Ways that You (Inadvertently) Make Yourself Invisible to Recruiters

It seems that everyone knows someone who enjoyed his job yet who was lured to another job after getting a phone call from a recruiter representing a second company. Perhaps in some of the scenarios you’ve heard about, the prospective job candidate stayed put yet loved the rush of pleasure from knowing he was valued. Do those phone calls happen to you? If not, feeling envious is natural, but don’t wallow in jealousy. Instead, figure out why no one’s calling and remedy these reasons.

You have no online presence: Recruiters frequently turn to plugging in keywords on social networks such as LinkedIn and even on search results. If you have a minimal online presence, recruiters don’t get to find out about you. If you haven’t already, sign up for LinkedIn and other relevant sites and develop your profiles. Just make sure you clean up you social media channels while you are at it.

You don’t engage with your industry: Do you attend relevant industry conventions or events? Do you publish articles in trade journals and sign up for memberships with professional organizations? How about doing posts at guest blogs? Today’s employers are increasingly looking for specialists who are active in their particular communities.
Your profiles lack targeted keywords: Going generic is sometimes a good idea, but not in business profiles. Use specific keywords to describe your job duties and job successes, particularly if your job title is general.

People don’t talk about you: One time-tested way that recruiters find out about quality employees is by listening to recommendations from people they trust. Make a point to set up meetings or lunches with high-level executives to get your name out there. Don’t waste their time, though; have a genuine and compelling reason to meet, a reason that benefits them.

You’re not in the loop: Maybe you don’t check your email or LinkedIn account often enough to know that you’ve been contacted. Maybe you forgot to update your phone number on your profiles when you moved. Check that your information is current and that you access it regularly.