LinkedIn offers a lot for job seekers and forward-thinking professionals to see.

You can connect with companies and other people around the world, while exploring the careers of your peers.

But when it comes to unlocking the full potential of the platform, it’s not just about what you see. It’s about being seen.

In today’s article, we’ll explore the essential steps to being seen by recruiters (and others who can help grow your career) on the world’s largest social media platform for professionals!

Research first

One of the best ways to learn about the potential of LinkedIn is to spend some time exploring profiles, companies, and industries that spark your interest.

You can cultivate your feed by following the people and brands that resonate with you.

Give yourself a gameplan

If you’re actively seeking work opportunities on LinkedIn, then it’s important to put the same thought and dedication into using the platform as you would into your actual work.

Set a schedule and plan your process for building your network. Decide what sort of content you’d like to share, and where, to help encourage more followers and create new connections.

Keywords are key

Just like you use keywords to find a specific recipe on Google, so too do recruiters use keywords to search for potential candidates on LinkedIn.

In order to improve your search ranking, it is important to keep your profile complete and up-to-date with the terminology used to describe workers in your dream industry/job.

Not sure what those are? Spend some time checking out job postings that interest you to see what buzzwords are all the buzz!

Pro Tip: Your resume should be consistent with the keywords that recruiters are looking for, too!

Get ahead with headshots and headlines

Until a recruiter actually clicks on your profile, they are most likely just going to see two things:

Your headshot, and your headline.

You need to make these two pieces of content as “clickable” as you can!

Keep your headshot professional, and high quality, but indicative of who you are.

Make your headline catchy, and make sure that it speaks to the value you can bring to potential employers.

Point them towards your portfolio

Do you work (or want to work) in a creative field?

Then an online portfolio is the best way to show recruiters what you’re all about!

Unfortunately, LinkedIn isn’t the best platform to actually host your portfolio, though…

So make sure the link to your own website or other portfolio-hosting solution is displayed prominently in your LinkedIn profile so that recruiters can easily access your best content!

Engage with employers

You don’t just have to sit back and wait for recruiters to find you. But you don’t necessarily have to just apply for jobs either.

Remember, LinkedIn is a social media platform. And every social media platform, at its core, is fueled by the socialization of the people who use it!

So jump into conversations where recruiters might be listening, or interact with their brand online to show them you’re interested in what they do.

Get recommendations and endorsements

On LinkedIn, an endorsement is a single-click sign of approval from one of your connections.

And a recommendation is a written-out reason that one of your connections supports you and your work.

And BOTH of these are powerful ways to curry the interest of recruiters!

Think of when you’re buying a product for the first time. You prefer purchasing one that has strong, honest reviews, right?

Well recruiters feel the same way about shopping for candidates! So bolster your odds with kind words from real acquaintances.

Be #OpenToWork

No one likes spam.

That’s why recruiters will typically only approach professionals who are advertising that they are actively looking for work. 

By following these steps on LinkedIn, you can enable an option that lets recruiters know you’re open to receiving work opportunities!

Important: To protect your privacy, LinkedIn takes steps to prevent LinkedIn Recruiter users who work at your company and related companies from seeing your shared career interests, but they can’t guarantee complete privacy.

Conclusion

The first step to being seen on LinkedIn is to get on the platform today!

If you haven’t already, now’s the time to go set up (or clean up) your profile, and start being seen by the people who matter most to your job search!