by Shannon C. Kelly Raise your hand if you’re looking for a job, to build your network, to make the right connections, to get noticed in your field, to enhance your reputation, etc. If you did raise your hand and you are on LinkedIn, remember this: keywords are key. This is not shocking, but if you are not incorporating the right terms in your profile, you may not be getting pulled up in a search.
FastCompany published an article, titled “LinkedIn’s Algorithm Taps Talent Graph, But Still Needs Human Touch” last week. One of the important trends discussed was LinkedIn’s algorithm to help recruiters find the talent they want in the most efficient way: typing in a few key words or phrase and, bam, candidates. Just hitting enter can be pretty time efficient, and recruiters agree. The moral? Be sure you are including key words in your skills section. Look at the jobs you are interested in, the descriptions, your connections on LinkedIn – what keywords are listed? Incorporate those terms in your own profile.
Now, as the article mentions, and DePaul Career Center’s Douglas L. Miller explains further, the human touch is still important. Remember that. Social media is not a replacement for in-person interaction. It is here to help get you to that point – the conference, the networking event, the interview. When you are having the fact-to-face interaction, use those keywords to impress people and demonstrate your knowledge of the field or position.