Some ideas to improve your LinkedIn profile

Hey everyone,

We’re entering difficult economic times, so I thought I could share some of the tactics I’ve used to get more job opportunities my way by making my LinkedIn (LI) profile stand out.

I’m not an influencer on LI nor I have insider information about its talent search algorithm. This information comes from reading papers about LI’s search algorithms, researching LI Recruiter, and a lot trial and error experimenting with my own profile.

Let me begin by setting the stage.

To find candidates, recruiters use a tool called LI Recruiter. It allows them to enter relevant search terms such as “Data Scientist” and define filters such as “has worked at Google” to look for candidates.

After a query is defined, LI Recruiter uses a “talent search algorithm” that works in two stages:

<span style="color:#323232;">1.	It searches the network and defines a set of a few thousand candidates who meet the recruiter’s search criteria.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">2.	Then the candidates are ranked based on how well they fit the search term and how likely they are to respond.
</span>

That’s it. If your goal is to get more job opportunities your way, then you need to figure out how to improve your chances of appearing in 1 and ranking higher in 2.

Luckily, LI has published research about its talent search algorithm. It’s not hard to get an idea of what will help you stand out from the competition. Based on my research and experience, here are some things that should help your profile stand-out:

<span style="color:#323232;">1.	Use relevant keywords in your profile. You won’t appear in the results if you don’t include terms in your profile that recruiters use when they search for candidates. Review the keywords used in Job descriptions of the positions you’re interested in, and make sure you have those in your profile.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">2.	Reply to recruiters. People often don’t reply to recruiters when they’re not interested in the job  opportunity. But the algorithm prioritizes those who are likely to  respond over those who are not. Respond to recruiters, even if it’s just  to say no!
</span><span style="color:#323232;">3.	Grow your network. The lightweight version of LI  Recruiter only lets recruiters reach out to candidates up to their  3rd-degree network. Having few connections decreases your chances of  getting contacted.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">4.	Gain influence. You rank higher if you create  engaging content, have many visitors to your profile, or receive  endorsements and recommendations. As a general rule, try to write useful  content periodically and ask for recommendations from relevant  connections.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">5.	Make relevant connections. Wanna work at X? Make meaningful connections from X and interact with the brand. When recruiters from X are looking for candidates, you will rank higher.
</span><span style="color:#323232;">6.	Use a photo. This is based on my personal experience. A photo, especially a “good” one, increases the likelihood that recruiters will contact you.
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If you have any questions, shoot me a message. And just for reference, here’s my profile.

Here are some images and highlights from the papers and research:

LinkedIn Recruiter Lite limits pool of candidates

How LinkedIn talent search works

LinkedIn Recruiter filters

LinkedIn’s talent search architecture

Linkedin’s talent search algorithm

Ranking features