The Top 3 Ways To Boost Your Visibility With Employers Looking For Talent

It’s a tough time to be a job seeker.

Employers are laying off significant chunks of their workforces while companies and workers brace for an impending recession and rising inflation. To say that current macroeconomic conditions are challenging is an understatement.

But despite the grim outlook, there is some good news.

A recent survey of more than 250 human resources, finance, and operations executives by LaSalle Network, a national staffing, recruiting, and culture firm, found leaders cautiously optimistic about 2023, with 84% planning to add headcount. Though they won’t see the volume that 2022 did, companies are focusing on recruiting key skilled talent in Sales, Accounting/Finance, IT, Marketing, and Customer Service roles while retaining current teams.

Which, apparently, is tricky. The study also revealed employers’ #1 hiring challenge: finding skilled workers.

If you want to up your chances of being found by hiring employers, you need to be where they’re looking. Here are the top three ways the survey revealed companies are finding talent—and how to boost your visibility in each:

1. Job boards (LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, Indeed)

Hiring managers won’t find you if you don’t have an online job board presence. So complete and update multiple profiles, removing any irrelevant positions or experience to ensure you’re putting your best foot forward and increasing your digital footprint.

But plugging in your resume information into job boards is just the beginning. LinkedIn has the benefit of additional real estate to showcase your career story. Use all 2600 characters (about 500 words or so) of your About Section to highlight your professional journey, relevant accomplishments, and unique value.

You can also add more descriptive copy to each role listed in your Experience section on LinkedIn and provide contact information to make it easy for employers to reach out. And speaking of reaching out, consider turning on your “Open for Work” designation privately to recruiters to signal you’re available to discuss potential opportunities.

Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of your LinkedIn content. When you consistently share your wisdom and point of view on your industry and role, you showcase your thought leadership, increase your visibility with hiring employers, and give yourself a leg up over the competition.

2. Networking/referrals

We all want to work with people we know, like, and trust, and getting a referral from someone who’s already vetted a candidate is a shortcut in a hiring manager’s process. The best way to stand out positively and be referred is first to be someone who gives before they ask. Make a habit of referring others and connecting people when you think they’ll be a mutual benefit.

When you build a network of people in and outside of your industry to whom you aim to serve, not sell, you’ll be remembered by others as a thoughtful professional—and someone worthy of referring.

3. Third-party recruiting firms

Most people wait until they’re unemployed before contacting recruiting firms. But the key is to make connections before you need them.

While you’re gainfully still employed, reach out to recruiters to establish relationships and up your awareness with them. Even if you’re not looking for a new job, offer to be a referral resource for your industry, proactively passing along candidate information and making introductions when appropriate. Then, when the time comes that you’re seeking a new gig, you’ve already established yourself as a trusted resource and will be top of mind with the recruiter.

Remember, if you want to be found by hiring employers, you need to be where they’re looking. By investing the time to up your presence on job boards, with your network, and with recruiters, you’ll increase your visibility with—and odds of being hired by—companies looking for talent.