Let LinkedIn Find You a Job
Ok so you have a profile but how do you go about Harnessing the power of LinkedIn?
However, you need to help it before it can help you.
If you took the time and effort to click a link that leads to this article, you’re either:
a) unemployed and looking for work,
b) about to be unemployed and looking for work, or
c) unhappy in your present job and looking for something better.
There’s also a strong possibility that you’ve read somewhere how the social network LinkedIn can help you find a good job, and now you’re in the process of researching the subject.
If the statements above are correct, then you’re in luck because everything you need to know about setting up your LinkedIn profile and using it to your professional advantage is written here. With the proper attitude and a little effort, this social network can become your best service for finding new employment.
A little LinkedIn History
What started as a basic concept back in 2003 in Mountain View, California, has now spread worldwide with offices across the globe and about 360 million members in more than 200 countries. Some of these people have decided to give it a shot and created an online profile to help widen their job hunt.
According to a Jobvite survey, 94 percent of the surveyed recruiters listed LinkedIn as their primary network. Recruits post vacancies and search for candidates that are fitting for them. LinkedIn is an excellent online space for new job opportunities. Even though it is widely used, members are still not fully aware of its potential. A lot of member accounts on the website actually look scarce, disoriented, and unfinished. Here are several basic things to look into for improving your professional profile and getting a job you are aspiring to.
Harnessing the power of LinkedIn – Make Your Profile Public
The one thing that can pose as a problem is that your profile cannot be visible to everyone. LinkedIn is not your typical, everyday social network. It is a chance for you to get new job opportunities and show your achievements. The first thing you need to do to make sure you achieve your goals is to make your profile public.
This will allow all recruiters to look you up as a potential candidate suitable for their needs. The most important thing you must do if you want your profile to be public is to submit your full last name. Displaying your entire, full name, provides any search engine the ability to list your profile in search results. Consider editing your data on the public profile settings if you are not satisfied with how your profile looks.
Eye-appealing LinkedIn Profile Does the Trick
Once you have made your profile public, you must design it to attract the recruiters for or with whom you want to work. Consider this as filling out an application – be precise and coherent. Your profile is your space where you display your present achievements and future aspirations. Think inside and outside of the box. List your interests and what you are willing or unwilling to accept. Do not try to sound inflexible. However, this is a service for professionals, so be one.
There are several options you can go for if and when you decide to make your profile photo visible. You can limit the visibility to your connections, your network or everyone. Keep in mind that you are aiming for a public profile so, why not make your profile picture visible to everyone? It has always been the same with a printed out resume or curriculum vitae copy, and it is no different with an online profile.
Include a Photo on your LinkedIn Profile
This goes without saying – the percentage of profiles selected for the job is double for those who include the photo than for those who don’t. It does not come as a surprise. If you can associate a face to a description and information of a person, you’re much more likely to imagine the exact person. It is an optional feature of the profile, but there is no reason to avoid it. Harnessing the power of LinkedIn is difficult without a quality image.
You are Your Own Bestselling Product
When creating a profile, you must be aware that you are designing what is to be someone’s first impression of you. The devil is in the details. You must pay attention to any possible typos or grammatical errors. Think about it – would you rather choose a candidate who cannot fulfill an application properly compared to someone who delivered it with perfection? All your basic information must be clear and vivid. Revise, if necessary – check your email address, phone number, and other pertinent information. Check whether you have properly listed all your credentials and achievements. Precision is expected on a submission of this nature.
Another good trick is to get your name to show in the URL of your profile. As you create your profile, LinkedIn will automatically assign one for you. Do not stick to the one you get. Change the given URL to one that has your full name included. This gives the image that your profile is highly rated and strong, and you have customized it to suit your needs. It is this little trick that is excellent for making sure that your profile pops up when a recruiter is searching for a new worker.
You should also avoid being vague if you are referring to any of your other sites. For example, do not say something like “as you can see on my website.” Rather, include the link of that exact website. This provides you the opportunity to widen your new, potential recruiter on the insight into your work.
