Recruiter Pet Peeves: Avoiding the LinkedIn Profile Pitfalls

As a job seeker, your resume and LinkedIn profile are often the first impressions you make with a potential employer. It's important to present yourself in the best possible light and avoid common mistakes that can easily make a recruiter’s job harder — or even turn them off to your profile completely. We asked the recruiting team here at Custom Business Solutions what their top pet peeves are when it comes to candidate profiles and how you can avoid these pitfalls in your own job search. 

No Profile Picture on LinkedIn

One of the easiest ways to make your profile stand out is by adding a professional profile picture. Recruiters and hiring managers are more likely to take you seriously if they can see who you are. Without a profile picture, your LinkedIn profile can seem incomplete or impersonal. 

“Unfortunately, due to the number of fake and duplicate profiles on LinkedIn, I tend to review candidates who have a profile picture first”, says one recruiter. “It doesn’t have to be a professional headshot, but if I can clearly see the person, meaning it’s not the back of their head, or they’re not wearing sunglasses, and they’ve taken the time to present themselves in a professional manner, I feel like I’m communicating with a real person”. 

Resume and LinkedIn Profile Don’t Match

Consistency is key. If your resume doesn’t match your LinkedIn profile, recruiters will immediately notice, and it could raise questions about your credibility. Whether it's job titles, dates, or even job responsibilities, discrepancies between the two profiles are a huge red flag. Recruiters want to trust the information you provide. As another recruiter explains, “We want our candidates to put their best foot forward, and it’s hard to present hiring managers with candidates who have inconsistent work histories. Many hiring managers review LinkedIn profiles before the interview, so it’s important everything matches”.

This also includes conflicting or inconsistent dates on your resume and LinkedIn profile. If your resume says you worked somewhere from 2015 to 2018, but your LinkedIn profile shows 2016 to 2019, recruiters will start questioning the accuracy of your entire profile.

Take the time to make sure that both your resume and LinkedIn profile reflect the same job history, skills, and achievements. Ensure that your dates match across both platforms and your resume. Even if there are slight discrepancies, such as gaps in employment or short-term positions, be honest and clear about them. It's better to explain any gaps in employment upfront than to leave a recruiter guessing.

OUTDATED PROFILE

Along the same line, if you’ve gained new skills, moved on to a new position, or received a promotion, make sure your profiles reflect those changes. Recruiters may pass you by if they see that your profile hasn't been updated in years or if it reflects outdated information. “Skills and specific tools are some of the first filters we use as recruiters, and we have to assume if your profile doesn’t list those technologies, you might not be a fit for the job”. 

Keeping your profile up to date is not just about listing job positions but also about including new certifications, skills, and achievements. Recruiters will appreciate your attention to detail, and it shows you’re keeping up with your career progression.

Lack of Summary or Responsibilities in Job Roles

A lack of summary or description of responsibilities is like a book with no plot — it’s hard to understand what you do and easy to lose interest. A recruiter doesn’t just want to see where you worked and for how long; they want to know what you accomplished in each role. Without these details, your profile becomes just a list of job titles.

Add a summary of your role and responsibilities for each position you list. Highlight your achievements, key projects, and specific contributions to your team or company. This not only helps recruiters understand your value but also gives them a clearer picture of how you can contribute to their organization. If you’re really stuck, you can copy some of the bullet points from your resume- three to five bullet points per role should be sufficient. 

Tech Stack without Context

It’s common for candidates, especially in technical roles, to simply list a bunch of technologies they’ve worked with at each job. While listing the tools and technologies you’ve used is important, it’s not enough on its own. Recruiters are looking for more than just a tech stack — they want to know how you used those technologies to drive results.

For each job, make sure to explain how your technical skills contributed to your success in the role. For example, instead of just saying “Worked with Python, JavaScript, and AWS,” you could say something like, “Developed a customer-facing web application using Python and JavaScript, which resulted in a 25% increase in user engagement.” This gives recruiters a clearer picture of how you applied your skills in real-world scenarios and the ability to “go to bat for you” with hiring managers. 

Final Thoughts

In the fast-paced world of staffing and recruiting, we have limited time to review each candidate’s application. By avoiding these common pet peeves, you’ll increase your chances of standing out in a positive way. Make sure your resume and LinkedIn profile align, are up to date, and clearly showcase your skills, experiences, and achievements.

With just a little effort, you can avoid these pet peeves and make a strong impression, helping you take the next step in your career!