Tips to get aheadPrepared by Keith Harris, Sr. Recruiter at Skype

December, 2011

Whether you’re a new grad or experienced professional, Linkedin has secured its place as the top online address for business and professional networking. Having a killer profile will get you noticed and assist you to find your next job. As a recruiter I have reviewed 300,000+ profiles over the past 5 years as part of my profession. Use my tips to get found by recruiters like me!

Treat your profile like a resume Add summary & keywords Include useful recommendations Participate in groups

Include a thorough summary that details what you’ve done, where you want to go and mention your achievements. First impressions go a long way so spend some time here.

Include your skills. This is extremely important because recruiters search for potential candidates by keyword on Linkedin. Examples for Software Engineers: C++, Linux, Android, etc. Use comparable keywords for your profession.

Recommendations on Linkedin have lost a lot of value since too many people get their friends to give the recommendations. Skip using friends. It doesn’t help.

Best to select someone at a senior level to yourself that knows your work. Go as senior as you can (i.e. your manager / manger’s mgr)!

Give your recommender some guidance on what to write. Good = give details that “I led this project”, Bad = write the recommendation yourself. Ask them to do it.

Joining a group that’s relevant to you is nice but go the extra mile and participate. There are way too many cool groups with little or no activity which devalues the group as a whole. Make comments, offer intelligent opinion based on your own research and experience. Start your own discussions. Good: Make comments that are based on fact, experience and from reliable sources, Bad: personal opinions based on emotion, frustration, etc.