I feel that by stating your current title, or your profession, you are doing yourself a disservice. By doing this, it is not the most affective way to get noticed if you are looking for work. Have you ever heard the saying, "Never judge a book by its cover"? Well, unfortunately, we do judge books by their covers and so do hiring managers and recruiters when they look at profiles on Linkedin. People are judged by their "headlines," and a generic headline does not give an employer a compelling reason to want to continue reading. It doesn't tell the reader what your unique skills are or what you can offer an employer if they hire you.
In today's age of job searching and competition, you have to exhaust all possibilities when it comes to getting noticed. Let’s face it, there is so much competition that hiring managers really have their pick of the litter. When they come across anything that does not grab their attention, they are going to move on to the next person who, possibly, has a more eye catching headline; one that displays the skills they are seeking in a job candidate.
You see, Linkedin's search algorithm indexes the headline first. This is why it is so important for a job seeker to use strong keywords and phrases instead of generic keywords. They will show up in searches before any of the people who have generic headlines do. In essence, a prepared job seeker will look more proactive and technically savvy. For example, instead of going about it the familiar way, it is best to use words like (I'll use myself as an example): Branding Guru | Career Search Specialist | Search Engine Optimizationalist....etc. These types of phrases are more interesting and demonstrate the skills I bring to the table. You can also seperate them with lines or astericks so they will stand out better.
If I was searching for job candidates and came across a profile that was generic, I would not feel compelled to read further. First, I would wonder if the person who wrote it was lazy, and second, I would wonder if they even understood why it is better to use a unique skill set instead of a generic title. Maybe no one even told them what it is they should do.
The bottom line...a person needs to take the time to think about what makes them different from everyone else and what employers want to see; what compels employers to want to read further? Using generic headlines and keywords is not going to do it. Taking the time to create a more personal, professional headline, while utilizing more powerful skill sets, is what is going to help you raise above the competition.
With all this in mind, I challenge you to look at your Linkedin profile and ask yourself, "How can I make it better so I am not just another profile in the mix?" Good luck and I look forward to your creativity. - Debra Manente
