How to Become a Top Applicant on LinkedIn in South Africa (2025 Guide)

Khumbudzo Lidovho
Sep 20
4 min read

Updated: Oct 8

The Job Market is Crowded in SA: Your Step-by-Step Guide to LinkedIn Profile Optimization

At Khumbu Digitals, I’ve optimized over 30 profiles in the past month. I’ve seen first-hand what it takes to trigger that coveted Top Applicant badge on LinkedIn.

In this article, you’ll discover:

What the Top Applicant badge really means.
Why most job seekers get their skills section wrong.
How to build a Keyword Bank recruiters actually search for.
A ChatGPT prompt that does the heavy lifting for you.
How to use your Keyword Bank to make your CV ATS-friendly.
Real proof from 30+ optimized profiles.
A free downloadable checklist + keyword bank template to implement today.

What Makes You a Top Applicant on LinkedIn?

When LinkedIn says, “You’re a Top Applicant,” it doesn’t mean recruiters see a badge next to your name. It means your profile ranks higher in recruiter searches.

LinkedIn’s algorithm calculates this based on:

Skills match: How many of your listed skills align with the job posting.
Proof: Whether those skills appear in your experience or education.
Job title alignment: Are your roles similar to the one you’re applying for?
Location & settings: Does your profile show you’re in the right place or open to relocate?
Profile strength: Is your profile complete (headline, summary, endorsements, activity)?

Stop Thumb-Sucking Your Skills (Do This Instead)

After optimizing 30+ profiles in South Africa, here’s what I keep seeing:

❌ Too few skills (5–10 only).

❌ Too many random skills (50+ irrelevant ones).

❌ No proof linking skills to work or education.

✅ The sweet spot is 40–50 relevant, provable skills.

Group Your Skills the Smart Way

Hard skills: Measurable skills like SEO, Financial Analysis, Project Management.
Soft skills: How you work — leadership, collaboration, problem-solving.
Tools: Platforms/software — Excel, Google Ads, Canva, Salesforce.
Synonyms: Variations recruiters may search — Google Ads ↔ SEM ↔ PPC.

Build Your LinkedIn Keyword Bank (The Recruiter Magnet)

Recruiters don’t search with quirky job titles your old company gave you. They use standardized job titles, skills, and tools. That’s why you need a Keyword Bank — a personal list you’ll use across your Headline, About, Experience, Skills, and even your CV.

What Goes Into the Bank

Job titles recruiters actually use.
Hard skills from real job postings.
Tools recruiters expect you to know.
Synonyms recruiters might search.

Job Titles	Hard Skills	Tools	Synonyms
Digital Marketing Specialist	SEO	Google Ads	SEM
SEO Specialist	Content Strategy	Canva	PPC
	Paid Ads	GA4	Copywriting

Use ChatGPT to Build Your Keyword Bank (Copy-Paste Prompt)

You don’t need to manually scan every job ad. ChatGPT can extract skills, tools, and synonyms in seconds. Copy-paste this prompt:

Why Your Keyword Bank = ATS-Friendly CV

LinkedIn and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) speak the same language: keywords. That means your Keyword Bank isn’t just for LinkedIn. It’s also your CV checklist.

Mirror recruiter job titles in your CV.
Re-use the skills/tools across both LinkedIn and CV bullets.
Aim for 70–80% keyword overlap with the job ad (only if you can prove it).

Step-by-Step Checklist (Implement This Weekend)

Define 3–5 target job titles.
Collect 10–20 job postings.
Use ChatGPT to extract skills/tools/synonyms.
Build your Keyword Bank.
Add 40–50 provable skills.
Prove them in Experience/Education.
Optimize Headline + About with job titles + keywords.
Adjust your location & Open to Work.
Stay active (post, comment, network weekly).

10. Tailor your CV with the same Keyword Bank.

FAQs: Quick Answers to Common Questions

Do recruiters see the Top Applicant badge?

No. Only you do. Recruiters just see you ranked higher in their searches.

Do I need LinkedIn Premium to be a Top Applicant?

No. Premium gives extra insights, but alignment of skills and proof is what really matters.

How many skills should I list on LinkedIn?

40–50 relevant, provable ones. Balanced between hard, soft, tools, and synonyms.

How do I increase my rank in recruiter searches?

Use a Keyword Bank, align job titles/skills, prove them, adjust your location settings, and stay active.

Stop Thumb-Sucking, Start Optimizing

Becoming a Top Applicant on LinkedIn isn’t about luck or copy-pasting random buzzwords. It’s about building a Keyword Bank, aligning your skills with recruiter searches, and — most importantly — proving where those skills come from.

Every skill you list must connect back to something real:

A work experience where you applied it and delivered results.
A qualification, certificate, or course where you studied it.
A project or on-the-job training where you gained hands-on exposure.

Don’t add skills you’ve never acquired or never used. Recruiters can tell the difference. This is why your Experience section should clearly show what you did and how you delivered results. Your Education section should include the modules, subjects, or certifications that align with the skills you’re claiming.

That’s how you align: not just by adding skills, but by linking them to your work, education, and training so recruiters trust that you can actually deliver. When you do this — skills + proof + alignment — LinkedIn’s algorithm recognizes it, recruiters find you, and you become a Top Applicant faster than you think.

Ready to Become a Top Applicant?

🚀 Get instant access to my LinkedIn Optimization Checklist + Keyword Bank Tool. But don’t just download them; make them work for you. Enter your email below, and I’ll send them straight to your inbox, along with weekly LinkedIn optimization tips that recruiters don’t want you to know.