LinkedIn in the AI Era

EP 3111 LinkedIn's recent changes make the old way of writing a profile worthless. ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTERPeople hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS job search coaching and career advice globally because he makes job search and succeeding in your career easier. Schedule a discovery call to speak with me about one-on-one or group coaching during your job search at ⁠www. TheBigGameHunter.us. You will also find great info and job search coaching to help with your job search at ⁠⁠JobSearch. Community⁠⁠ You can get free copies of 25 Interview Questions and Answers, How to Craft a Compelling Elevator Pitch in 20 Seconds or Less, Get Ready for the Job Jungle, Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems, No BS Resume Advice, and Prove Your Worth First, Then Negotiate. Receive free weekly suggestions and more. Subscribe to No BS Job Search Advice Radio, the #1 podcast in Apple Podcasts for job search with more than 3100 episodes. Connect on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/T⁠⁠heBigGameHunter⁠ We grant permission for this post and others to be used on your website as long as a backlink is included to ⁠www. TheBigGameHunter.us⁠ and notice is provided that it is provided by Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter as an author or creator. Not acknowledging his work or providing a backlink to ⁠www. TheBigGameHunter.us⁠ makes you subject to a $1000 penalty which you proactively agree to pay. Please contact us to negotiate the use of our content as training data.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:31Speaker 01

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• 1:00Speaker 02

  All right, let's get right into it. Have you felt like you're just shouting into the void on LinkedIn lately? Well, I'm here to tell you, you are not imagining things. The game has totally, completely changed. In this explainer, we're going to break down exactly what's going on and give you the playbook you need to win in 2025. So let's just start with the hard truth, the really stark number. Organic reach, the number of people who see your stuff for free, has basically collapsed. Some data shows it's down by as much as 50% year over year. And look, that's not just some tiny dip. It's a massive shift in who sees your content and more importantly, your profile. So what does this actually mean for you? It really begs the question, are you becoming invisible?

• 1:43Speaker 02

  I mean, if you're still using the same old tactics from a couple of years ago, the answer is probably yes. But hey, don't panic. We're about to show you how to get visible again, not just to the right people, but to the right algorithms too. This right here gets to the absolute heart of the change. The old game, it was all about volume and virality, right? Just throwing stuff out there and hoping something would catch fire. The new game is completely different. It's all about showing real expertise and, this is crucial, maximizing a metric called dwell time. So what is actually going on behind the scenes? Well, you can think of it like this. You're fighting a war on two fronts now. On one side, you've got LinkedIn's brand-new content algorithm, and it's looking for totally different stuff than it used to.

• 2:27Speaker 02

  And on the other side, a completely new audience you have to impress. The AI tools that recruiters are now using to find talent. Okay, so let's dig into that first front, the new algorithm. And you have to understand this one term: dwell time. This is the new gold standard. The algorithm doesn't really care about a quick like or a simple share anymore. What it really wants to know is, how long did someone actually stop scrolling and spend time with your post? The longer they stay, the more your content gets pushed out. And check this out, it's all about timing now. It's not just what you post, but when the engagement happens. Your post literally goes through stages of judgment. That first hour is a critical quality check. If you can get good, meaningful comments and engagement

• 3:10Speaker 02

  in what's called the golden window, the first two hours, the algorithm rewards you. You miss it, and your post is basically dead in the water. So, want to know a pro tip for nailing that golden window? It's actually pretty simple, but it makes a huge difference. The data is simpler clear on this. If you just respond to the comments on your post within that first hour, you can get a, get this, a 35% boost in visibility. That's huge. It's the algorithm literally rewarding you for having a real conversation. Okay, so that's the human-facing algorithm. But remember that second front I mentioned? Your audience has changed a lot. It's not just people reading your profile anymore. An insane 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn as their main tool.

