Harold Samuel coined the phrase “Location, location, location” in 1944 when he founded Land Securities, one of the United Kingdom’s largest property companies. In 2021, his quote is as valid today when it comes to being found and searchable on your LinkedIn Profile.
If you haven’t given serious thought to what location and industry you’ve selected on your LinkedIn profile, you probably aren’t being found by recruiters and hiring managers when they are searching for candidates like you. Most people haven’t given this choice a moment’s consideration since setting up their LinkedIn Profile many years ago. But, now is a good time to reconsider what you’ve selected so you can be sure your choices are helping you accomplish your career goals.
The options are limited but very important: LinkedIn allows you to choose only one industry and one location. Since many of us wear more than one hat and do business nationally or even globally, this can be quite challenging. Although the industry you select is not displayed on your Profile, it’s one of the most used search filters not just on LinkedIn but on Google as well.
Industry and Location are two of the filter options used by recruiters and hiring managers when they search for candidates to fill open jobs. Here are some strategies to help you get noticed for your next career move:
• If you’re a job seeker and thinking about relocating or working in a new industry, use the new location and industry.
• If you have multiple industry and location choices that are equally good, consider changing them out from time to time to your alternative choices.
• Consider mentioning multiple cities, regions or industries in other profile sections to improve your search ranking and your chances of being found. The sections that work well for this would be your Summary, Job Experiences, Job Locations, and Interests.
How to enter or adjust your location and industry
Follow these simple steps and you’ll greatly improve your chances of being found by your target audience.
• Go to your Profile by clicking the Me icon in your top toolbar.
• Click the pencil to the right of your profile photo.
• Select your country from the drop-down menu.
• Type in your postal code.
• Select either a region or city that is provided from the Locations within this area box.
• Select your desired industry from the drop-down menu.
• Click Save
Stay one step ahead of the job candidate pool, the majority of whom are not taking the time to carefully choose their industry and location or, worse yet, letting LinkedIn make the location choice for them. Making a conscious, thoughtful decision about what location and industry to choose helps make you more searchable and findable on LinkedIn.
Garrison Leykam, PhD
Certified Remote Work Professional
- Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC)
- Certified Professional, Résumé Writer (CPRW)
- Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP)
- Certified Life Coach (Expert Level)
- PhD Marketing, MA Psychology
- LinkedIn profile in Top 25 MA, PhD profiles in U.S.
- Top 1% LinkedIn Industry Social Selling Index
- Author, Audacious at Any Age and Design You
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