Diagram of a perfect LinkedIn headline [INFOGRAPHIC]

Unemployed or miserably employed? Then maximize your LinkedIn headline and job titles to show up higher in search results for the jobs that you want. By doing so, you will better attract employers who search LinkedIn for top candidates. (And believe me, LinkedIn is where they look … over 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find and/or check out candidates). Source: Jobvite

This Infographic will show you exactly what to do

1) Maximize your LinkedIn headline!

The secret? Use the 120 character space to list the job titles that you want.

Make the most of the 120 characters in your LinkedIn headline!

Why these 6 tips work: 

1) Why list the jobs you want in order? LinkedIn’s search algorithm tends to weigh the first words listed in your headline most heavily, so put the job you want first. 

2) Why use standard job titles? Doing so ensures that you will be found when recruiters search for you by common titles. So for example, if your company called your title “Mission Director”, but the work you did was that of a Creative Director, use that more standard title in place of, or in addition to your vague title. 

3) Why separate your job titles with pipes? The LinkedIn system can’t read some symbols in headlines (thus hindering a headline’s search-ability), but a pipe (the vertical line above the backslash on your keyboard) with a space before and after, works well and separates your job titles nicely. 

4) Why add relevant industries and strengths after your job titles? It will help you show up higher in search results for all of those titles and terms. 

5) Why not use adjectives? Because they only take up valuable characters/space and won’t help you show up high in search for the job titles that you want. Here’s what I mean: Recruiters will look for qualified candidates by job title. Words like “proven” before the title don’t add anything and in fact, could hurt your search results because the adjective pushes your job titles farther to the right where the LinkedIn search algorithm tends to score words lower.

6) Why consider adding “Available” to your headline? Unless you are employed or are playing hard to get (such as when you are working exclusively with a recruiter), letting people know you are available can generate job leads.

2) Optimize your current and past job titles!

Maximize your LinkedIn job titles to show up high in LinkedIn search for the jobs that you want.

Job titles listed in your job title boxes are the number one way to show up high in LinkedIn search for those job titles. That’s why it’s essential to pack your 100-character job title boxes with job titles and key words. 

To see why this is important, check to see how high you show up in LinkedIn search for the job titles that you want. Click Advanced next to the LinkedIn Search box and then select the People option on the left navigation bar. Type a job title that you want in the Title box and your zip code into the Postal Code box. Click Search. How high do you show up in the search results in your geographic area? If you are not showing up high (or at all), recruiters will likely not find you on LinkedIn. The good news is that you can quickly show up higher. Here's how:

After you’ve added extra information to your job title boxes, conduct an Advanced People Search again to see if you are showing up higher and then keep tweaking until you can be found for the jobs that you want. (Note: Search results vary depending on who is conducting the search, but by striving to show up high in your results, you will likely show up higher for others, as well.)

Important note: If you want to keep edits to your headline or job titles on the down low, make sure that the toggle switch in the top job entry in your Experience section is turned to the off position. To make sure, click the blue pencil next to your most recent job entry and scroll to the bottom of the popup box to locate the on/off toggle switch. 

Make the most of your LinkedIn profile headline and job titles! Doing so can help you land a great job! 

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