The opportunities you'll never know you missed...
This week I was searching for a Maintenance Manager. The role hadn't been advertised yet. I was simply doing what recruiters do every day. Searching our database and LinkedIn for people with the right experience.
I found someone who looked promising. Their CV matched what I was looking for, but nothing really stood out. Their LinkedIn profile told exactly the same story.
Out of curiosity, I picked up the phone. Within a few minutes, I realised I wasn't talking to the person on the CV. Over the past three years, they had completed additional training, learnt new machinery, taken on leadership responsibilities, supervised major shutdowns, and become the person others relied on when production stopped.
None of it was on their CV. None of it was on LinkedIn. On paper, they weren't the right candidate.
In reality…they probably were!
The only reason I discovered that was that I made the call. Most recruiters simply don't have time to do that. That's the part many people never realise.
Updating your CV doesn't mean you're looking for another job. Updating your LinkedIn profile doesn't tell your employer you're planning to leave. It simply means your professional story reflects who you are today, not who you were three years ago.
Today, LinkedIn is often the very first place recruiters look. We don't only search by job title. We search by qualifications, industries, machinery, software, licences, technical skills, leadership experience, and specific keywords.
If you've learnt Siemens, Allen Bradley, ABB, SAP PM, TIA Portal, ammonia refrigeration, boiler operations, or gained experience on new production equipment, but those words don't appear on your profile, there's a good chance you simply won't appear in the search results.
Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I still believe your CV is one of the most important career documents you'll ever own. Today, I'd say your LinkedIn profile is just as important.
Your CV tells your story. LinkedIn makes sure the right people get to read it.
One opens the door. The other helps people find it.
So here's my challenge for this week.
- Spend fifteen minutes on yourself.
- Open your CV.
- Open your LinkedIn profile.
Ask yourself one simple question: "If I searched for myself today, would I find the professional I've become... or the person I used to be?"
Because the hardest opportunities to miss are the ones you never even knew existed.
