Businesses are “missing a trick” by not ensuring that staff have up-to-date and dynamically written LinkedIn profiles, a recruitment expert has warned.
Victoria McLean, former headhunter and founder of City CV, said it is vital for firms to have unified LinkedIn profiles for all staff to strengthen their brand and compete with rivals.
Historically, people looking to do deals with other companies checked out websites; now they check out LinkedIn.
A good LinkedIn profile can give the company they belong to a strong identity and position the individual as a subject matter expert.
Ms McLean said: “When deciding whether to go with one firm or another, a badly written profile can put a person off.
“If you click on a person with an amazing profile, you are far more likely to choose that firm.”
After an architectural firm found out it was losing out on bids, the bosses approached Ms McLean’s firm to help them write the LinkedIn profiles for the project directors, so when they pitched for jobs, clients might look at their profiles.
Subsequently, the company saw a significant uplift in the number of bids it was winning.
Ms McLean added: “People are looking at people’s LinkedIn profiles as a way to check out the company itself.
Advisers like Jane Hodges from Money Honey Financial Planning believe in the power of LinkedIn. She believes it is vital to an individual’s brand.
She said: “People change jobs and they need to build a profile and identity. That is a personal thing. On a secondary layer, in your profile it is good to be consistent about your company, but it is still about the person.”
Ms McLean’s tips on how to enhance a LinkedIn profile are:
n Fill your page completely.
n Be an expert.
n Self promotion.
n Optimise your profile, using keywords and posting regularly.
n Regularly make connections.
n Use the trending tools to go through posts and updates to find relevant information.
