LinkedIn Profile SEO- The Ultimate Guide

Over 90% of recruiters search LinkedIn for meeting their talent needs. After conducting detailed database search, the recruiters are served with search results that publish a profile view( headline) of each candidate that meets the defined skill & competency criteria.

To be successful & get contacted by a recruiter, your profile should consistently appear in the search results of candidates with your qualifications & expertise higher in those search results than competing candidates. This practice of having your profile well ahead of others on LinkedIn search results is achieved through LinkedIn Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

When your profile appears in search results, you would expect your profile to stand out among other candidates to attract recruiter interest even if you are not actively looking out. Besides scouting for jobs, LinkedIn members look to reach out to potential clients & other LinkedIn members in their network as well as friends, peers & colleagues. It is often said- “if you are not searchable on social media professional platforms such as LinkedIn, you are assumed to be invisible by recruiters & hiring managers”.

Let us dig into how recruiters search on LinkedIn. Think how you search for a potential job role on various job boards. You visit a website & enter a number of keywords that resonate & align with the target role (& /or location) for which you intend to apply. Upon search you may get a list of industry & function which you subsequently click to be served with a list of potential roles which you may want to apply for. You click a few of the listings which interests you & matches with your career goals. In a similar fashion, recruiters search for & choose candidates for the potential roles they are looking to hire. So do recruiters go about scouting for that perfectly aligned candidate.

1. They start with skill categories to scout & select the skills most important for the role they are filling . This is the reason your skill section & respective endorsements are most important & why your headline should be populated with your key /most important skills.
2. Then, they often type job title for which they are filling or job titles which they expect the potential will have. This is the reason why job titles are important.
3. Location is another important aspect of LinkedIn job search. Recruiters generally look for local candidates. 
4. Then they type keywords in the search bar typically education or some relevant competencies.

The recruiters scan the search results & click the profiles which they think would be more suited for the role they are filling. After alternative research on other social media platforms & a google search on the name of the candidate,  recruiters start with the hiring process.

Recruiters have several options for researching inside LinkedIn. They can google to X-ray LinkedIn, search for people on LinkedIn or pay LinkedIn to use LinkedIn recruiter service.

You expect your name & LinkedIn profile to come on the top of search results on LinkedIn when the recruiters does any of the following searches:

1. Your name: They have your business card, your application or resume & they  are checking you out. Make sure they find you & not someone else. Make sure you are using the same name in all your documents for visibility( do not use a short name in your email). Also add your LinkedIn URL on your business card to make that search quick & accurate. This does not mean changing your legal name but using the same name consistently in your work & job search.
2. Your profession/key competencies: The recruiters may be looking for professionals like you with some specific competencies such as project management, market strategy, digital marketing or supply chain leader. They may also look at job titles that may resonate with people who may be ideally suited for the job.
3. LinkedIn skills: Recruiters are looking for someone with certain/specific skills required for the role they are filling. LinkedIn has made it easier by adding the section “ skills & endorsements”. You can be endorsed by only your first level connections. Each member can have a maximum of 50 skills. So use this feature diligently to populate your relevant skills that may be helpful in landing up with the next challenge.
4. Your former/current employer: They may also be searching for the name of your current/former employer. Make sure that you populate your LinkedIn with your professional work history.
5. Your location: Please remember that recruiters are looking for local candidates. Therefore provide  specific information. If you are staying in Spain do not mention Spain but rather mention the city where you are residing. If you are looking to relocate, please mention the target location in your LinkedIn to attract employers in that area.
6. Be active on LinkedIn: Being active on LinkedIn is vital for your profile to appear on top of search results. You can be active on LinkedIn by subscribing to relevant groups, engaging in discussions, liking & commenting on discussion/article & /or writing your own blogs & articles & sharing that in your network &/or groups you are subscribed to.

If your profile does not appear on the first page( preferably) or first 2  to 3 pages on LinkedIn search results, you are invisible since very few recruiters go beyond the first page.

Are you looking for some career advice & guidance about how to write an executive resume or have a rebranded LinkedIn profile. As the founder & executive resume coach at Sushant Kumar Ventures, offering executive resume writing & LinkedIn profile writing services for modern day job seekers, I would be happy to chat to help you meet your career goals; Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/fbPEMJ3