LinkedIn insecurity: Does my IT contractor career look bad in this?

Did you know recruiters see something completely different to everyone else when they look at LinkedIn profiles?

Most contractors are unaware that recruiters use a different version of LinkedIn called LinkedIn Recruiter, which is designed to help them manage jobs, track applicants, and collaborate with colleagues.

Through a LinkedIn Recruiter’s ‘Pipeline’ who knows how you look?!

Inside LinkedIn Recruiter, the view is nothing like what you and I see, writes Matt Craven, founder and winning-work expert at The CV & Interview Advisors, ahead of his webinar this Wednesday.

It presents an abbreviated snapshot of each candidate in what’s called their “Pipeline.” Only a handful of sections of candidates’ LinkedIn profiles are visible in that first scan, and these are often the sections that contractors neglect.

Why your LinkedIn About page isnt being ogled

If you fail to capture their attention in those first few seconds, they won’t click through to your full LinkedIn profile. No matter how good your “About” or “Experience” sections are, they will simply never be read.

As you may well know, LinkedIn has become the primary place where recruiters go to find contractors.

In many sectors, it has completely replaced the traditional candidate database.

Missing out on LinkedIn job opportunities

It’s not just a place to network and post your thoughts of the day; it’s an active search tool used daily by recruiters to fill their roles.

If you are not showing up in searches or your profile is not compelling enough to make recruiters want to click, you are missing out on opportunities before you even know they exist. And that includes the opportunities in the ‘hidden’ contractor jobs market. 

My advice as a professional CV reviewer and LinkedIn profile rewriter?

Think of LinkedIn as your online ‘shopfront.’

A weak, non-optimised profile is like having a shop in a busy high street but with the shutters down. Or worse still, it’s like having a website with no SEO -- you might technically exist, but you are invisible to the very people who could buy from you!

Those key visible sections in LinkedIn Recruiter need to do a lot of heavy lifting.

Via LinkedIn Recruiter, there are 3 must-communicates as a job candidate

As a contractor, they must instantly communicate your:

1. positioning,
2. value proposition, and;
3. professional worth

Essentially, the key sections need to present a compelling business case that says, “buy me, and my services.” This is especially true for contractors, where assignments are often filled at speed, and the first impression you make can determine whether you are shortlisted or ignored. 

Does your contractor LinkedIn page scream junior employee’s CV? Join us Wednesday

The reality is that too many contractors have a LinkedIn profile that reads like a junior employee’s CV.

It may list responsibilities quite well.

Three contractor LinkedIn profile page fails…

But too often, a contractor’s LinkedIn page fails to:

1. showcase achievements,
2. specify with numbers the value delivered, and;
3. articulate a clear value proposition.

These three ‘fails’ on LinkedIn are not going to win you high-value contracts in a competitive market.

Pulling back the curtain on LinkedIn Recruiter -- this Wednesday at midday

But fear not. This Wednesday, in my free session for ContractorUK readers, What Contract Recruiters see on LinkedIn and How to Create a Profile that Attracts Top Roles, we’ll pull back the curtain on LinkedIn Recruiter.

I’m going to show you exactly what recruiters see, explain which LinkedIn sections matter most, and give you a blueprint to optimise your contractor LinkedIn profile so you stand out, get noticed, and win more high-value contracts. Even better, perhaps, you’ll never have to feel insecure again or second-guess yourself with an agency and ask, ‘Does my contractor career look bad in this?!’

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Editor’s Note: ContractorUK readers are eligible for a free, confidential 1-2-1 review of their LinkedIn profile and contractor CV, via one of Matt’s personal branding advisers, here: https://cvandinterviewadvisors.co.uk/partners/contractor-uk