It’s not always easy to use LinkedIn for job seekers. After all, there’s more to job hunting than simply setting up an account. You also need to employ the right strategies to get yourself noticed. How do you use LinkedIn to land a job? Let’s find out.
How to Use LinkedIn to Get a Job
Finding a job on LinkedIn can be tough, especially when the market is saturated. You not only need to build a strong profile, but you also need to make connections. Here are some LinkedIn tips for job seekers you can try to get some momentum.
1. Make a Strong Profile
A strong profile alone may not be able to get you a job, but it’s still necessary. After all, it’s the first thing potential hiring managers will see when they consider you. Your profile will let them know what you bring to the table and how you can contribute.
That said, ensure you follow all the basic tenets of a strong profile. Make sure it’s complete and contains all your important information. These include your education, experience, and headshot photo. Also, don’t miss out on other details like your strongest skills, summary, and headline.
In addition, remember to include the accomplishments you’ve made so far. Make sure they’re relevant to the industry you’re applying for. Moreover, don’t forget to showcase your personality. You’re building connections, not creating a resume.
2. Connect With a Targeted Professional Network
Using LinkedIn for job searching takes more than just listing your experience and skills. You also have to build a targeted professional network.
To do this, remember to connect with more people on your account. Don’t limit yourself to connecting with people you know. Instead, connect with people you don’t know and get to know them on the platform. This helps LinkedIn job seekers establish networks and find more opportunities.
Generally, we recommend connecting with the following people:
- Past Colleagues. LinkedIn should be a place where you connect with those you’ve worked with before. They know how well you’ve performed and can act as great references. Moreover, these connections are a great way to find referrals for other jobs.
- Industry Peers. You should also connect with people with the same occupation and industry as you. They’re a great source of opportunities and referrals, especially if they’re currently employed.
- Decision Makers and Influencers at Your Target Companies. This is the most valuable connection if you have a specific company you’d like to work for. Connecting with these people will help you find opportunities even before your preferred job openings are posted. They can also act as allies when you finally apply for a job.
3. Engage With Connections
Going on LinkedIn to look for job opportunities entails more than just connecting with others. You also need to actively engage with them to keep your network thriving. Otherwise, they won’t notice or establish a professional relationship with you.
Fortunately, engagement is simple. You only need to post content consistently. For example, you can post an article that adds value to your connections. You can also offer advice or ask questions to get others to engage with you. In addition, you can even post photos with witty captions or give a shout-out to your connections.
Regardless of what you post, make sure you stay relevant and consistent. Do this at least 20 minutes per day, four days a week. Finally, remember to use a respectful tone when you post. Don’t make anyone feel undervalued. Make sure to cultivate a warm environment and make others feel safe.
4. Engage Beyond LinkedIn
This article might focus on LinkedIn job search tips, but it shouldn’t stop there. That’s because marketing yourself for a job is a lot like marketing a company. Companies use multiple platforms and integrate Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram marketing into their strategies.
Likewise, establishing a true network requires connecting with others personally. Thus, we recommend connecting with others through phone calls, in-person meetups, or direct messaging.
Furthermore, remember to clean up your other social media accounts. That’s because hiring managers often look through potential candidates’ social media profiles. If they don’t like what they see, you may lose your chance at getting a hiring opportunity.
LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Seekers
Establishing connections is an important part of correctly using LinkedIn for job seekers. However, others may only connect with you if you already have a compelling profile.
1. Use Stories to Be Memorable
Stories are a powerful tool. They’re memorable and tend to leave an impression. Moreover, people respond to stories more than they do to a boring list of facts. As a result, we recommend telling a good story in your LinkedIn profile.
You can do this by telling an interesting story about how you succeeded in your previous jobs. It could be about overcoming a challenge or solving a difficult problem. However, remember to keep the story short. This helps retain a hiring manager’s attention.
2. Post a Professional Photo
LinkedIn profiles can look suspicious without a professional photo. Moreover, the platform’s search results prioritize profiles with photos over those without. As such, remember to post a professional photo on your profile. Also, make sure it’s updated and still looks like you. Otherwise, interviewers may become suspicious of what you’re hiding on your profile.
3. Update Your Headline
Having a good LinkedIn headline for job seekers is crucial to getting hits. After all, your headline appears with your name and photo in search results. Thus, a headline can be why someone clicks on or ignores your profile. With that said, make sure to write a catchy, attention-grabbing headline. Highlight what you do or the position you’re seeking. Moreover, keep it clear so it doesn’t confuse recruiters.
4. Focus on the Future
You may have years of experience you can list in your profile. However, listing only what you’ve done in the past shouldn’t be your main focus. Instead, try to build your profile around where you want to go. Keep the things on your profile relevant to the kind of job you’re looking for. You should also remove the skills you no longer want to use. Otherwise, hiring managers may only recruit you for jobs you are no longer interested in.
5. Keep It Updated
Your LinkedIn profile is more than a resume. It’s a social networking tool. Thus, remember to share articles and topics related to your field consistently. You can also post long-form blogs to catch a hiring manager’s attention.
6. Use Visuals
People respond more to visual content than they do to a body of text. As a result, we recommend using visual content as much as possible. Post photos of your rewards, degrees, and certifications rather than simply listing them down. You can also post a good presentation on SlideShare and add it to your profile. If you’ve featured or appeared in a video, you can also post that to add more visual content.
7. Stay Accessible
Remember to post your email address or phone number in your summary. This allows recruiters to reach you when they have a new job opportunity. Otherwise, you won’t find jobs even if you catch a hiring manager’s attention.
LinkedIn for Job Seekers: Why Is Your Strategy Important?
The labor market is growing steadily and has recently seen an increase in jobs. Job seekers shouldn’t have difficulty finding a job if they try. With that said, is there any need to focus on your LinkedIn strategy? There is, and here’s why.
Social networking platforms have millions of users. Your profile can easily be buried underneath everyone else’s. That’s why many content creators use strategies like optimizing their YouTube SEO to get noticed.
Likewise, optimizing your LinkedIn profile and networking strategy is crucial to finding jobs. In fact, posting about work and strategically curating your LinkedIn network has been found to provide more professional opportunities.
Furthermore, a growing job market may help you land a job, but it won’t necessarily be what you want. Making a strong profile and networking on the platform are good ways to help you land your dream job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is LinkedIn Premium Worth It for Job Seekers?
LinkedIn Premium is worth it if you want to talk to recruiters directly. It’s also worthwhile to see who’s looked at your profile in the past 90 days. This may help you establish connections with those who may be interested in hiring you.
How Effective Is It to Have a LinkedIn for Job Seekers?
LinkedIn is effective in providing job seekers with opportunities. If you have a comprehensive profile, you may even have a 71% higher chance of getting an interview than others.
Put Your Best Foot Forward
If you want a job, optimizing your LinkedIn profile is essential. It’s the best platform to use if you want to establish connections. Just make a strong profile and create a targeted network to get started.
Tanner Grey provides full-service digital marketing services. Call us today at 844.500.1339 or get in touch with us online to get a free estimate.
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