Why Are You Not Being Found? Try Thinking Like a Recruiter

To Be Found, You Need to Think Like a Recruiter

Most of the time, the reason you are not being found is that you are not thinking like a recruiter. Recruiters are using LinkedIn to search for talent using specific strategies.

Think of this like dating. If you want to find a mate, you need to hang out where the opposite sex can find you. When I was a young man, that meant belonging to social organizations or clubs and hanging out with friends. When I got older, it also meant going to bars and doing other activities—I met my wife playing volleyball through an informal Sunday evening volleyball group.

If you want to be found by recruiters, then you need to understand the strategies recruiters use to search LinkedIn. This way, you can be found by recruiters …just like you wanted to be found by the opposite sex.

Let’s start with the basics.

Current Job Title

Recruiters use LinkedIn Advanced Search to find people. They start by using the current job title field. Having a current job title is critical to being found.

In the image to the right, the recruiter is searching for individuals who have product manager as their current title.

The image below lists one of my contact’s current title as  Sr. Product Manager, and it is the current title because the end date of the position is current.

 

What if you are unemployed? Create a position!

I have a shell consulting company called Global Basis Consulting. When I was unemployed, this was my current position. If you look at my LinkedIn profile you will find the following:

If I were to sell Career Pivot, I would change the Global Basis Consulting end date to present and I would have a current position.

You have to have a current position to be found!

Current Job Title Contents

Your current job title should be as descriptive as possible AND give multiple variations if needed.

For example, let’s say you are a product manager. What kind of product manager?

Software Product Manager

Can you add any keywords? Like Software as a Service (SaaS) or Agile?

SaaS Agile Product Manager

Let’s say you also handle product marketing for the product.

SaaS Agile Product Manager | Product Marketing Manager

Now you will be found if a recruiter is searching for a Product Manager OR a Product Marketing Manager.

Let me be clear, you cannot lie. Only use job titles that fit your current job!

Keywords

Besides searching job titles, recruiters will use keywords to find prospects—as shown in the image to the right. In this case, the recruiter is looking for a product manager with Software as a Service (SaaS) experience.

The results of the search will list profiles with the current title of Product Manager that also includes SaaS in their profile. The more times SaaS appears in the profile, the higher it will appear in the ranking.

You need to place keywords in your summary and in your current and past positions.

DO NOT KEYWORD STUFF.

The easiest way to do this is to place a keyword entry at the end of each section. A good example is to look at the Summary section of my LinkedIn Profile.

Using this method, it is very obvious what I am doing. Place a keyword section at the bottom of each section.

Do not use keywords that are not valid for the section.

Connecting with Recruiters

You should connect with recruiters at your target companies. If you are following my Targeted Job Search Strategy, you will know how to strategically connect with recruiters.

If you are a 1st-degree connection of the recruiter who is searching, you appear higher in his rankings. Recruiters move around a lot. They move between companies that need their services. They carry their connections with them. Over a period of time, having a lot of recruiters in your network will be very beneficial.

Do you now understand why you are not being found?

What is your next step?

Marc Miller  

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