Remember when Barack Obama once joked during a TV press conference that he would join LinkedIn as soon as his term as the President of the United States was up?
“I’ll be on the job market. I’m gonna get on LinkedIn and see what comes up,” he said.
For job seekers, LinkedIn is so much more than a professional social networking site. It’s basically their main search engine– their new Google, where they can find recruiters and companies they’re determined to work with.
However, more than 95% of today’s recruiters use LinkedIn as part of their candidate search.
The issue is that when LinkedIn becomes this popular, there’s one thing that is clear to you: the competition for getting top candidates, it’s only getting bigger.
If you’re only updating your business LinkedIn profile now and then, you’re not fully utilizing all LinkedIn can do for your recruitment campaign and establishing your digital presence.
That is probably the reason why it can take too long for you to find the right, skillful candidates.
So, let’s maximize the potential of your LinkedIn company profile by optimizing it.
We’ll break down some essential best practices in leveraging LinkedIn to get top candidates’ attention.
Read more: Learn how to post a job on LinkedIn like a pro recruiter.
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile: What Does it Mean?
Before we start into the nitty-gritty details, let us first understand what it means when we talk about optimizing your LinkedIn profile.
Simply put, to optimize something means to make the best or most effective use of it.
In this case, you want to make the best use of your LinkedIn profile, so that you can easily find candidates who fit the roles you offer.
When a candidate searches for a new job or explores a search firm’s company page, they will use specific keywords and results will be sorted based on how well a profile is optimized.
It means that if your recruitment agency’s or your client’s company page is not well-optimized, then you will not appear on the first page of their search results. Use the best LinkedIn analytics tools to know the real-time performance of your account and make changes if required.
Besides improving your profile rank on the search result, a well-optimized LinkedIn company profile can also make you appear like a professional.
It’s a powerful way to impress candidates and encourage them to apply.
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile?
Optimizing a LinkedIn profile is so much more than uploading a professional-looking, well-polished profile picture, adding a banner, and filling out the basic information about your search firm.
It’s pretty much all about making your profile searchable so that you can be easily found by potential candidates.
The more candidates find about who you’re hiring for, the higher your chances to get them to apply for the roles you offer.
The higher applications mean that you have a massive opportunity to find the right, ideal candidate for your client’s open roles.
Here are some crucial points you should consider doing to make your LinkedIn profile and job offers stand out and get discovered.
Read more: 7 secret tips to hiring the best candidates from LinkedIn.
1. Use Keywords in Your Profile
The first thing a candidate will do when they’re looking for a job is to type keywords into the LinkedIn search bar.
These keywords could be related to the job title, industry, or specific skills that they are looking for.
For example, when they are looking for blockchain game developer job offers from gaming companies, they will type in “blockchain game dev” and see what comes up.
Your job is to make sure that your search firm’s page comes up when those keywords are being searched.
To do this, you need to incorporate these keywords into your company page description and job postings.
Make sure to use them in different variations so that you can be found easily.
2. Include a Job Description on Your LinkedIn Company Profile
Another way to make your profile searchable is by adding a job description.
This will help candidates who are looking for specific types of roles within your company find your profile more easily.
Again, make sure to use relevant keywords in your job descriptions so that candidates can find you easily.
You can also include a link to your career page on your website so that candidates can learn more about your company and the roles you offer.
3. Write a Compelling “About Us” Section
Candidates will only apply for roles when they trust the search agency or your client company.
No one ever wants to get scammed, after all.
So, it’s crucial to write a compelling “about us” section on your LinkedIn profile.
Your “about us” section should be a snapshot of what your company is pretty much all about, and it should make the candidates want to learn more.
Focus on writing an engaging story that will show off the type of work you or your clients do.
Make sure to highlight your team’s achievements and what makes your recruitment agency unique.
4. Include Links to Your Social Media Accounts
LinkedIn is not the only social media platform that candidates use.
Many of them also use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to learn more about companies.
Make it easier for them by including links to your agency’s social media accounts on your LinkedIn company profile.
This will give candidates a better idea of what your culture is like and whether they would be a good fit for your client’s team.
5. Upload Company Videos
Company videos are another great way to showcase your company culture and the roles you offer.
Candidates love watching videos because it gives them a more personal insight into the company.
You can use videos to introduce your client’s team and highlight why it’s a great place to work.
You might as well create a recruitment video or even employee onboarding videos that are specifically designed to attract candidates. Highlight the requirements, culture, and benefits of working for your client’s company.
Make sure to include a call-to-action at the end of your videos so that candidates know how to
apply for your open positions.
6. Post Regular Updates
Make sure to keep your profile updated with the latest news about your recruitment agency and your client companies so that candidates always have something new to see.
Invest in content marketing strategies to show off your company’s thought leadership.
You can create LinkedIn content to announce new products, upcoming events, or company milestones to show candidates that your company is constantly evolving and growing.
In other words, it will help you attract top talent because they will want to be a part of a company that is making progress.
An up-to-date LinkedIn company profile will also show candidates that you are a credible and professional business.
Read more: What is recruitment marketing? Top 7 tips, strategies & ideas.
7. Join Groups to Build Authority
LinkedIn groups can be a great way to connect with potential candidates and offer them the best candidate experience, as well as build authority for your agency.
When you join groups related to your industry or job type, you will be able to share your job postings and profile with people who are interested in those topics.
This is a great way to get your company in front of potential candidates who might not otherwise find you.
In addition, by participating in groups and discussions, you can position yourself and your company as experts in your field.
This will make you more attractive to potential candidates who are looking for a company with authority and expertise.
8. Expand Your Network
LinkedIn is all about networking, so it’s important to take advantage of this by expanding your network.
The more connections you have, the more likely you are to be found by potential candidates.
You can ask your colleagues to like, comment, or share your company’s latest posts so that they appear in the newsfeeds of their connections.
Sharing other people’s content on the platform is another powerful way to expand your network and develop credibility.
Read more: LinkedIn automation: How can it benefit recruiters?
9. Add Featured Hashtags
LinkedIn allows you to add featured hashtags to your company profile.
Those hashtags are a great way to increase the visibility of your profile and attract potential candidates.
Choose hashtags that are relevant to your industry or job type, and make sure to use them in all of your posts.
For example, if you’re client is a tech company, you might want to use the hashtag #techjobs.
10. Use LinkedIn Ads to Target Candidates
LinkedIn Ads are a great way to target specific candidates who are already interested in your company or the type of roles you offer.
You can create job ads that will appear in the candidate’s newsfeed, and even specify the job title and skills that you’re looking for.
It has a robust targeting feature where you can filter the candidates by their current company, job title, location, etc.
In other words, this paid ad makes it much easier for you to ensure that your job offers get in front of the right people.
In Final Words
LinkedIn is a tool that can help you find the best candidates for your roles. With tons of other companies who are always ready to snag the same candidates, it is important to put your best foot forward.
Recruiters can optimize their LinkedIn company profiles to make them more searchable and attractive to potential candidates.
Optimizing a company profile will not only attract more candidates but will also showcase your search agency in a more professional light.
Written by–
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).
Twitter: @breadnbeyond
Email: andre@breadnbeyond.com
LinkedIn: Andre Oentoro
