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Some would argue that LinkedIn is the most essential resource IT recruiting agencies use in their search. Massive job boards like Career Builder, Monster, and Craigslist can sometimes fall short in providing IT Recruiters with the highest quality of candidates. As a result, LinkedIn is constantly used by IT staffing companies to locate the best-hidden talent in the industry. Below are ten tips that will assure your page comes up in their search and engages IT recruiters enough to keep reading.

1. Make your profile public: The point is to be seen right? Though it seems pretty obvious, this is the number one rule. To make sure your information is seen by the right people, you must make it accessible to them. IT recruiting companies won’t find you if they can’t.
2. Join Groups: Engage in these small communities. You never know who might have gone to the same school, have experience in the same technology/held a similar IT job, worked at the same company, etc. Moreover, participate via discussion forums. The more you connect in a way that is personal, the more likely it is you’ll network with the right people. IT Recruiters are members of countless groups and often look towards other members for IT specialization in a certain area.
3. Link Personal Blogs, Twitter, etc: The more you can show of yourself, the better. Linking personal sites allow IT recruiters to see a little more into who YOU are as a person. Many times client companies have particular environments or personalities conducive to a specific type of person. Any clues you can give IT staffing firms about your character could set you apart from the rest.
4. Full out as much information as possible: LinkedIn is set up in the way that you can make as much of it as you want. As an IT recruiting agency who uses this valuable resource to find candidates daily, our advice is to make your profile the best and most full depiction of you. Add a picture. Get recommendations. Post former IT jobs, education, affiliations.
5. Log in/Update your page frequently: Staying on top of things is crucial during any IT job search, especially given our current economic climate. Even something as simple as logging in regularly could increase your chances at landing the perfect IT job. IT recruiters always post open positions on LinkedIn, specifically to groups (Refer to Tip #2). Given the swift nature of filling positions, it’s integral to remain connected.
6. Avoid simply uploading your resume:  While LinkedIn is a great resource to use, it should not be just another place to upload your resume. Your profile is a brief, eye-catching summary of your experience. Don’t add numerous bullets for every past IT job that you’ve held.  Your profile should be detailed enough to understand your background, but concise and interesting enough to keep readers and IT recruiters engaged.
7. Remain professional: It’s extremely important to remember this is a professional, not a social networking site. While advancements now allow for facets of LinkedIn to be similar to Facebook (events, updating status, etc.), they are not meant to be used in the same way. Information should be pertinent to the workplace and remain tasteful. If you do choose to link personal sites, make sure you are aware of what is being made accessible.   IT recruiters screen for this and continually disqualify candidates who provide inappropriate content on their personal social media pages.
8. Include personal notes in invitations to link. Sometimes reach is only successful when made personal. Including a message might jog someone’s memory or catch the eye of technical recruiters.  This will increase your chances make of someone accepting your invitation to connect. In general, adding a personal touch to networking makes you come across as more professional and invested.
9. Take suggestions from “People you might know” or “People who have viewed this profile also viewed” : Networking is most successful when there is some common thread. These two features allow you very easy access to a pool of people you are connected to in some way. IT staffing companies are often successful because of referrals by clients or candidates. Get to know these IT recruiting agencies and recruiters through tools right in front of you.
10. Create a personalized URL for your page that includes your full name.  LinkedIn gives you the option to keep the URL they give you, or personalize it. Find anything familiar about most of these tips? Personalize, personalize, personalize. Don’t be www.linkedin.in/4238942, be www.linkedin.in./YOURNAME. Take ownership of your talents, credentials and experience. Even more than that, it’s going to increase the likelihood of you appearing in search results. If you want to be seen, you must increase visibility – it’s that simple.