Job seekers can think of LinkedIn as a search engine. Their goal should be to show up in searches that recruiters, HR pros, and hiring managers use to find talent. There are five primary things job seekers need to do to increase their odds of showing up on these searches (without their current employers or colleagues knowing they’re in job search mode).
Here are our top five recommendations for effectively harnessing the power of LinkedIn for your job search.
1) Create a keyword-rich profile that reflects positively on you.
Ensure your profile is written to incorporate the keywords and phrases recruiters would use to find potential employees like you. My profile, for instance, is focused on content marketing and HR—two of my areas of specialty. I receive inquiries from potential clients frequently. So, job seekers should consider the type of job they want, and the type of expertise recruiters would be looking for to fill that type of job, and then incorporate keywords and phrases related to that job/work into their profile—from their headline and throughout as much of the content as they can.
You’ll also want to make sure that your profile sends a strong, positive, and powerful message to the people (in this case recruiters and hiring managers) that you want to impress. Your profile photo should be professional. You should highlight your relevant job and educational history. And you should be sure to keep your profile up-to-date and accurate.
2) Build your connections.
The way LinkedIn works when someone does a search is that their search results will be drawn from their own first and second-degree connections (and members of Groups they’re in—more on this later). The more connections you have, the higher your likelihood of showing up in search results. If you have no or few connections, even if your profile is well-written from a search standpoint, you will not show up in search.
When building connections it’s also important to focus on aligning those connections with your strategy, in this case landing a job. Add connections who are related in some way to your job search. For instance, maybe they work at a similar company or in a similar type of role. Or maybe they’re members of a trade association related to your career goals. Or they’re a professor teaching courses on topics related to your desired job. The greater the alignment, the better your chances of being found in relevant ways.
3) Join the maximum number of Groups that LinkedIn allows.
LinkedIn currently allows users to join up to 100 Groups, and that’s exactly what you should do. Choose Groups that have large numbers of members (again, to help you show up in search) and that are relevant to the industry/profession you want to land a job in. Recruiters also are likely to be members of these Groups.
When joining Groups that may be job search-related, if you don’t want to signal to your company, colleagues, or others, that you’re in job search mode, simply select the setting that will not show the Group’s logo on your profile page. Only show Group logos that will reflect positively on you from a career standpoint, conveying that you are on top of issues in your field, etc.
4) Set your notifications so you’re alerted when your profile is viewed or you receive a message.
LinkedIn offers a number of options for receiving notifications of actions others take that might be important to you—like looking at your profile, or sending you a message, for instance. Make sure to set your notifications to receive these updates to ensure you don’t miss an important opportunity.
About Us
Strategic Communications, LLC, works with B2B clients to help them achieve their goals through effective content marketing and management with both internal and external audiences. We work with clients to plan, create and publish high-quality, unique content. Whether on- or offline, or both, we’ll help you achieve desired results.
(Strategic Communications is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.)
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Tags: finding a job, gig economy, job search, LinkedIn for job search, looking for a job