LinkedIn is the professional’s Facebook and a sure-fire way to get yourself noticed by companies and recruiters. Don’t believe it? Just ask entrepreneur and Diversant Chairman John Goullet. Having worked in the IT staffing industry for over 25 years, John Goullet is an expert on perfecting one’s personal brand, networking with top-level executives and companies, interviewing, and working for companies of similar stature. Here, he shares tips and secrets for making your LinkedIn profile pop. 

What Makes John Goullet an Expert?

With over 25 years of experience, John Goullet has seen and done it all when it comes to IT staffing. He started his career as an IT consultant. Confident in his abilities and passionate about the industry, he founded Info Technologies Inc. in 1994. 

In just five years, he grew the private company into a $30 million enterprise, working with a myriad of Fortune 500 and mid-market companies to help satisfy their staffing needs. In 2010, Info Technologies joined forces with Diversant Inc. to become Diversant LLC. 

Together, the two companies have become one leading company in IT strategy and staffing solutions. John Goullet currently serves as the chairman of Diversant and works to find ongoing solutions for an ever-changing industry. Given the consistent growth of IT, particularly as technology dominates big business, it appears that Goullet and his team have plenty on their plate. 

LinkedIn: An Introduction

LinkedIn is the premiere website for entry-level, mid-level, and senior-level professionals. It’s a go-to source for business-oriented tips, strategies, services, and news, and over the past several years, it’s become a hunting ground by recruiters seeking new, talented professionals. Because of this, it’s important that your LinkedIn profile has flavor and personality and accurately lists what you’ve done, are doing, and can do. 

If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, visit the site after reading John Goullet’s tips. You can also view his profile here.

Tip #1: A Hirable Profile Is a Complete Profile

Too often, prospective employees leave information missing from their profiles or, even worse, create half-baked profiles that blandly explain their greatest “strengths” and almost grudgingly provide a work history. An example: 

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, Big Business Inc., 2015–2020

– Worked on many projects.

– Communicated well with others. 

– Collaborated as a team. 

Not even considering that the second two duties function together, what does a job description like this tell a recruiter? What have you done that others haven’t? Consider creating a LinkedIn profile just like crafting a resume. You wouldn’t put something this generalized on your resume, so don’t do it on your profile. That’s an easy way to repel a recruiter. 

Also, don’t just post your resume to your profile. LinkedIn allows you to attach your resume, but doing this in lieu of typing out job descriptions and experiences because they’re “all on my resume” is lazy and comes off as just that. Would you do the same on a job application? Provide a complete, holistic profile that summarizes your experiences, skills, abilities, certifications, and education. Doing so gives you a better chance of being noticed by a recruiter. 

Tip #2: Employ the Powers of LinkedIn

One of the reasons that LinkedIn has become so powerful in the professional world is because of its built-in abilities. Take advantage of these. A recent example is LinkedIn’s skill assessments. Introduced in 2019, these online assessments allow you to showcase skills that you’re proficient in. Are you a Microsoft Excel guru? Take the skill assessment, pass it, and you’ll receive a badge that is displayed on your profile for recruiters. And if you don’t pass, don’t worry. No one knows. Why not give it a try for the skills you feel comfortable with and want highlighted on your profile?

Other fantastic features of LinkedIn include LinkedIn Pages, job alerts, and Salary Insights. LinkedIn pages was launched in 2018 and allows you to gain a wealth of information about a chosen company. You can “follow” any company to receive updates in your feed, as well as sign up for job alerts. This means that when the company is hiring, you’ll be one of the first to know. Plus, recruiters receive alerts of their own letting them know you’re interested. 

As the name suggests, Salary Insights provides as much information as it can about a given job’s salary. Note that this information comes from employers, but if it is not provided, LinkedIn will do its best to give an estimated salary based on user input. This tool is great for preliminary research. 

Just like employers know what they’re looking for in an employee, you know what you’re looking for in an employer. Salary Insights is here to help you refine your job search. If you like what you see, consider signing up for a company’s job alerts. 

Tip #3: Recommendations

Once you’ve created a profile, you can ask for recommendations through LinkedIn. Note that you should only ask this of someone you’ve worked with (or for) and follow traditional etiquette protocol when broaching the subject. 

If all goes well and you receive a letter full of praise, this can be displayed on your profile. Talk about a credibility boost. If you think about it, LinkedIn is very much an online job search process. Plenty of companies ask for letters of recommendation when you apply to one of their postings. LinkedIn has taken the often strenuous task of putting together applications with resumes, cover letters, and recommendations and given you a digital way to display your credentials. 

Tip #4: Network

LinkedIn may be about business, but it’s still a social networking site. Think about Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. If you’ve ever used an account through one of those social media entities, you know that growth doesn’t come for free. If you want more followers, then you must engage with others on the given platform. 

LinkedIn is the same way. Putting up a stellar profile, following companies, and subscribing to job alerts helps, but it doesn’t guarantee you future interviews or employment. The best way to increase your chances of an opportunity presenting itself is to engage with others across the platform. Whether this means posting self-written articles in your own feed for connections and others to view, reaching out to executives that you admire and asking for advice, approaching the idea of mentorship, or actively engaging in a company’s posts and discussion threads, your activity can spearhead opportunities. 

If you’re having trouble, start by joining a group. Across LinkedIn, are an infinite number of social groups, be it for a specific industry or even college alumni. Look for a group that caters to your background, interests, and/or skills. There’s bound to be one, and it’s an easy way to engage with others and get your LinkedIn socializing game up to speed. 

You Are What You Do

Companies like Diversant function by helping talented professionals connect with employers who are seeking high-level, innovative employees. However, Goullet will be the first to tell you that the job-seeking process is a collaborative approach between Diversant and proactive IT professionals. 

Nothing in life comes without challenges, and the job search is no different. Diversant seeks people who make the effort to distinguish themselves and prove to be passionate, driven people intent on achieving their professional desires.

Get ahead of the game by solidifying your online presence. Start with LinkedIn, and grow from there. Create a well-rounded, holistic profile, and begin connecting with colleagues. Venture out into the recruiting game that LinkedIn offers. Look for opportunities with companies that you want to work for and who you think you can help. Sign up for job alerts, and use LinkedIn research tools to better understand what a day in the life of an employee at a specific company might look like. Engage with the LinkedIn community, stay proactive, and remain consistent because opportunity is just around the corner.