Revamp Your LinkedIn Account and Get Hired, ASAP

Looking for evidence that LinkedIn has become an essential part of how we hire — and get hired? There are more than 14 million jobs listed on LinkedIn. An estimated 97% of HR and staffing professionals say they use LinkedIn to recruit new talent, according to the platform. And, last but not least, users with LinkedIn accounts that include a well-rounded, comprehensive profile have a 71% higher chance of scoring a job interview. 

Long story short, if you’re on the hunt for a job, having a LinkedIn account is a no-brainer. But how can you make sure you’re using the platform to your best advantage? Enter Hala Taha, a top LinkedIn influencer and host of Young and Profiting podcast. She says curating a LinkedIn account that gets you noticed is about so much more than uploading your resume and having a nice headshot. 

Where to start? Change your LinkedIn badge to “Open to Work,” a sign to anyone taking a gander at your profile that you’re willing to talk about the right opportunities. Then, make sure your “About” section is up-to- (rather than out-of-) date to give those viewing your profile a true and recent snapshot of you and your accomplishments. Don’t forget to include a high-resolution, well-lit headshot where you’re smiling at the camera, too. These things might seem like small details but in reality, they’re just the tip of the iceberg.   

Here are Taha’s top 3 tips for using your LinkedIn account effectively and snagging your next big opportunity sooner. 

FIND LINKEDIN ACCOUNTS YOU LIKE, AND DON’T BE AFRAID TO MIMIC THEM

You know what they say: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When Hala Taha started posting every day on LinkedIn, she immediately got compared to “the female Gary Vee,” referring to Gary Vaynerchuk a serial entrepreneur and top business influencer with 10.3 million followers on Instagram. She doubled down, going to his LinkedIn page and mimicking the format and style of Vee’s “About” section and the frequency and type of posts he was publishing (especially the ones she noticed were going viral). 

Then she took it a step further and looked up all of the people who followed him on LinkedIn and sent them direct messages. “I grew my following by essentially stealing Gary Vee’s following,” Taha says. “ I knew that anybody who likes and comments on his posts would be interested in my content. So I started to invite them one by one to follow my page.”

As a job seeker, you can do the same. if you notice someone who has your “dream job” try mirroring the way they write about themselves and their accomplishments, and follow the people who follow them on LinkedIn. Then, when you see something they post that resonates with you, comment on it and try to form a genuine connection. 

POST ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW

Taha says that “there are no rules on social media” and you don’t need to be an “expert” to post on LinkedIn and get noticed by recruiters and job seekers. Posting about what you know on LinkedIn could be as simple as listening to podcasts and sharing your top learnings from episodes or being a ‘hype man’ or ‘hype woman’ for someone you follow on the platform. 

“You don’t have to come out with original content,” Taha says. “You can just distribute content and share what you learned. You don’t need to have any sort of experience to get started. Be open with where you’re at and realize that you can decide what kind of relationship you have with your audience.”

KEYWORDS, KEYWORDS, KEYWORDS

The number one most important tool to use to get noticed on LinkedIn involves using and being strategic with keywords, in everything from your job title to the content you post. Taha recommends peppering every single experience featured in your LinkedIn profile with keywords you think recruiters in your desired profession will be searching for.  (Look at job listings that you’re interested in to figure out what the most commonly used keywords are.) 

She also recommends using LinkedIn’s keyword search to find the jobs and people you want to work for most, and any connections you may have with them. For example, most people list the college, university or professional school they attended on LinkedIn. By using a keyword search for your target job and then adding people with your alma mater in common, you can surface folks to invite for coffee — in person and on zoom — and use that one-on-one time to learn more about the role. 

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• How To Write A Cover Letter That Stands Out In 2024

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