LinkedIn is the no.1 professional social networking site that brings millions of job seekers, recruiters and hiring companies together. If you’re a tech professional looking for a new job, LinkedIn’s Jobs service can help you find your next role. However, a well-tailored CV showing employers that your the best person for the role may not be enough to land an interview as 9 out of 10 employers use LinkedIn as part of the hiring process.
LinkedIn Tips for Tech Professionals
Your LinkedIn profile says a lot about how you present yourself. It showcases your work experience, skills, interests, certifications, and more. 1st-degree connections can make recommendations and endorse your skills to enhance credibility. You can share posts, make connections and interact with other tech professionals. Potential employers have full visibility of this, so having an attractive profile can really make a difference! Here are our LinkedIn tips:
Professional Imagery
Your profile photo should not be the same photo used on other social networking sites. It should be a good quality photo with smart attire and a plain background.
Upload your own cover image that promotes ‘you’. There are free design tools online, like Canva, which has LinkedIn banner templates to help you create something visually appealing. Or you can opt for a relevant photograph – something that reflects your skills or profession.
Profile Updates
Ensure that your basic information contains specific keywords relative to your profession. Engineers, developers, IT experts may want to mention current projects, coding languages and frameworks (Python, Javascript, etc.) in descriptions. This will populate your profile with relevant keywords that Recruiters will use to filter potential candidates on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn profiles appear in Google search results, so if a potential employer searches for you during their pre-checks, they should see an up-to-date and engaging page.
List Technical Skills
You can add up to 50 skills to your page to show recruiters and hiring managers what your areas of expertise lie. LinkedIn will make suggestions based on your profile, but you should add specific terms to show your specialisation. For example, “Full Stack Engineer” is a more valuable keyword than “Web Developer”.
Opt to take LinkedIn Skill Assessments to demonstrate knowledge of your skills. Technical subjects range from MySQL, C++ and C# to Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Power BI. If you pass, you will be awarded a badge on your public profile. This could help set you apart from competition.
Request Recommendations
You can request recommendations from any of your 1st-degree connections to endorse your skillset. LinkedIn Recommendations are testimonials from colleagues, previous employers or other technical professionals that you’ve worked with. These give an insight in to projects you’ve worked on, your skills set, and your work ethic.
Network, network, network!
Engaging with others and sharing your own content will help you get noticed by other industry professionals and build your connections. You can also request to connect with people you know to help build your network.
Show potential employers that you are a great advocate by engaging with posts from your current company’s LinkedIn profile.
Join networking groups within your industry and contribute to form discussions. Show off your expertise and add value where you can. Your activity will be shared on your profile.
LinkedIn Jobs
With 8 people hired every minute LinkedIn, it is a great way to search for jobs.
Under the Jobs tab, you can use the Resume Builder to create an up-to-date CV, set up job alerts and browse recommended jobs based on your profile.
As an IT recruitment agency, we can help you find your dream tech job with a top business in Europe. We’ll be there every step of the way, offering our expert advice and negotiating on your behalf. Contact us to find out how we can help you take the next step in your career.
You can also follow our LinkedIn page for more job search tips and career advice.