for recruitment people. These words are quite simple - recruitment, recruiter or recruiting.
TIP A candidate will not necessarily associate researcher or resourcer with the recruitment function. So if that it your role, ensure you have recruitment in the headline somewhere, otherwise you might be brushed into the market research corner!

The Ronseal strapline in the advert above to SO PERFECT for this - does your LinkedIn headline do what it says on the tin?

Make sure you have an honest look at your own profile. And if you want a second opinion connect with me on LinkedIn and ask me - I will tell you!

We work with recruitment agencies and corporates to help them with recruitment strategy, recruitment process and social recruiting. If you require guidance, advice or social recruiting training, get in touch today.

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