At Vettery, our goal is to make meaningful connections and help job-seekers find their dream role. To make those connections, make sure to optimize your candidate profile to best express your skills and qualifications. We’ve put together seven simple steps to maximize your profile on Vettery or LinkedIn.

Maximizing your candidate profile

1. Add a photo: Your profile picture is your first impression. Regardless of how strong your profile is, many employers will perceive itas incomplete if you do not have a photo. According to LinkedIn, "Members with photos receive 21 times more profile views and up to 36 times more messages." Adding a photo will lead to more interview requests or connections.

Profile picture for a job-seeker candidate profile

2. Include a compelling description: Writing a short description is where you can define your brand and tell recruiters who you are and what you care about. In your description, you can give an overview of some of your biggest accomplishments, both professionally and personally. When describing your accomplishments, include keywords that represent your skills and the industry you work in. Remember to write your description in the first person, and keep in mind that the best descriptions are short and sweet. If you need extra help creating a compelling description, check out Resume Worded - they can give you free instant feedback on your resume and LinkedIn profile.

I am a full-stack engineer with expertise and passion for building applications in Java, Ruby, and Python. Currently, I work at Sample.io, where I have developed robust code for an innovative, cutting-edge product. I am looking for a new challenge where I can add value and work with data structures, end-to-end coding, and continue to problem-solve. Looking to relocate for the right opportunity in either San Francisco or Los Angeles.

3. Call out job preferences: When optimizing your profile, call out job preferences for your next opportunity. Being direct about your preferred company size, job titles, and ideal salary will maximize your chances of being matched with interviews for your dream position.

4. Add location preferences: Add location preference and current location to improve your job match. Hint: Vettery has seen a tremendous uptick in demand for remote work since March. So, if you are interested in remote work - now is the time to mention that on your profile under “Roles & salary”!

Location image for putting your location preferences on your candidate profile

5. Check work authorization: In addition to location preferences, if you require visa sponsorship, clearly reference and document it on your profile to avoid additional steps in the interview process. Many of our roles are open to sponsorship so including so upfront will save time. At Vettery, we make it easy for you, just check off “yes” or “no” for work authorization, and your status will appear on your profile.

6. Highlight your skills: Promote skills to help you stand out from the competition and show that you are qualified for a specific role. However, limit your skills to a maximum of ten. Identify the skills that are more relevant to a specific position you are looking for and where you’d be comfortable taking an assessment. If you have in-demand skills that are required for a role - put them on your profile! On Vettery, you can star your strongest three skills; this feature helps highlight your experience in a specific field and makes your profile stand out even more to recruiters.

Starring skills on Vettery profile - JavaScript, React.js, Go, Python, AWS, PHP

7. Add relevant links: Inserting relevant links on your profile is a great way for recruiters to get more information about your past work experiences and accomplishments. If you have a Vettery profile, you can link to your personal website, GitHub, or LinkedIn. If you have been featured in a blog post or webinar or have had your product featured in a product release, make sure you link these to your profile as well.

Checklist of LinkedIn profile, Github, Personal site, Accomplishments

We hope that using these top seven tips to optimize your candidate profile will help you connect with great teams and great people, whether that be on Vettery or other job sites. Don’t forget to keep your profile updated and refresh it with any recent accomplishments to make sure it is up to date.