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It’s a fact that prospective employers will check out potential candidates online. One of the first places they go is LinkedIn. This social media platform gives them the perfect place to compare the LinkedIn profile with the resume.
Five things employers look at in a LinkedIn profile:
- Recommendations, Endorsements. Employers want to verify your level of expertise and these areas on your LinkedIn profile help show what people value about your skills and talents. They will check what people are saying about you in your recommendations, and peruse your endorsements to see if the key skills they are looking for (and you highlight on your resume) match those in your LinkedIn profile. If a candidate has a lot of recommendations and matching endorsed skills, they will be contacted first in most instances.
- Connections. Companies will check the people you are connected to on LinkedIn to see if they know anyone in common. They can also see the kinds of relationships you have and use some might even use your connections to check references.
- Employment. Here’s where a lot of job seekers fall short. Their employment history (companies and job titles for the last 10-15 years) in their LinkedIn profile doesn’t match their resume. LinkedIn is not meant to be a full employment history log, however, the most recent 10-15 years should mirror the resume with company names and job titles. This will send a red flag to a prospective employer if there are discrepancies in this area.
- Education. In every search for a potential candidate, the hiring company will be checking education. It’s important that any college or educational institute, and degree or certification you list in your LinkedIn profile directly matches what you have on your resume.
- Groups. Employers like to look at the groups you belong to for several reasons. Are you in groups that are industry related and help you keep up with the trends? Are you in groups where thought leaders hang out? They are also looking for any published content you have in these groups. This gives them a better picture of how engaged you are with others online, how you interact with others, and what expertise you may be sharing.
Active job seekers should have their LinkedIn profiles up-to-date and make sure the resume and the LinkedIn profile complement each other.
