Like Twitter enables users to connect and interact directly with celebrities, LinkedIn allows job hunters to do the same with job posters and hiring manager. Likewise, having a strong LinkedIn profile is a great way to catch the attention of a hiring manager or recruiter looking for someone with your skillset.

This is a short but necessary article on how to maximize your LinkedIn profile for success and visibility. LinkedIn works best when you realize that it’s a tool that most recruiters, talent acquisition, and HR personnel use to find and recruit new potential employees.

You might not be aware, but recruiters have a different view on LinkedIn. This is by design to allow them to parse, narrow, and target specific people based on the information provided. For recruiters the search starts at this screen.

Our searches usually begin with profile job title, location and a few different skills. The first opportunity you have to improve your profile's visibility and show up on a recruiter's search is to put the job title you have/want in your headline caption.

If you're open to relocating, in addition to selecting the options through LinkedIn's drop-down menu, put in the body of your profile the words “open to relocating to” and list the cities/countries you're willing to move to and what your employment status is (international only).

After the initial search screen, recruiters are greeted by a LinkedIn screen that gives them a comprehensive view of candidates that most likely fit that search criteria. As you can see, the tabs at the top enables recruiters to see who is open to opportunities.

This is the next area of opportunity for you to attract the attention of a recruiter. On your profile, go to your settings and head down to the “job seeker preferences” option. Here is where you can let recruiters know that you're open to opportunities, increasing your exposure to them.

Back to the search screen. Recruiters are reliant on what people list as their skills but also what keywords pop up throughout someone's profile. This is why it is important to make sure your key skills appear frequently in the body of your profile, so you're more visible to us.

Finally, pay close attention to the skills you've highlighted on your profile. The best practice here is to only list things you're proficient enough to use on day 1 at a new job. The more refined your profile is, the more visible it is.

Honorable mention: Make sure the headshot you post on your LinkedIn is a professional one with a clear friendly picture (A creative picture is only acceptable if you’re industry of choice is a creative one, such as marketing, arts, digital media, or technology).

To Summarize:

Put the Job you want/have in your profile headline.
Select ‘open To opportunities’ in profile settings.
Litter your job descriptions with relevant keywords.
Attach key skills to your profile.

If you have any questions or would like an honest critique of your profile, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn or Twitter.