Often recruiters and hiring managers will search the LinkedIn website for candidates they can approach about exciting opportunities, however many are never found due to peoples lack of understanding of how to market themselves effectively on LinkedIn. Within the Civil, Building and Property sectors, you can market yourself better than the competition by ensuring you follow the winning formula below:

Photo
Add an industry specific or professional photo of yourself. Do not add a photo with your significant other, you in a wedding dress, or one of you attempting to win an eating or drinking competition. Though you may be a larrikin at heart, when it comes to your personal brand on LinkedIn keep it professional and appealing to all. Make sure your photo is clear, centred and most importantly current. Most importantly don’t forget to SMILE!

YES
Photo of you on site, professional headshot, company photo, casual photo of you where you are clean, sober and presentable for a job interview

NO
Photo of your kids/pets, you holding alcohol or drugs or weapons, unable to see your face, big group photo or you with your partner/friend

Headline
Make sure your job title and industry sector are in your headline. LinkedIn’s algorithm is designed for when people search for specific words it scans members headlines and their profile, so make sure you have noted down in your headline your job title and industry. Having quirky headlines may come across as smart at the time, but when you want to be found and approached for business or job opportunities, it will let you down.

YES
Luxury residential Site Manager in the Eastern Suburbs for XYZ Company, experienced with basements, architecturally designed homes and complex builds

NO
Site ninja with a track record of minimum defects for XYZ Company

Summary (Your online elevator pitch)
Many people seem to omit this very effective section of the LinkedIn profile, or worse, write it in the third person. Your summary is for your professional personality to shine. Here you should introduce yourself proudly, outlining your current role and organisation and what sets you apart from the rest. Your summary should work well for both attracting new job offers, as well as attracting new clients and networking opportunities for your current position. Make sure you note here past achievements and how versatile your skill set is for your industry

Employment History
Unless you have been working for the same organisation for 20 years, there is no reason to document 20 years of employers on your LinkedIn profile. 10-15 years maximum should suffice. Make sure you note down under each role the types of projects you have worked on (e.g., Tier 3 Education & Office Fitout). This will help a recruiter not waste your time should you not be suitable for the roles they are working on at the time.

Projects
This is ideal for all Construction, Civil and Property personnel. Regardless of if you are white or blue collar, you would have worked on some exciting projects. Highlight the best ones under projects, adding photos where you can and documenting your involvement. Where possible add links to external sites where your projects have been highlighted (architects and builders websites are great for this)

Welcome contact
If you want to be contacted by a recruiter faster, make sure you include your mobile number or a PERSONAL email address. Not only is this a good idea for allowing recruiters to contact you about new opportunities, you may even create some new industry connections that can assist you with your career down the track.

LinkedIn can be a great personal marketing tool if you have it set up right. Better still, it can keep you up to date on current trends and industry insights. So jump on LinkedIn today and ensure your profile will get you noticed!