3 Ways to Update Your LinkedIn Profile on The Sly

3 Ways to Update Your LinkedIn Profile on The Sly

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Want to use LinkedIn for your job search, but afraid that your employer will find out?

Worried that your boss or colleagues will react to changes in your Profile?

You probably know there’s no way to make your LinkedIn Profile 100% private; however, these tips will help you update LinkedIn during your job search – without giving yourself away:

1 – Apply your Profile changes – but slowly.

You already know that a well-written, keyword-optimized Profile will reap many benefits for your job search. However, just because you’ve carefully constructed your Profile content doesn’t mean you must update it all at once!

Consider adding a paragraph to your LinkedIn Profile on a regular basis, filling in the details of each job or adding information to the Projects section. You could also populate the Skills & Expertise section with one competency at a time.

This slow-update strategy can help make your updates less obvious to others (who would need to monitor your Profile constantly to figure out your intentions).

2 – Update your Profile from the bottom up.

A great keyword strategy includes using common terms and skills for your field and expertise, with plenty of repetition on important phrases.

Because LinkedIn search algorithms rely on these keywords to “rank” your Profile,  you can add them in nearly every section. This means the terms you select will help boost your findability, no matter where you’ve placed them (although they count more in heavily indexed fields, such as your Job Title).

Start getting found for your important skills by updating your Profile from the oldest job first, then slowly working your way to your current role. Since most users check your Profile from the top down, similar to how they’ll read your resume, you can start benefiting from the increased keyword content without giving yourself away.

3 – Tout your employer’s achievements in your Profile.

Many people use LinkedIn to promote their employer’s products or reputation, since prospective customers will be can comb the site to find out more about the company offerings.

Here’s where updating your Profile can make you look good to your boss:  by including details on new services or the company’s competitive edge, you can surreptitiously add keyword terms or skills that make you look good at the same time.

For example, an operations executive might mention “new production and process improvements that place XYZ Company among the fastest industry-wide for delivery,” or an IT project leader can specify “initiatives that incorporate cloud-based strategies and allow us to offer increased data security to customers.”

In short, there are ways to inject more content into LinkedIn – and benefit from it – without exposing your job search to others. Start with deliberate, well-planned updates to your Profile for a better reception from employers.

Also published on www.Job-Hunt.org 

5 Reasons You Should Research Your Job-Seeking Competition on LinkedIn

5 Reasons You Should Research Your Job-Seeking Competition on LinkedIn

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Think LinkedIn is just a place to gather connections, apply to jobs, or cultivate endorsements?

Think again.

With the increased transparency among professional users on LinkedIn, you can use it to check out the careers and credentials of your competition – gaining valuable insight and even a leg up in your job search.

You can see who’s been promoted or holds a position of interest in a target company—and figure out how they were able to make these career moves.

Here are the best reasons to leverage LinkedIn as a research tool (whether you’re in an active job search or just considering looking around) to gauge your fitness in the job market:

1 – You’ll gain insights applicable to your own career path.

If you’re trying to make a move up the corporate ladder, consider looking at the examples presented by those already working at your desired level. Perhaps they started working in a similar occupation, or earned promotions similar to the ones you’re targeting.

Make note of the career paths and steps that these executives have taken, especially in cases where their background matches yours. You might find, for example, that a change in industry or title isn’t the showstopper you originally thought it would be. (more…)

Writing Your LinkedIn Profile Headline for Searchability & Branding

Writing Your LinkedIn Profile Headline for Searchability & Branding

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Using LinkedIn for your job search? You might have assumed, as many others do, that your mere presence on the site is enough to make your Profile findable by employers and recruiters.

However, the key information used in some LinkedIn Profile fields can actually make a huge difference in the way employers become aware of your qualifications.

Specifically, your Headline is prime LinkedIn real estate—critical to the marketing and search optimization methods that might be used by recruiters to locate you when they search for candidates.

Here’s how it works: As a quick identifier, your Headline should be tuned to not only your job level, but your goal, enabling LinkedIn’s internal search engine to do its job more efficiently.

When you first populate your Profile, LinkedIn will ask if you’d prefer to use your current job title as the Headline. Even if you respond with “Yes,” you can (and should) take the time to update your Headline to a branded representation of your job target and value to employers—filling up as many of the 220 characters allowed as possible.

To change your Headline, click on the Profile option at the top of your Home Page, then choose Edit Profile. In the area that lists your name, select Edit to change your Headline.

Consider the following examples when tuning your Headline for greater searchability and relevance to your job goals: (more…)

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