• 3:53Speaker 02

  And more and more, they're letting AI do the heavy lifting, parsing your entire profile for context. And this is a really important point. These AI recruiters aren't just doing simple keyword searches. They're using what's called conversational search. A hiring manager can just type in something natural, you know, like find me a marketer who's great at handling crisis situations. And the AI actually understands the intent behind that. So your profile has to speak that language. So the big question is, how do you do that? Well, that brings us to the first part of our playbook. You have to start thinking of your profile as something you architect specifically for an AI. Let's call it recruiter SEO. It's all about structuring your information so these new tools can find you and immediately understand your value. And it all starts with your headline.

• 4:38Speaker 02

  Seriously, this is the most important piece of real estate on your entire profile. The old way of just putting your job title there, that's over. The new AI optimized way is this simple formula. Your target job title, plus a key skill recruiters are searching for, plus a unique value prop that shows your impact. All right, let's talk about the about section, because so many people get this wrong. You have to kill the vague fluffy buzzwords. Phrases like dynamic leader or results oriented, they are absolute poison for your profile. Not only do humans just roll their eyes at them, but the AI parsers can't verify them. They're just empty claims, not facts. So here's the fix. You replace every single one of those claims with quantified proof, with hard numbers.

• 5:23Speaker 02

  Don't say you're a leader, show it. This after example is perfect. It gives the AI specific verifiable data that it can actually process. And you know what? A human recruiter trusts that a whole lot more too. Okay, let's move on to your experience section. This is your keyword goldmine. A little insider tip from actual recruiters. Literally just copy and paste the detailed content from your resume right into this section. Yep, all of it. Then, structure each bullet point with that how plus result formula. And here's a huge one. Add your top five skills to every single job you've listed. It gives you a massive advantage in searches. All right, so you've rebuilt your profile for the AI. That's half the battle and it's a huge step. But now you need a content strategy that's built for humans.

• 6:07Speaker 02

  One that wins that all important dwell time game we talked about earlier. When it comes to the type of content you should be making, there is a clear undisputed king. Carousels, you know, the ones you upload as a PDF or a document post. And the reason is simple. They force people to actively stop and swipe through them. That skyrockets your dwell time. And the stats back it up, they're two and a half times more likely to get reshared. Now, if you're really serious about being seen as an expert in your field, you should definitely turn on Creator Mode. It kind of rejiggers your whole profile to put your content front and center. It lets you add these topic hashtags that basically scream to the algorithm what you're an expert in, and it changes that "connect" button to "follow", which is way better for building a true audience.

• 6:52Speaker 02

  Okay, we've covered a ton of ground here, right? We've talked about the new algorithm, the rise of AI recruiters, the whole shebang. So let's pull all this together into a simple, actionable playbook that you can start using today for 2025. So here's the bottom line: Your strategy needs two parts, and they have to work together perfectly. On one side, you have your AI architecture. That's all about optimizing your profile with the right formulas, the hard data, those "how" plus result bullets, so the AI can find you. On the other side, you have expertise validation. That's your content strategy, creating stuff that proves your value to humans and wins that dwell time game. And that's really the main takeaway from all of this. You can't just do one and ignore the other. You absolutely need a profile that's architected for a machine,

• 7:37Speaker 02

  and you need a content strategy that's designed to captivate a person. Getting both of those right? That's the new, non-negotiable key to success. So I'll leave you with this one last question. After hearing all this, go pull up your LinkedIn profile right now. Take a really honest look at it. Is it a relic of the old game, packed with vague claims and just hoping for virality? Or is it a precisely engineered asset, ready to win in 2025? The choice is yours.

• 8:05Speaker 00

  Black Friday is happening now at The Home Depot, and we've got just the tree for your style, space, and budget. Keep it merry and bright, then make it yours with ornaments and trimmings for every holiday style. With festive favorites starting at just $49, shop for the perfect tree at the number one Christmas tree retailer. Find the tree that feels just right with low prices guaranteed at The Home Depot. Exclusions apply. Visit homedepot.com/pricematch for details.

• 8:36Speaker 01

  Life is all about making decisions. Sometimes you make questionable ones. Like buying a new TV that's too big for the wall because the electronics store employee was a little too good at their job. Then, sometimes you make great ones. Like protecting your home and auto with Progressive. You get customized coverage options so you can be sure you have the right coverage. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states.