LinkedIn has become an essential tool for job seekers and recruiters alike. With over 722 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform. For job seekers, a well-optimized LinkedIn profile can help you stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. But do recruiters actually look at LinkedIn profiles during the hiring process? Let’s take a closer look.
The Recruiter’s Perspective
According to a 2021 survey by LinkedIn, 92% of recruiters said they use LinkedIn to vet and evaluate potential candidates. Of those, 95% said a candidate’s LinkedIn profile is at least somewhat important to their hiring decision. So yes, recruiters are definitely looking at LinkedIn profiles.
In fact, 70% of recruiters said they view a LinkedIn profile immediately after seeing a candidate’s resume. They want to verify that the experience and skills on the resume check out. A resume and a LinkedIn profile should align and tell a consistent story about a candidate.
Additionally, 45% of recruiters said they are more likely to engage with a candidate who has an optimized, complete LinkedIn profile. This includes having a professional headshot, a detailed work history, and appropriate skills listed.
What Recruiters Look For on LinkedIn
When viewing a candidate’s LinkedIn profile, here are some of the main things recruiters look for:
- A professional headshot – This gives a sense of what the candidate looks like and shows they are serious about presenting themselves professionally online.
- Work experience – Recruiters look for consistency with what’s listed on the resume. Major gaps or discrepancies could be red flags.
- Skills – Both hard skills and soft skills that are relevant to the open position.
- Education – Highest degree obtained and field of study should match the resume.
- Recommendations and endorsements – This provides third-party validation of skills and work quality.
- Connections – Are they well-connected to others in their industry? Do they have any mutual connections?
- Engagement – How active are they in the LinkedIn community by posting, commenting, etc?
- Volunteer work and causes – Gives insight into interests and personality.
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
Given that recruiters rely so heavily on LinkedIn profiles, it’s essential to optimize yours to stand out. Here are some tips:
Craft an Appealing Headline
Your headline sits right below your name and acts like a slogan or tagline. Include your current job title and professional focus here. You have 120 characters to make an impact.
Showcase Top Skills
Under your intro summary, list out your strongest relevant skills for the types of roles you are targeting. Get endorsements from colleagues to back these skills up.
Leverage the Featured and Open To Sections
The Featured and Open To sections allow you to highlight projects, articles, certifications and more. You can also indicate if you are open to job opportunities, recruiting messages, etc.
Expand Work Experience Descriptions
Don’t just list job titles and companies. Expand on your work experience with concise, bulleted accomplishment statements that recruiters look for.
Populate the Education Section
Make sure all college and university degrees are filled out with details like degree name, field of study, graduation dates, activities, etc.
Grow Your Network
Having 500+ connections looks much better than having under 100. Connect with colleagues old and new to boost this number.
Collect Recommendations and Endorsements
Ask managers, colleagues, professors, etc. to write recommendations highlighting your strengths. This provides credibility.
Join Relevant Groups and Follow Companies
Being a member of industry-related groups and following companies you are interested in working for shows focus and initiative.
Turn On Profile Badges
LinkedIn offers badges you can enable on your profile to stand out in search results. These include things like “Open for Work,” education badges, volunteer experience badges and more.
How Often Do Recruiters Look at Profiles?
Many recruiters check LinkedIn every single day as part of their regular routines. In a 2021 survey, here is how often recruiters said they check LinkedIn specifically to look for potential candidates:
| Frequency | Percentage of Recruiters |
|---|---|
| Daily | 40% |
| Weekly | 30% |
| A few times per month | 20% |
| Monthly | 10% |
As you can see, a strong majority check LinkedIn at least weekly if not daily. This underscores the importance of keeping your profile updated and putting your best foot forward at all times!
How Much Time Do They Spend Reviewing Profiles?
Typically, recruiters spend relatively little time looking at any one profile. Surveys find the average time spent viewing a profile is between 5 to 10 seconds. This further demonstrates the need for an eye-catching, easy to scan profile.
However, recruiters may return and dig deeper into the profiles of candidates who catch their interest. They may spend a few minutes reviewing work histories, skills, recommendations and other profile areas to vet promising candidates.
What Makes a LinkedIn Profile Stand Out?
With recruiters spending just seconds evaluating a profile at first glance, what makes one stand out from the pack? Here are some qualities that can help your profile grab attention:
- A professional looking profile photo
- A succinct but compelling headline
- A summary that quickly sells top skills and strengths
- A customized URL
- Detailed work histories and accomplishments
- Skills sections filled with in-demand skills
- Prestigious degrees like MBA, Ph.D etc.
- High number of connections
- Solid recommendations from respected professionals
Essentially, recruiters are scanning for signals that you have the right background, experience and professional polish for the types of roles they are seeking to fill.
Common LinkedIn Profile Mistakes to Avoid
While optimizing your profile, be sure to avoid these common pitfalls:
- Using an unprofessional profile photo – avoid casual shots, selfies, inappropriate attire etc.
- Not customizing the default headline LinkedIn provides
- Leaving sections like skills, education, volunteering empty
- Using cliché or buzzword-heavy language devoid of specifics
- Bad-mouthing previous employers or jobs
- Grammatical or spelling mistakes
- Gaps between roles with no explanation
- Misaligning LinkedIn and resume content
Taking the time to optimize your profile and avoid mistakes will help you look polished, professional and qualified to discerning recruiters.
Conclusion
In summary, the answer is a resounding yes – LinkedIn recruiters absolutely look at candidate profiles during the hiring process. Your LinkedIn presence has become a critical part of any effective job search. Investing the time into developing a stellar profile can help you catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers. Be sure to keep your profile updated on a regular basis. With 92% of recruiters relying on LinkedIn to source and evaluate candidates, you’ll want your profile to represent you in the best possible light at all times.
