Unlocking Job Opportunities with LinkedIn and Artificial Intelligence

It’s no secret that the current job market is competitive. The market for remote roles is even tighter, with 50% of all applications submitted on LinkedIn aimed at the 10% of job postings that are fully remote.

Conventional advice says to channel your efforts into creating the perfect resume and cover letter. While your resume is important, what many fail to realize is that recruiters spend most of their time on LinkedIn, not sifting through piles of resumes.

LinkedIn profiles offer a comprehensive view of a candidate's professional journey, skills, and endorsements, plus the formatting is standardized and user friendly. The search functionality is also much better than standard applicant tracking systems (ATS) or resume parsers, allowing recruiters to quickly narrow down the perfect candidate.

With AI technology at your fingertips, there is no better time to focus on updating your LinkedIn profile. Utilizing AI prompts is an efficient way to keep each section of your profile up to date and in sync with recruiters' search queries.

Now that you know recruiters are prioritizing LinkedIn, let’s look at LinkedIn Recruiter and ways that you can optimize your LinkedIn profile with AI prompts to increase your chances of being discovered by recruiters and finding your dream job.

What Do Recruiters See in LinkedIn Profiles?

To build a profile that stands out amongst a crowd of applicants, it is key to understand LinkedIn Recruiter. Recruiters have access to a wealth of tools and filters, allowing them to conduct highly targeted searches. These filters cover a wide range of search criteria including job titles, locations, skills and assessments, companies, schools, industries, and seniority level. When those filters aren’t specific enough, recruiters can run targeted keyword searches known as Boolean searches.

When recruiters utilize these filters and still have too many candidates to sort through, they turn to Spotlights to quickly winnow down the search.

Understanding the significance of Spotlights and how to position yourself within them is crucial for enhancing your visibility to recruiters. Let’s explore each Spotlight filter and how to use it to your advantage.

Open to Work

The green banner has been the topic of much dialogue, but it remains the most popular spotlight to send a signal to recruiters. Open to Work can significantly increase your visibility to recruiters, making it easier for them to reach out with relevant job opportunities. You can harness the power of Open to Work without alerting all LinkedIn members of your search, just be sure to select “Recruiters only” if you are avoiding the green banner. There’s no guarantee of complete privacy, but if you select “Recruiters only,” LinkedIn does prevent LinkedIn Recruiter users at your current company from seeing your “open to work” status. In the “Open To” tab, I recommend adding at least five target job titles, locations, job types (remote, hybrid, in-office), and a target start date. Don’t forget to update your settings to get job notifications!

Active Talent

Active Talent on LinkedIn refers to individuals who are currently engaged in their job search and are exploring new career opportunities. These users may be actively applying for jobs, updating their profiles, engaging with recruiters, or networking within their industry. Recruiters often target Active Talent as they are more likely to be responsive and open to considering a new job. Dedicate a few minutes each week to tweaking your LinkedIn profile, applying for jobs, or interacting with recruiters so that you are categorized as Active Talent.

Rediscovered Talent

Rediscovered Talent includes “candidates that have been saved or messaged by someone in your company or applied to a job.” Interacting with the companies you’re interested in pays off. Help yourself fall under the Rediscovered Talent spotlight by applying for jobs at the companies you’re interested in.

Internal Candidates

This spotlight refers to current employees at the recruiter’s organization conducting the search. LinkedIn Recruiter allows recruiters to specifically target internal candidates to encourage internal mobility and retention within the organization. There’s not much you can do to influence how this spotlight is applied but be aware that it is being used.

Interested in Your Company

LinkedIn defines this spotlight as “candidates who selected ‘I'm interested’ in future roles at your company or interacted with your company's content, including following the company page.” This is a 2023 feature addition that is not to be missed! Take the time to follow the companies you want to work for and be sure to select “I’m interested” on the About page. Interacting with employees or the company’s posts on LinkedIn can also help you stand out with this spotlight.

Whether you're actively seeking new opportunities or passively exploring possibilities, leveraging these Spotlights can significantly enhance your chances of success on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Profile Optimization

Now that we have delved into the functionalities of LinkedIn Recruiter, let’s talk about optimizing your LinkedIn profile, so you stand out amid the competition. Crafting a compelling profile with targeted keywords, engaging content, and a professional presence can dramatically increase your visibility and attract the attention of recruiters and hiring managers in your desired field.

Although they won’t write the content for you (without a fee), there are some new AI co-pilots that will help you improve your LinkedIn profile section by section. The LinkedIn copilot on Careerflow.ai walks you through a 14-point checklist highlighting each section of your profile and providing useful editing tips.

