As Senior Research Consultant at Edbury Daley, I find that LinkedIn is a very valuable resource for identifying potential candidates through searches for executive vacancies. In fact, I use it every day.
So if you’re in the job market and are looking for your next position, then in my experience keeping your LinkedIn profile up-to-date and current is vital. This is true even if you’re not looking for a move as it could make the difference between a recruiter shortlisting you for your dream job, or not.
So when conducting a search on LinkedIn, I am attracted to profiles that have the following:
- When the location defined on the profile is representative of where the candidate is actually carrying out their current role. Often the location is not up-to-date and causes confusion for the recruiter about where a candidate may be seeking a new position, so ensuring it is accurate avoids confusion and can limit the chance of you being approached about unsuitable and irrelevant opportunities.
- Clearly defined job titles that convey the candidate’s level of seniority within the company, and profiles that avoid more than one current job title which creates the impression the candidate is carrying out both at the present moment.
- A precise summary of your exact responsibilities and achievements under each position.
- A professional, relatively up-to-date photo of you and not something else. It shouldn’t be of something that relates to your hobbies, personal life or be non-work related. Profiles that don’t have a photo give the impression to the recruiter that the candidate isn’t perhaps very tech-savvy or an avid LinkedIn user.
- Clear and accurate details of your education history with the relevant qualifications.
- Profiles that avoid clear gaps in a candidate’s experience without a reason. Any detail about why you may have had a career break is useful and creates an honest impression. Each new position should follow on from the last one in terms of timing. Despite the fact that the experience that is on the profile may look great for the role in question, missing out a block of time in your career on your profile will confuse a recruiter.
If you need some guidance or further information, then please do get in touch via georgia@edburydaley.com.
