A little-noticed fact about LinkedIn is that all searches conducted in LinkedIn default to a relevance criteria. That means the more “relevant” you are to the person searching, your profile will come up higher in their search results. With over 90% of corporations using LinkedIn to find needed resources, it’s important to be relevant.
How does one become more relevant to someone who searches for a certain title, skill sets, or specialty expertise on LinkedIn?
1. You are connected to them. With the default search based on relevancy, a person’s 1st connections that meet the search criteria will be displayed at the top of the list, then 2nd, 3rd and so on.
2. You are connected to them through others (you are a 2nd degree connection to the searcher).
3. You are in the same Linkedin Group. Many LinkedIn members join groups of their colleagues (other consultants, other attorneys, etc.). But, you might consider joining more groups in which your clients or customers participate.
What does this mean for you? Connect to more quality people, and join groups strategically (make sure the groups you join have active membership numbers). Of course, if a LinkedIn search includes a geography (Greater Los Angeles area) and an industry (Computer Software) as well as certain keywords in the search (CMO or inbound marketing), all of those elements need to be in your profile so that you show up in the results.
If you would like to get better results from your LinkedIn profile, contact me, Jennifer Beever. I offer LinkedIn profile optimization, coaching and training.