This January I had the privilege of speaking at the 2016 HRPA Annual Conference for Human Resources Professionals at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
I spoke about LinkedIn Hiring Secrets and wanted to share some easy things that you can do on the Summary section of your LinkedIn Profile to attract talent when you have to hire.
Most people think of LinkedIn as the online version of your resume. Instead, I want for you to put your marketing hat on and think of it as a branding platform. If you are a hiring manager, what you write on your LinkedIn Profile Summary should be designed to attract the best talent to your company.
Why Does Your LinkedIn Profile Matter When You Are Hiring?
- Every candidate will look at the LinkedIn Profile of the person they are interviewing with. Candidates will be making judgements and assessments about you based on the content of your LinkedIn Profile.
- You can brand your company as a top company to work for and really sell your organization to candidates who might not have been considering a move.
- Great candidates want to work for great mentors. What you say on your LinkedIn Profile can get a candidate excited about working for you.
Use Your SUMMARY Section to Attract Talent to Your Team
1st Paragraph: Say why your company is a great place to work
2nd Paragraph: Describe how to apply. Should they email or call you? Should a candidate apply through your company’s HRIS? If so, what is the link?
3rd Paragraph: Talk about your leadership style
Here is an example:
Company XYZ is a fantastic place to work. I’m inspired each day to come to work with intelligent fun people who love what they do, but don’t take themselves too seriously.
We are always interested in meeting proactively with Top Performers. In particular I will be recruiting Project Managers in the coming months. Please email me at bob@companyXYZ if you are a project manager and we can look at setting up a coffee meeting. Or, if you work in another area, but are thinking about joining our team, please send your resume to HR@companyXYZ.
As a manager and mentor, I believe in inspiring my team to do their best. My job is to create an environment where my team can thrive. Great people do great work when they are trusted and empowered, not micromanaged.
Video: Use your smart phone to create a video message to prospective talent saying why they might be interested in joining your team. Upload that video onto your LinkedIn Profile Summary.
Using these strategies on the Summary Section of your LinkedIn Profile will impact the interest level of the best candidates and will help attract them to work for you.
