These days you see social media almost everywhere you look. There are new social media platforms being launched every week. We even have our own industry-specific platform called commonsku. Despite its ubiquity, you need to use social media carefully in order to make the right impression to employers and colleagues.

When it comes to your career, LinkedIn is by far the most important social media platform. Because LinkedIn is a professional network, you need to toe the thin line between sharing too much and not sharing enough. However, it can be tricky to find that line and to stick to it. Below, you will find some tips and tricks on how to optimize your LinkedIn in order to land the job you really want!

Every day, recruiters and hiring managers are looking for you. They have opportunities available and need someone with just your skillset. If you’re open to new opportunities, the best thing you can do for your career is to make your skills stand out. Use the headline section to sum up your current role and area of expertise. List the skills you use on a daily basis. Show your passion! Make note of your major contributions to your current or previous company.

Choose your profile image wisely! Employers, recruiters, and colleagues will see this picture of you often. It’s always helpful to be able to put a face to a name or voice. No, you can’t use your wedding photo and definitely not the photo of you in a bathing suit. Your outfit should be work-appropriate. Many companies will look at your image and begin making judgments about you. Make sure that those judgments are positive ones.

Focus on pertinent professional information. It’s great that you’re a cat lover. But stick to the professional parts of your background on LinkedIn. There’s also no need to include anything from your high school days when you worked the drive-thru. The rule with a resume is that it should go back 10 years, and the same rule applies here.

Recruiters and employers search for candidates using keywords. Leverage this fact by peppering keywords throughout your profile that describe your work expertise and career aspirations. The correct keywords play a huge role in getting your profile found by hiring managers and getting you considered for that next big opportunity.

If you’re actively sharing your resume, make sure that your resume and LinkedIn profile are in sync.  This just creates unnecessary confusion. There are hiring managers out there who will deny you an interview because your resume and LinkedIn don’t match.

Make sure to set your profile so that it is visible to recruiters. Make sure your “Let recruiters know you’re open to opportunities” toggle is set to “Yes”. This makes sure that recruiters can find you when we search LinkedIn.  This will also ensure that you get the best possible visibility during your job search and that you see the wide range of positions that we are looking to fill.

As always, with all social media, be sure not to overshare or share anything you would like to keep private.  Also, be sure to avoid sensitive topics when sharing or writing posts. Avoid politics, religion, and sexuality.  These could be red flags to employers when they look at your profile.  LinkedIn is supposed to be strictly professional, let’s keep it that way!

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