So you’ve written an impressive LinkedIn profile. You won’t tell your best friend, but you spent all of two months tweaking it. (The OCD can be forgiven; you want to put your best foot forward after all!) The only thing left to do now is to get potential employers to view it. After all, what good is a powerful LinkedIn page when no one’s visiting?
Below are some tips on how you can get relevant traffic to your LinkedIn page. The more effort you put into getting those views, the greater are your chances of getting hired.
LinkedIn Profile Tips For Traffic #1 : Insert keywords in your profile.
If you’ve ever tried searching for your name on Google (oh come on, you know you’ve done it), you know your LinkedIn profile comes right at the top of search results. This is because search engines are configured to prioritize websites with established reputations, which LinkedIn definitely is. And you can use this fact to your advantage.
Take time to sit down and think of keywords an HR practitioner, recruiter or a hiring manager would look for. These keywords can be job titles, specific competencies, or certifications. If you have no idea regarding what keywords to use, interview friends in the business. A simple cheat is to look at job descriptions/advertisements of positions you’re attracted to.
Find a way to insert these relevant keywords in your LinkedIn profile, preferably in sections you’ve set as open to the public. You can, for example, add these words to your profile summary. Some do insert keywords in their name (e.g. Six Sigma Black Belt Rudi Cron), but doing so is a matter of preference.
And don’t forget: put your full name on your profile. Going by as just “Patricia F.” is not going to do you any favors!
LinkedIn Profile Tips For Traffic #2 : Add your profile url to your business card.
If you’re active in your professional circle, you know that handing out business cards surface leads where you least expect it. You never know — the person you were shaking hands with this morning could be a manager with a vacancy to fill. So strive to make a good impression, and then hand out a card that has more than just your mobile number and email address. You can even make it a habit to point to the url every time you hand out your card, especially if in the company of people you want scoping your online CV.
LinkedIn Profile Tips For Traffic #3 : Be active in groups.
It may not look it, but the capacity to generate traffic to your profile page is already built in the site. A good start is through LinkedIn groups relevant/specific to your situation.
Join groups where people with your same interests hang out and where issues relevant to your profession get discussed. Make thoughtful and appropriate comments, especially comments that will illustrate your strengths and competencies. Seek mentorship or mentor others. A comment that hits bulls-eye will get people interested, enough to take a peek at the person behind the idea. Given that HR practitioners and managers regularly browse these groups to watch out for up and comers, your active participation may be able to get you a job interview invite.
LinkedIn Profile Tips For Traffic #4 : Include a link to your page when sending correspondence.
Add your LinkedIn profile url to your email signature. This way, every time you send a message what you’re doing is advertising yourself. When you use your email to send business-related correspondence, the potential reach of that url is high.
But it’s not just for online transactions. You can add your LinkedIn profile url to your printed correspondence. A job application cover letter, for example, can still use your LinkedIn profile url, as information on a CV is different from information that can be typically found on your LinkedIn page. Recommendations and endorsements, for example, can be highlighted in your job application cover letter. You can add something like “I have 64 people, 45% of which are head of B2B companies, in my network recommending my net marketing skills — click on this link to know more.” Testimonials from people in the real world can be more impressive than a list of seminar-workshops you attended.
LinkedIn Profile Tips For Traffic #5 : Connect with more people!
The power behind social media sites is its ability to connect people. So link up with as many people as you can, especially those working the same field you do. Do keep in mind that quality is better than quantity though.
And yes, you can be bold enough to contact HR managers and head hunters, especially those who have posted want ads. Send them a direct message; invite them to look at your profile.
The online version of “cold calling” may also be worth a try. Not all will respond to a complete stranger, but there are some who will. (Or you can take the sneaky route and just view HR experts’ profile, assuming you’ll get their notice once they checked their “who viewed me” setting.)
I hope you found these LinkedIn profile tips useful. Good luck!