According to the Fast Company article “This Is What Recruiters Look For on Your LinkedIn Profile,” the majority of recruiters find LinkedIn an effective way of vetting candidates during the hiring process. Here are 10 tips the article highlights for making your profile stand out:

1. Complete your profile. You want to give the full picture of your work experience, education and accomplishments. Keep your profile current.


2. Don’t use selfies. Your photo should be professional and representative of the job you are seeking. Selfies and vacation photos give the impression that you couldn’t be bothered to put in the effort.


3. Who you “know” matters. Your profile should reflect a robust network — 300 or more contacts is ideal.


4. Discrepancies are red flags. Make sure the details on your LinkedIn profile match those on your resume (i.e., dates, job titles, etc.). Otherwise it will appear as though you’re not detail-oriented — or worse, that you’re not being truthful.


5. No one has time for a long, dense summary. Use short copy blocks and bullet points so recruiters can read your summary easily — and use keywords about your industry for easy searchability.


6. Your headline matters more than you know. Google search results typically include your location and the professional headline that appears under your name on your profile. Make the most of that headline by clarifying your industry and job function.


7. Stop the jargon. Make your job title and what your company does clear and easy to understand.


8. Recruiters read your thoughts. During your job search, maintain an active profile by reading newsfeeds, sharing content and commenting; if possible, link to articles you’ve written or other examples of your work. This shows a level of professional engagement.


9. Those recommendations are nice, but… Don’t put too much stock in the recommendations from “connections” on your LinkedIn profile unless they are short and really highlight something about your capabilities and strengths.


10. Saying you are job-hunting helps. You can privately let recruiters know you are looking for a job, by using the Open Candidates option.

For more tips on using LinkedIn, view our past Balancing Work & Cancer webinar recording on Building an Effective LinkedIn Profile, and order or download a free copy of the Job Search Toolkit in English or Spanish.