5 TERRIBLE Lies Your LinkedIn Profile Is Telling Recruiters

5 TERRIBLE Lies Your LinkedIn Profile Is Telling Recruiters

You know how important it is to have a LinkedIn profile these days. It’s basically required of all adult professionals who want to be found (and, more importantly, HIRED) by really cool companies. Related:5 Tips For Upping Your LinkedIn Game BUT what if I told you that your current LinkedIn profile is doing you more harm than good? DUN DUN DUN. Here are five terrible lies your LinkedIn profile is telling recruiters:


1. “I’m lazy.”

When your profile isn’t filled out, that faceless avatar screams, “I know I said I was driven and motivated, but I’m actually really lazy. I can’t even fill out my own LinkedIn profile.” It’s not hard. Fill in your profile and upload a professional photo. It doesn’t take long.

“I don’t want to be found.”

No keywords listed on your profile? You’re basically saying you want to remain invisible. Without the appropriate keywords on your profile, recruiters, employers, and whoever else you want to find you on LinkedIn won’t be able to do that. You won’t show up in their search results. Think about your skills, expertise, experience. What are some keywords that are associated with those things? Check out this post to learn more about optimizing your profile with keywords.

3. “I don’t know what the heck I’m good at.”

If you don’t list any skills on your profile, you’re telling everyone who sees it, well, that you don’t know what the heck you’re even good at doing. Think about your previous roles and what skills you needed to use to complete projects. Also, think about your passions. What do you love doing? If you’re still having a hard time thinking of specific skills, poll your family and friends. Ask them to honestly tell you what they think you’re good at doing, then distill those answers into real world skills.

4. “No one believes in me.”

Oh, and if you DO have skills listed but don’t have any endorsements or recommendations, people won’t believe you really can do the things you claim you can do. Would you buy an expensive, high commitment product without reading testimonials or reviews? I didn’t think so. Swap endorsements and recommendations with your connections. While you might not think they are important, a good recommendation can separate you from other candidates who don’t have one. That third party credibility factor is huge.

5. “I don’t offer any value.”

Okay, so maybe you’ve listed off some of your jobs and duties, but if you don’t highlight the impact you made at the company, you’re not really saying anything your Skills section can’t. It’s essential to quantify your accomplishments. Use numbers whenever possible. Showcase projects you were apart of that made a big impact. Employers want to know you offer value and they are looking for these kinds of examples! Photo credit: Shutterstock
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