If you’re a job seeker and you’re not on LinkedIn or you’ve yet to optimize your profile – get to work!
If you’re getting ready to make a career move, LinkedIn can be your career search “search engine”. Using LinkedIn as a job seeker offers you the ability to make industry connections, explore jobs and find and research recruiters, hiring managers and companies you may want to work for.
Wondering how to get started? Just follow these these 8 simple steps:
Step 1: If you do not have a profile, create one. A quick visit to linkedin.com is all you need to do to open your account and craft your profile.
Step 2: After you’ve set up your profile, review your privacy settings. Linked In allows you to customize your security settings to control what information about you is shared publicly. The platform also gives account entry options like two-factor authentication (which we always recommend), advertising settings and more. If you don’t know where to start with your privacy settings, learn more about Linked In Privacy Settings here. Be comfortable with the information level you allow publicly but don’t be so restrictive that hiring managers and recruiters can’t find and review your profile.
Step 3: Watch this. This Linked In Learning course, Rock Your Linked In Profile is 100% free and chock full of great tips for building a winning Linked In profile.
Step 4: Put some thought into the main content sections, “About” and “Experience”. Use “About” as more of a narrative describing who you are, what you have to offer and what your goals are. Put your personal selling hat on.
Your “Experience” section should mirror your resume. In fact, many recruiting software systems now utilize that section to craft resumes for you that recruiters review in consideration for open job opportunities.
Beyond these sections, you also have the opportunity to add information about your Education, Volunteer Experience and Skills. The more robust you can make your profile, the more visibility you gain on the network.
Step 5: Tell companies you are in the market for a new position by utilizing the #Opentowork feature, which you can learn about here.
Step 6: Make you and your profile easy to recall by editing your public profile URL. You will want to use a simple format, something like linkedin.com/in/yourfullname. Once you’ve crafted your custom URL, include it on your resume as part of your contact information to guide reviewers to your Linked In page.
Step 7: Get active. As soon as you’re up and running on the platform, connect with professionals you know and consider asking or recommendations and/or endorsements. Search for and join business, professional and alumni groups that are relevant to you. Start to curate your own content and participate in conversations. Investing time in building your community can pay great dividends down the road.
Step 8: Start your career search by shopping Linked In’s job board and perusing job listings on company pages. Be sure to sign up for job alerts, which can notify your when jobs that are in your area of expertise and locality are posted. Effectively using LinkedIn as a job seeker can help you pinpoint your next career move. And, as you start to snag interviews, remember that company pages are a great place to learn more about the potential employer.