Headline, Profile Picture, and About

Your headline and profile picture are the first thing recruiters see in search results, so make it shine. Use this space to convey your role, passion, and unique value. Go beyond listing skills or job titles and highlight the impact you can make in your industry. Don’t forget to drop a few highly searchable keywords along the way.

Need help crafting your headline? Here are a few ChatGPT prompt to start you out:

Create a LinkedIn headline for [JOB TITLE] that effectively showcases my expertise and attracts the attention of potential employers.

Draft a compelling LinkedIn headline for a [INDUSTRY] professional and tailor it to reflect my unique skills and experiences. [Copy/paste your resume.]

Crafting your LinkedIn About section is key to introducing yourself professionally. Keep it in the first person and share your journey in a straightforward, engaging manner. Highlight who you are, what you do, why it matters, and your impact, peppered with some stats for credibility. If you are looking to move locations or change your career path, the About section is a great place to call it out. Personal touches can help connect with your audience while showing off what makes you an optimal candidate. Here is a ChatGPT prompt to help customize your About section:

Using my resume, craft a compelling 'About' section written in the first person that introduces my professional network, highlights my key accomplishments, showcases my unique skills and experiences, and communicates my career goals and passions. Aim to engage readers and leave them with a strong impression of my value as a talented and dedicated professional in the field.

Based on my resume below, write a professional summary for a [TITLE OR LEVEL]’s LinkedIn that includes metrics and total years of experience, and keep it shorter than 750 words.

Create a summary that showcases my skills and experiences relevant to a [TITLE] role. [Copy/paste your resume.]

Skills, Experience, and More

Your LinkedIn Experience section is your chance to showcase your professional journey in detail. Here, you'll list your current and past roles, along with key responsibilities and accomplishments. Make sure to highlight relevant skills and achievements, using concise language and bullet points for clarity. Time-based metrics and data are a powerful way to convey your experience and impact.

An example of a time-based metric for cybersecurity professionals might be something like this: “Reduced incident response time by 30% through the implementation of proactive security measures and streamlined processes." Another way to generate impact is by uploading photos, videos, presentations, and documents related to your work.

Need help generating bullet points for your experience section? Here are some prompts to guide ChatGPT or Bard:

Write an experience bullet for a [TITLE] position that describes impact and uses metrics. Include at least 3 of these keywords: [A, B, C, D, E, F].

Write 4 resume achievements with metrics based on the following job responsibilities. [Copy/paste the job description.]

Write 3 bullet points demonstrating my ability to [RELEVANT SKILL OR ACHIEVEMENT]. [Copy/paste requirements/skills from target job posting.]

You can add up to 50 skills on LinkedIn. If you’re unsure of what skills to list, try running job descriptions through ChatGPT and using the tool to help you isolate skills. Try to hit all 50 and max out your ability to appear in recruiter searches! Remember that you can re-order and pin your skills, highlighting the skills that best align with the opportunities you’re seeking.

Here’s an AI example prompt:

I want to optimize my LinkedIn skill section. Provide a list of 50 skills relevant to [job role].

Using [job description] and publicly available information on [job role], identify the most important tools needed for the role.

Recommendations aren’t very likely to show up in a recruiter search, yet they hold weight when hiring teams and recruiters review profiles. Don’t hesitate to request endorsements from trusted colleagues as recommendations provide valuable insights into your work and capabilities. They act as a mini reference check. Don’t forget that the recommendations you write also appear on your profile to all viewers!

If asking for a recommendation feels too awkward, here’s an AI prompt to build your confidence.

Write a polite and persuasive message that I could send to my [colleague/manager/client/former co-worker] requesting a LinkedIn recommendation.

While you’re in Settings, remember that you can edit your visibility and safeguard your privacy, determining section by section what is publicly visible. One last tip is to customize your LinkedIn URL so that it is easy to include on your resume or website.

Conclusion

While there is value in perfecting your resume, LinkedIn gives you an opportunity to go further and present a holistic view of your professional identity. On LinkedIn there is a place for project portfolios, endorsements, recommendations, links to conference talks, blog posts, and more. If your LinkedIn to-do list feels overwhelming, you may want to leverage an AI copilot like Careerflow.ai or Teal, along with ChatGPT prompts to streamline your process.

No matter where you are in your career journey, embracing LinkedIn as a central part of your job search strategy can significantly enhance your chances of success.