A missed opportunity. That role could have been perfect for you! But you’ll never even know the company was actively searching out candidates. That’s what can happen when your LinkedIn visibility is lacking.
This week I attended a Phase2Careers presentation about LinkedIn Networking where senior recruiter Jenny Harris shared her excellent tips and guidance. I learned some new things about visibility, but just as important, I was reminded that my profile could use a regular tuneup. That’s probably true for most of us.
Why is visibility so important on LinkedIn? LinkedIn operates in two directions: You can search for and find opportunities, and opportunities can find you. In fact, 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn for sourcing, and Jenny says she finds about 50% of her candidates via LinkedIn. That’s where visibility comes in.
Many recruiters or employers searching for candidates do not have access to LinkedIn’s recruiter tool and its broadened capabilities. Without it, “people” search results are not from the full LinkedIn universe—just first-, second-, and third-degree connections, as well as shared group members. LinkedIn also limits the ability to directly connect if you’re not already connected. That’s why you need to do everything you can to increase the chances that you’ll come up in search via your network. But it also means you should be sure you have set your profile up for success.
When you conduct your visibility tuneup, check:
Are your visibility settings broad?
You have control over what others see or don’t see in search results. Go to Settings & Privacy > Visibility and scroll through each option, being sure your settings are as open as possible. For example, set your last name to be visible to people who are not already connections.
Is your contact information easy to find?
Obviously, if an opportunity comes your way but a recruiter can’t reach you— or if it would take extra work to contact you— that opportunity may quickly dissipate. LinkedIn provides a “Contact” section at the top of your profile, so be sure you’ve filled that out. At a bare minimum, you should include your email address. But you also have the opportunity to list your custom URL (more on that below), your phone number, and social media links. Jenny also adds her email address to the top of her About section. I think this is really smart! It’s the first section of the profile that people read, and it’s almost a prompt for them to reach out to you.
Have you taken advantage of the custom URL feature?
There will be plenty of times you will need to provide a link to your LinkedIn profile, and LinkedIn provides a way to create a custom URL (instead of a long string of machine-generated numbers and letters). You should absolutely take advantage of this. The URL can be something simple like your name, or something catchy that relates to your work (for example, a nugget from your elevator speech). It’s a way to make it easy to reach you, while reinforcing your identity. And putting that link at the bottom of your email signature with the line, “Connect with me on LinkedIn,” jumpstarts your connection.
Are you making use of LIONs?
In the LinkedIn world, LION translates to “LinkedIn Open Networker.” When you see this LION designation on a profile, it means that person will connect with people they don’t know. Connecting with LIONS can be a way to build a network very quickly. There are a couple of situations where this can be especially helpful, such as when relocating or doing business in a new geographic area. Also, if you’re changing industries, it’s a way to build a network in that vertical. Once you’re connected to a few LIONs (use it in search terms to find them), you suddenly have thousands of people in your network, because their large networks become your network. These are people who can discover you, and you can look for opportunities with them as well.
How does your LinkedIn visibility stack up? With a few tweaks, you could open the digital door for new opportunities to come knocking.