What Do Stand-Out LinkedIn Profiles Have in Common? Here’s What Recruiters Say

September 25, 2017 in Career and Job Search Tips

 

 

As a food & beverage professional on the job hunt, you should do everything possible to make your LinkedIn profile stand out to recruiters, right?

Well, right – assuming, however, that you make it stand out in a positive way.

Food & beverage hiring managers rely heavily on LinkedIn to source candidates, spending lots of time conducting searches and combing through profiles. After a while, most of those profiles start to blend together. What profile elements stand out on this networking platform – and how can you use them to your advantage on the job hunt? Here are the aspects of a LinkedIn profile (good and bad) today’s recruiters notice immediately:

The job title and headline.

When recruiters search profiles on LinkedIn, they receive a list of candidates who match their search criteria. What stands out first on that list? You guessed it – a title and headline that matches their criteria. By seeding these profile fields with keywords that reflect your area of specialization, job function, industry and experience, you’re much more likely to make it into search results – and capture a recruiter’s attention.

The photo.

One study from a major job site found that recruiters spend 19% of their time on your online profile looking at your picture – which is more than they spend looking at your job skills or older work experiences. Is including a photo on your LinkedIn profile a good or bad idea? In this earlier post, we review the pros and cons, so you can make the right choice for your executive food & beverage job search.

Rich media.

Long, dense paragraphs of text may stand out on your profile – but a recruiter won’t take the time to read them. Why? First, they’re busy. Second, most of us (including recruiters) are “visual learners” who process images much more quickly than we do text. Not surprisingly, slide decks, presentation materials, work sample portfolios, video clips, screen shots and other visual information make your profile more appealing to recruiters. Want to grab them by the eyeballs? We explain how to get more LinkedIn views in this post.

Updates.

Many food & beverage professionals treat their LinkedIn profile as a digital resume – a static resource they only update when they need a new job. The good news? Their outdated profiles won’t stand a chance against yours if you update it regularly. Think of your LinkedIn profile as a living, digital profile, adding new responsibilities, projects, recommendations and work examples frequently.

All-Star status.

Professionals with a LinkedIn All-Star rating are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn. How can you achieve All-Star status – and get contacted by more executive food & beverage recruiters? In this post, we explain the basic qualifications to become an All-Star and share tips for improving your profile from top to bottom.

Looking for your next professional or executive food & beverage position?

  • Follow Kinsa’s Company Page on LinkedIn (where we post our open positions).
  • Join our Group page and network with Kinsa recruiters.
  • Connect with our recruiters on LinkedIn by visiting the “Contact Us” page on Kinsa.com.
  • If you see a job posting that interests you on our job board, but haven’t taken the time to update your resume recently, click our button “Apply Online” and attach a .pdf of your LinkedIn profile. It’s an easy way to provide the basic information our recruiters need to get to know you as a professional.