Career Advice Series Part 3: Utilising LinkedIn for Your Job Search
In Part 1 of our Career Advice Series,
we discussed how important it is to have a squeaky clean digital footprint, and
how social media can both help and hinder your job hunt.
The best social
media platform to utilise when searching for your dream job is LinkedIn, a brilliant business and employment focused social
networking service. In this third instalment of our Career Advice Series, we’ll explain
how to make LinkedIn work effectively for you in your hunt for the perfect job.
Utilising LinkedIn for Your Job Search
A recent survey
shows that 48% of employers will use social media to screen prospective employees,
and a number of them may be put off by what they see – so it’s vital that you
make sure you are happy with anything that prospective employers may come
across online. This is not just to see who you are and what you’re like, but
they will also be using this to see if your CV matches up with what’s in the
public.
According to a recent
survey 87% of employers screen applicants
through LinkedIn.
LinkedIn will
help you build your ‘professional brand’, market yourself to potential
employers and help you find that perfect career. With
over 50 million users in more than 200 different countries, the website is
a great place for job hunting and networking.
Once you have
created your account, there are certain steps you can take to create an
attractive profile that highlights your skills and abilities and who you are as
a person.
Picking the right profile picture
Imagine yourself
as an employer, researching applicants online – of the two applicants above who
would you choose? First impressions count - a professional and friendly head
shot makes the world of difference.
You can book yourself in for a photoshoot with a professional, or if you don’t have a professional photograph or can’t afford one, use the next best one you have. Ask a friend or family member to take a snapshot of you to the highest possible standaemember to smile, and preferably use a photograph where you are facing forward, with your face filling around 80% of the frame. You are around seven times more likely to be found and contacted on LinkedIn if you have a profile photograph.
Headline and
personal information
Utilise the
space on your LinkedIn profile to highlight the best of yourself. Your profile
allows you to put a headline which will grab people’s attention. Although most
users opt to put their current job title or vocation – you have 120 characters
to play with – so really take advantage of the space. Make people want to know
more about you and your role – remember, your headline will show up in Google
search results below your name.
Repeating the
word “I” is never a good start. Try using the word “you” and let people know
what you can do for them, rather than what they can do for you. Who are your
target audiences, what do they need to know and why do they need to know it?
Recruiters will often skip past anyone with generic headlines – they want to
know more about you in a glance. Be specific about your specialities and what
you focus your work on, and a little creativity can go a long way.
Write your story
Collate all the
information you have on your work history, skills and experience and begin to
shape your story. Fill in as much as the profile you can, from your education
and work history to your volunteering and interests. Listing your biggest
achievements in the summary is a good way to highlight important information
that might otherwise be lost further down the page.
Try not to be
too broad with your information – only list jobs, skills and experience that
are relevant to your current career goals.
The summary
should include key words so you can be found in searches, so optimise your use
of language to be sure you won’t get missed. If it helps, take a look at
others’ profiles who are working in the industry you wish to pursue and see
what words keep popping up. You might wish to include information that won’t be
found on your CV or elsewhere.
Colour your
profile
Your profile
doesn’t have to be all text – so if you are looking to show off your skills and
experience through a visual medium you are able to include images, infographics
and videos. Be creative and make your profile stand out from the crowd. You
have the option to list up to three links, as well as projects you have worked
on. This can act as your own online portfolio and can give employers an idea of
what you like to get stuck into. All of this information will colour you as a
person and allow your personality to shine through.
It’s a great
help to get people you have worked with to endorse you for your skills. By
clicking on the skills button a chart will show detailing how many people have
endorsed you and for what. These can be endorsed by anyone on the site however,
so asking them to write something about their experience working with you will
have a lot more weight for recruiters.
The interest
section on your profile will also help to highlight what kind of individual you
are, and where your interests lie – in your industry and out of it. This
section can show what interests you have in common with other connections – it
can be a way to build relationships with people you may not know well, or at
all.
TOP TIP: Only three skills and endorsements show up on your profile and you can
select which three you want to be visible, so make sure these are relevant to
your industry.
Network and
activity
Once you have
prepared your profile it’s time to start networking. Connect with former and
current colleagues, fellow students and employers in your industry. This will
make you visible to a wider audience and will garner you more attention.
Interact with
your connections, make sure you are sharing activity on your own profile, join
groups and follow businesses that are part of your industry of interest.
Remember this is a networking site not a static online CV – keeping your
activity fresh with regular status updates shows an active interest in your
area of work.
You can endorse
the skills of those you have worked with and they can endorse you. The more you
build up these endorsements, the more confidence a prospective employer will
have in your abilities. Better yet – ask colleagues if they will write you a
recommendation on your profile which will be more meaningful to employers.
Contact
information
Once you have built up your profile
and have begun to network with the right people you will want to make sure
people can contact you if they are interested in your skills. People who are
not already in your network will not be able to see your contact information,
so if you wish to be reached it would be a good idea to include your contact
details in your summary.
Once you have an excellent digital
footprint, an effective CV and an efficient LinkedIn profile at your disposal,
it’s time to find the right opportunity for you. Finding the right job can be
like looking for a needle in a hay stack, so make sure to read our fourth
instalment next week as we’ll be giving you top tips on how to find the best
role for you.
For the latest jobs, employment news and career
advice, make sure to follow social media channels:
- Twitter
- Facebook
Publish
date: March 2018