The initial post was inspired by, well, profiles we see every day on sites like LinkedIn, and more precisely taglines like this:“looking for new opportunities”.
[Spoiler alert: we’ll explain, why it is not a good idea to post that on your profile. You can also skip reading the entire post and simply change your tagline back to the position you most recently held and/or are looking for.]
Here are the numbers in comparison.
| 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | |
| looking for new challenges | 136 367 | 264 119 | 326 623 |
| looking for new opportunities | 306 724 | 621 907 | 834 388 |
| open to new challenges | 126 407 | 264 132 | 365 038 |
| looking for a job | 418 043 | 772 404 | 1 118 102 |
We particularly liked the following entries:
“I’m looking for new opportunieties and chalanges”
“Looking for new professional opportunities, ready to start a new job in two weeks time”
“actually unemployed and looking for job“
“Looking for new position, available immediately”
“Looking for new job offers in Warsaw, Poland”
“Im looking for the job/ Ich suche einen Job/poszukuję pracy”
“Currently seeking job at looking for a new job“
“Looking for a job in hospitality”
“Problem solver and project manager is looking for new opportunities at an interesting workplace that can challenge me!”
No headhunter or potential employer will look for employees with the above mentioned key words. It communicates desperation. It also shows that you are lost on the job market and have no idea how to maneuver it. Your intentions may be different, but that’s the message you are sending. The more senior you are, the more inappropriate such a tagline is.
“But I wanted to let my network know that I am looking”. Great. Networking 101: personalize! Reach out to your contacts individually. If it’s your friends, use Facebook.
Our advice?
Quick fix: easiest and most neutral → change your tagline back to the position you most recently held and/or are looking for.
Advanced: think of what phrases & key words are compelling for your target group.
If you have a colleague with an unfortunate tagline, send them a link to this post.
For more advice check these articles:
Creating a Perfect Linkedin profile… step by step!
Recruiters exclude candidates based on…
Is your tagline good? Feel free to request a complimentary LinkedIn Report, that assesses the overall impression & professionalism of your profile. You’ll also receive feedback on all the sections. Send an email to Bichl.Sandra (at) CareerAngels.eu or click here. Please note: the LinkedIn Report is non-obligatory and free of charge.
