Simple Tips to Step Up Your Linkedin Game.
Hey, you there,
It’s your gal Jess here, coming to you with the LinkedIn goss for the non-users out there. Shame on you! (We love you anyway). As the Recruitment and Marketing Assistant here at Relier, I spend copious amounts of time on LinkedIn. I often say to my friends and family, if you can’t reach me on my phone during the week, hit me up on LinkedIn. You’ll most likely find me there. (I definitely get some odd looks when I pull out that line at a bar).
I’ve crafted this particular blog entry for the self-confessed non-users of LinkedIn. You’re in the right place if you’re one of those Linkediners who logs on once every 6 months. You’re a bit tricky for us pesky recruiters to find, but you’re a retail star and you’re ready to up your LinkedIn game (thanks for swinging by, by the way). Maybe you’re role hunting, or pivoting industries, or perhaps you’re simply ready to confess that you’re about 3 years late to the Linked In party and you’re ready to invest in that digital presence of yours. Well, my friend, you’ve landed in the right place. Don’t let yourself be robbed of the fun role opportunities hiding in our pockets any longer.
IMAGE VIA CAMILLA AND MARC
Why is LinkedIn so important?
I’m so glad you’ve asked. We live in the digital age where our social media and digital presence is equally as important as our resume. A little Linkedin backstory for the fans out there… Lauren and I met on LinkedIn (GHASP!!!). We both scored jobs from our active, cute and complete profiles and so we really understand the power of this platform from both the recruiter and the job-hunter perspective. If this isn’t enough to make you want to up your LinkedIn game, then you may as well stop reading now.
DID YOU KNOW … that 50% of vacancies are not actively advertised? We call this the hidden job market. They’re the roles that recruiters (like our cute selves) are headhunting for and we’re doing it on Linkedin. We recruiters call this the hidden job market and LinkedIn is a proven, targeted and effective way to secure dream talent for the secret recruitment garden in our back pocket.
My quick wins to improve your basic profile:
1. Complete your profile. There is a reason why LinkedIn bugs you to finish your profile. If there is more information you should add, Linkedin will prompt you. It’s because the search engine favours profiles that have the key sections completed. This makes it easier for recruiters like us to find gems like you. The more 'complete’ your profile is, the higher up you land in our search (eg. you will pop up on page two rather than page 503 of our search for Sydney Store Managers). The five most important aspects of a complete LinkedIn profile that make my Relier heart flutter are:
An appropriate profile photo
An informative headline, detailing your current role and location
An engaging summary of your skills, expertise, accomplishments and ambitions
Your current position with a short description of your responsibilities and achievements (hint, hint, like your resume)
Previous roles listed with the start and end month
At least 4 skills that you have gained throughout your career (endorsements from your colleagues are a bonus)
A LinkedIn profile with five of these elements ticked off are already ahead of the game. Recruiters, like moi, can see in detail what roles you have held, the skills you have mastered and can give you a big tick for the role we’re headhunting for.
2. Your Headline in PRIME real estate. A great headline is the juciest way that will entice us to click on your profile. By default, this is where your current role is on full show. However, you can strategically use this as your domain - share more info and tempt us to click! Your headline should be easy to read and refer to your current role. If you are role hunting, this is a perfect opportunity to list exactly what new roles you are open to. Here are a few simple examples on how you can customise your headline to work harder for you (rather than a simple, plain role title):
Multi-Site Leader looking to relocate to Sydney in the fashion realm
Experienced Store Manager with over 3 years experience in Australian Designer
Marketing graduate currently Seeking New opportunities in Junior marketing roles
3. Make your summary your story. Treat your summary is like a mini cover letter and direct it at any person or brand who could be viewing your profile. This area of your profile is the perfect way to summarise who you are as an employee. Some things you might list here are:
The experience you have gained within your field (especially if you are stretched/take on extra responsibilities in your role currently)
Your top passions and skills in your field or role
About you and your goals of course (a little bragging is acceptable)
Remember that recruiters read a gazillion of these per day. Bland statements like, ‘I am a highly motivated leader, with broad experience and a passionate approach to management’ flood Linkedin profiles. Remember to consider who might be reading your bio (eg. a cocktail loving, fashion obsessed recruiter like moi). Add a bit of pizazz, my friend. A great example of a strategic summary is below:
IMAGE VIA CAMILLA AND MARC
“In my 6 years in the fashion industry, I have lead teams of over 50+ and nourished a culture of passionate stylists who deliver a curated and considered customer experience. I am looking to move into a multi-site leadership role in Australian Designer where I can put my clienteling, operational excellence and merchandising skills to good use. I naturally gravitate towards training and development in my leadership roles and this skill has lead me to improve sales growth by up to 30% in a YoY capacity. I have a keen ability to deliver targeted and strategic training to my in-store team.”
4. Emphasise current and previous roles. Just like on a resume, your previous employment matters. This doesn’t mean putting in your runs as a newspaper gal from your early teens. It does mean you should list the roles that got you where you are today. Remember back in high school mathematics when the teacher bugged you to show your working? It’s the same principle! We love to see how you got to where you are now.
Let me introduce you to my favourite T word: Tenure. Tenure in your position or company refers to how long you were employed in a role or with a brand. We LOVE to see specifics around how long you were employed in a specific role and what succession/career growth you achieved with that brand. To fully optimise the feature of listing previous roles and experience, be sure to include:
Previous and current roles with months and years listed (don’t forget end dates - we see so many profiles that list two or three roles as current - woopsies).
A summary of what capacity of role you were employed by: e.g Store Manager (try to use titles that are user friendly as well. If your company uses a funky name for your role that doesn’t align with industry terminology, either write a bio about it, or us a more industry friendly term eg. Chief Happiness Officer might be more commonly known as People and Culture Officer)
If working within the same company and working your way up (props to you), list each role and the timing one after the other.
One of the biggest things I see when recruiting is when someone has listed a smaller role in their LinkedIn profile, however, has already worked their way up to a senior role within the industry. You worked hard for that big, dreamy role and therefore should show this on your LinkedIn. Keeping this information up to date is critical in your digi presence!
5. Interact, Interact, interact: LinkedIn is more than just your ‘online resume’ Essentially, this is a networking, social media platform. To get the most out of being on LinkedIn, you need to be seen chatting, chatting, chatting. The best way to do this is to investigate following some brands that inspire you, connect with and follow people who check out what other people are posting, write comments on posts you love in your likeminded community, and share posts that you feel resonate with you. Some pages we love to interact with are The Female Lead, Inside Retail and Relier Group (oh gosh, how did that slip in there).
Et Voila! Put these tips into play and you are already on your way to showcase your full potential in the digital world. LinkedIn and I having such a love affair, but there’s room for you too. We don’t discriminate ;)
PSSSST… Lauren and I are waiting for you to add us too. We love love love our Relier network x