8 Easy (And Effective) Ways To Help Recruiters Find You on LinkedIn

In an increasingly tough job market, relying on massive job boards — many of which are driving thousands of candidates to the same open roles — for visibility as a job seeker won’t cut it. More and more, it’s important to be strategic about where and how you’re getting yourself in front of recruiters and hiring managers online. (A relevant #ProTip: making a Professional Profile on FGB can help you get noticed by recruiters at companies that are looking to hire more women!)

The need for perfecting your passive job-seeking approach is rising, too. Namely, how confident are you that the online presence you’ve built will do the work of drawing job opportunities to you? It’s one thing to find recruiters on LinkedIn and send them connection requests. It’s another to build your page in a way that will effectively do the opposite, by helping recruiters to better find you. 

To that end, we heard from recruiters about the tried-and-true tactics that job seekers can use to stand out to them on LinkedIn, every single time. 

1. Use the right keywords when describing your accomplishments.

“One of the best ways to register on a recruiter’s radar amidst today's challenging climate is to have a robust LinkedIn presence that spotlights your value proposition to recruiters.My recommendation is to pepper your LinkedIn profile with relevant keywords and get your work history updated to ensure maximum visibility,” says Jagoda Wieczorek, HR Manager at ResumeLab. “The most important thing to reel in recruiters is to provide a clear and concise snapshot of your tangible accomplishments.” 

2. Ensure you have a decent number of connections — at least 200.

“Have more than 200 connections so it looks like you actually use the platform. I know some recruiters that state they won’t connect to anyone who doesn’t have at least 500 connections,” says Jessica Glazer, a Strategic Recruitment Director. “Also, comment and like posts that are relevant to your field and stay relevant to your field when posting.” 

3. Follow other pages that are relevant to your industry.

“I tend to look at the pages that a potential employee follows to see if they would be the right fit in the company. For example, someone who follows car manufacturers or pages is more likely to grab my attention because I believe they will have a better knowledge of the industry that we operate in,” says Michael Lowe, CEO of carpassionate.com.

4. Use an updated and professional-looking headshot.

“Professionalism is very important, and making your profile picture a professional one is, too,” says Jennifer, an editor at Etia.com. “Profiles with a professional image get 11 times more views than pages without a professional-looking image. Similarly, the photo should not be 10 years old.”

5. If you can, explicitly state that you’re looking for a job.

"If someone is actively looking for a job, it makes sense to indicate that in their Linkedin headline by saying things like "looking for a job" or  "open for new opportunities," says Ihor Shcherbinin, a director of recruitment at DistantJob. 

6. Include your personal email address.

“One thing I would suggest that job seekers put in their summary at the top is a personal email address,” Paul Feeney, Managing Director at Sanford Rose Associates, says. “Make it easy for recruiters to contact you. If your email address is there, it makes it easier for them rather than having to send them a LinkedIn inmail, which you then have to wait to see when they check their LinkedIn messages. Putting your telephone number down might attract spammers to your number, so personal email would be preferred.”

7. Use a compelling headline. 

“The fact is, your headline is the first thing people view when they're on your profile,” says Marcus Anwar, Co-founder of OhMy B.v. “You want a headline that is compelling and professional to make you stand out from everyone else. Your headline should also include that you’re available to more opportunities. This will let potential recruiters know that you're seeking employment. It could be something as simple as: ‘Available for opportunities.’ It's short, simple and right to the point.”

8. Have at least two or three solid recommendations.

“Despite a picture and a well-written profile, you’re still a stranger. However, the more people can vouch for you, the more trustworthy you’ll appear,” says Jessica Lim, HR Partner at MyPerfectResume. “Try to secure at least two to three recommendations. Similarly, don’t hesitate to ask your former supervisors, colleagues and other people in leadership positions to endorse your skills. This may seem shallow, but it resonates with recruiters and can do wonders for your profile in terms of proving your expertise in a given industry or confirming the skills you claim to possess.”