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Smiles and no lies SECRETS recruiters share LinkedIn
It is the smile that can launch a thousand careers! Recruiters scouting talent via professional networking site LinkedIn said that profile photos were one of the most influential elements in a profile that either invited them to read further into the profile, or abandon it
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It is the smile that can launch a thousand careers! Recruiters scouting talent via professional networking site LinkedIn said that profile photos were one of the most influential elements in a profile that either invited them to read further into the profile, or abandon it.
'Photos are very decisive. Photos are very eye-catching, so it is naturally the first thing I glance at when looking at a profile,' Asmara Letizia Wreksono said.
Asmara is the head of communications at a startup company, Creative HotHouse. Working at a startup requires her to recruit her own team, which she does with the help of Linkedn.
She pointed out that a good photo was not in which a person looked flawless, but one that 'describes and shows who you are' in a professional sense.
'A person's face will be the face of the company, so that person should look like he or she would represent the company well,' she added, further saying that people should preferably 'not wear anything that conceals the face' in their photos.
Besides photos, people should post complete and concise profiles that provide ample insight into on the persons' professional capacity.
Head of partnerships at Traveloka Indonesia, Tantia Dian P. Indah, noted that people should go beyond simplistic job descriptions.
'Elaboration is the next step up. Give an explanation of what you do, and do not miss out mentioning your projects and achievements,' she said.
Like Creative HotHouse, Traveloka.com is a startup which turns to LinkedIn too help staff their office.
Tantia pointed out that people should treat LinkedIn as a personal branding tool. Thus, instead of mentioning their current employment below their names, people should write 'how they would like to be seen'.
'Instead of saying that you are a writer at so-and-so publication, write down the field you specialize in,' she noted.
She also encouraged people to name all the companies they have worked in, including those that were sub-par. A thorough work history, she said, 'is really important because it shows us how someone has evolved.'
'We have all worked in lackluster companies, but these companies still have shaped our careers. We all have our own history, so take pride in it,' she said.
Asmara, who has been repeatedly recruited thanks to her LinkedIn profile, added that besides being descriptive, people had to mind their grammar and vocabulary.
'Use good language, which encompasses using punctuations and capitalization correctly. Whatever field you are applying to, recruiters appreciate people who know how to read and write properly,' she pointed out.
And although writing in proper Bahasa Indonesia would go well with recruiters, writing in good English could actually open more doors given that foreign recruiters would be able to read the profile.
'Profiles in English opens up opportunities locally and internationally,' she said, noting she was previously recruited by a US-based company who had found her LinkedIn profile.
She added that one maxim to follow in creating LinkedIn content was 'never lie in your profile', which includes claiming other people's work as yours. A lie, once caught, would mar a person's reputation for good.
'LinkedIn offers a high tech way of recruiting people but never forget that recruiters still stick to the old things that work. We could not only Google you, but also call the companies you mentioned,' she said.
Recruiters added that beyond profile content, LinkedIn users must capitalize on the other tools available on the professional networking site to boost the soundness of their profiles.
Tantia pointed out that people preferably connect to other LinkedIn users who were of professional significance.
This, in addition to posting and sharing articles related to one's field of work, helped package the profiles of LinkedIn users.
'We should brand ourselves thoroughly because our profiles are our long-term investment, not just something we rely on when we are desperate for a job,' she said.
LinkedIn head of communications for India and Hong Kong, Deepa Sapatnekar, noted that the addition of rich media, such as photos and videos, could encourage 14 times more profile views.
'Adding rich media makes your profile come alive,' she said, reminding people that the rich media must be work related to, such a a video of the LinkedIn user doing a presentation.
She also shared technical tweaks that can polish up profiles, such as making them more optimized for search engines.
Recruiters use LinkedIn search engines as well as general search engines in looking up for people.
'You can customize your LinkedIn profile URL into your first and last name, which will help you with the search engine optimization [SEO],' she said.
To customize the system generated URL, profile owners must click on the URL underneath the profile photo, and then click on the 'Customize your public profile' located in the 'Your public profile URL' box located in the bottom-right.
'You can also manage the security of your profile. This includes who can see your LinkedIn network connections,' she said.
