Woman Shares The 8 LinkedIn Hacks That Got Her So Many Interviews She Had To Turn Them Down
There are simple ways to game the system and up your chances of getting an interview.
Dean Drobot | Shutterstock There's no doubt about it: The old ways of finding jobs are now dead, and that doesn't just mean your boomer dad's suggestion that you "just go down there and fill out an application."
Technological advancements in recruiting, especially AI, mean the system has fundamentally shifted. One woman has come up with some key strategies to game that system that just might help you crack the code.
A job search expert shared 8 LinkedIn hacks that got her a job in a month:
Jesska, a content creator who focuses on job search tips, recently shared the sort of story most job seekers today would die for. "I found my job in one month," she said. "... In one month, I had to stop applying to jobs because I had so many recruiters and people messaging me on LinkedIn."
Sounds like an absolute dream, right? Imagine just sitting back and letting the jobs come to you instead of shuffling 100 resumes a day into a black hole! Jesska said it ultimately comes down to optimizing your LinkedIn profile, which is nothing new, of course.
But these days, it also means optimizing it for the AI tools recruiters are using to find needles in haystacks, and that's something a lot of us aren't necessarily adept at just yet. "Literally, I have LinkedIn wrapped around my finger," Jesska said in her video, and she shared eight simple hacks to turn your profile into a honeypot for recruiters.
1. Use the 'open to work' sticker.
Opinions vary on this simple tactic, with some experts saying it makes you seem desperate. Perhaps, but for recruiters, it's also a basic sorting tool for LinkedIn profiles that prioritize candidates who are actively searching. Remember that you can also have your profile set so that only recruiters can see the sticker and not your current employer or clients.
2. Consider leaving high-level credentials out of your name and title.
This refers to how your name and title appear on LinkedIn, such as "Joe Smith, MBA" or "Jane Doe, Ph.D.," for example. "I'm so sorry, it's so impressive that you have an MBA," Jesska said. "[But] unless you went to Harvard," it's often not given its due and can even work against you.
Unfair as it is, recruiters often brand those with high-level degrees as "overqualified." Of course, some jobs and fields require these degrees, so your individual situation may vary. But it's worth considering whether that "MBA" in your name is making recruiters move on immediately.
3. Include two different job titles in your header description.
Beneath your name on your LinkedIn profile is the space for your job title that sums up what you do. Jesska said to have two different titles here: One that you've already got under your belt and one you're aspiring to.
"I'm qualified for both of them," Jesska explained, "but one is a more senior position, and then one is something I'm definitely qualified for, if not overqualified." This broadens the scope of what you can be put into consideration for, rather than pigeonholing you at the level of your current or last position.
4. Optimize the 'About Me' section for AI, and don't forget the 'Top Skills' part.
"The 'About Me' section is so important for AI," Jesska said. "Literally, this is how recruiters find you because you have all those keywords in there." So if this field isn't filled out, or it's not optimized for AI, you're putting yourself out of the running for lots and lots of stuff.
Jesska said if you're not sure how to do this, upload your resume to an AI tool like ChatGPT and ask it to write you an About Me summary for LinkedIn. You could also give it prompts to include keywords for the fields and positions you're looking to work in. The summary you get may not be perfect, but it will at least be a launchpad for creating one. Also, make sure you don't skip the "Top Skills" part of the "About Me" section. Jesska said people often don't know this exists, and it's a great way to sum you up.
5. Keep your job experience descriptions succinct, tailored, and optimized.
Many experts advise job seekers to have their job experience section filled to the hilt to get as many keywords as possible. Jesska suggested a more streamlined approach, focusing simply on the company, job title, dates, and the actual skills used, rather than the job description. Instead, she recommended tailoring the verbiage to the kinds of jobs you're looking for or being considered for. This is another area where AI tools can come in handy.
6. 'Max out' your Education and Skills sections.
Here is where you'll talk about that MBA you took out of your headline, of course, along with certifications and other coursework. The Skills section is another often overlooked part of a LinkedIn profile that gets you tons more keywords for the algorithm.
"This is where you max out," Jesska recommended. You can put up to 100 skills in this section, though it's important to remember that only the top three are shown by default. Some experts recommend keeping this limited so that your profile stays clean and organized, but Jesska said more is more. And if you're having trouble thinking of skills, this is another place where an AI tool can be a huge help.
7. Engage on LinkedIn as much as possible — but do so very carefully.
If you're like a lot of people (me, I'm talking about me), you hardly ever even log into LinkedIn unless it's to send off a job application. Jesska said this is the opposite of how you should be approaching it. "Be confidently delusional" and pretend "you're famous," she said. "The more you engage with the platform, the more it engages with you," and the more oomph your profile will get in the algorithm.
However, it is vitally important to be choosy about what you engage with. "This is corporate America," she said. "You have to drink the Kool-Aid." That means no engaging with anything remotely controversial, which bizarrely is A LOT of the content on LinkedIn these days.
8. Do not wait to respond to LinkedIn messages.
Finally, Jesska said that when you get a LinkedIn message, respond as soon as possible. None of this waiting till after work or later on when you have spare time. Jump!
"The minute a recruiter or an HR manager reaches out to you, head hunts you on LinkedIn in your messages, emergency! Stop, drop, and roll over to your laptop," Jesska said. "They reach out to you out of all the millions of people on LinkedIn! Stop what you're doing. Message them." Seize the moment, and you just might find yourself landing a new opportunity.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
