Using Keywords to increase visibility of your LinkedIn profile when finding a new job
Linkedin is a comprehensive database containing professional profiles, and people can access the information on LinkedIn through a search engine at the top of the page. When a person creates a search, it is analysed by LinkedIn, and some profiles will be displayed based on the criteria of the search. These searches contain keywords, and as the same mechanism of how keywords work on a www site, the same applies to your LinkedIn profile. Therefore, It is critical that your LinkedIn profile contains keywords that enable your profile to be easily seen by people that are searching for you.
You need to optimise the keywords (20 approx to manage them efficiently) in your profile to enhance the probability of appearing in the search results. Typically a recruiter will look a four kinds of keywords such a) The Job Title they are looking for, b) Any particular Technology or market experience required for the role, c) Skills or competencies necessary for the role and personality of the candidate that is important to succeed in the role.
The following ways will help you produce a list of keywords
a) Find any job adverts of the roles that you are searching for and list any critical skills or competencies or experiences that an employer is looking for and that you match this criterion.
b) Some job sites contain a database of job profiles and find the role that you are looking for. Again search for any keywords that you have missed from a) especially in the Responsibilities, Qualifications, Skills, Work Experience and Employers Sections of these profiles.
c) Sometimes there is a lot of wording in job adverts and profiles, so it's useful to create a word cloud of each item which gives more space to words that appear more often. It won't reveal the essential keywords you have already picked up from a) or b), but it will allow you to identify the secondary words that you have missed. You can create a word cloud by inserting the text of the job adverts and profiles into a word cloud software application that can be found online, e.g. Wordle.
Once you have produced a list of keywords, then you need to scatter them in your LinkedIn profile especially in the Headline, Summary and Experience sections.
On a weekly basis, it is advisable to review the number of people that have reviewed your profile, and if the numbers haven’t increased, then it is desirable to review your keywords again.