You can never sell yourself short. Apart from choosing a photo of your “good side,” you must also choose the way of framing your basic information. Make your headline pop out. When you first create a profile, LinkedIn automatically places your current job title under your name in the top right corner. Fortunately, you can edit it, and you should. Use simple words that direct to your working area or your title. This will immediately show on your profile upon every search so make sure it adds up to your full potential.
Make sure to always list you current working position, but also your previous ones. It shows that you are either an expert in one field, if they are similar, or that you are willing to try something new, if these positions differ. You should also display your post-graduate educational status or title. It is important for every recruiter to know that you were fully trained and educated in your area of expertise.
Harnessing the power of LinkedIn need you to sell you!
Harnessing the power of LinkedIn – Show Your Work
Your previous experience should not be excluded from a fully updated LinkedIn profile. Employees are looking for a person who is qualified, and if your previous work is in any way related to what they need, your public profile will most definitely appear in the search engine. Describe in detail your previous actions and make sure to include keywords that will be looked by your ideal recruiter.
If you have published work, articles or blogs, you should include a link to those Web pages. You should make them visible on your profile. Have the text backed up with images and links. LinkedIn allows enough possibilities to customize your profile, make it stand out among others and highlight your previous work. Make sure that your profile is your best advertisement.
Boost your LinkedIn profile by advertising your work. Include portfolios that show what you have been doing so far. These previous projects are a great example of your abilities and a great visible representation for a recruiter to be presented with. Make sure you include your entire working career history.
Make Good Connections
After you have improved your profile features, the next step is to get better connections. You need to attract someone who is looking for an employee of your sort, let them find your profile online and decide to address you. Here is your chance to show just how professional you are.
Always reply to the messages you receive. Even if it is a proposition that you would not accept in a million years, be polite about it. By replying no, but saying that you are grateful for the consideration, you are leaving that door open for a possibility of another opportunity in the future. Later on, they may need someone of your expertise for a different position and you could have been a good fit. You would be sorry for crudely dismissing them in the past.
Replying to your messages assures that your network is getting larger. This is also an important aspect of a much better profile on LinkedIn. The name says it all – you are linked in. You are connected with everyone, or at least, almost everyone. Spread the word. Look for recruiters yourself. Seek the applications and job opening already posted in. By applying on your own, you are showing that you are determined and willing to work.
Like your public profile, companies and recruiters list all types of details on the job they are looking for to be done and also on themselves. Different types of statistical information can be found on their profiles. Check them all. It will give you a clearer image of not only what they could ask you to do, but also on how they conduct with their employees.
Include the Necessary Updates
Be consistent. Always use the same contact information that you have previously listed as accessible. In case some changes had to be done, make sure to update these changes on your profile. This shows a potential recruiter that you are active on your profile and in your network. It almost definitely guarantees them that you will honor your deal and arranged deadlines. If you do not update your possible information changes, or anything relevant to your profile, it will pose as a question and annoyance to the recruiters. They can easily declare you to be a “fake” or submitting “spam” content, and there goes your good online reputation.
How to Maintain a Complete Career Summary
Apart from the basic information that should be an eye teaser, you must include a complete summary. This is your personal image. You must be certain at what you want to convey to the world. Retrospectively list your educational path and working experience, and then embellish the deed by listing all your good qualities as a worker. Remember, you want to be selected amongst thousands. Be precise and use keywords in your expressions. Think about who would you want to hire, and why should it be you.
Do not exclude work you have performed as a volunteer. Volunteering is well respected nowadays, and shows that you are not only income oriented on a regular job, but willing to do work for the good of the community you are a part of. It displays that you are interested in much more than what you are schooled about.
Describe your best qualities. If you can do it better than someone else, or you are at least willing to give your best, write it down. Why should they pass out on your profile if you are the right candidate for the job? Imagine what lines of duties will be proposed to you. Try to go for the words that the recruiter of your type would like to hear and is in fact seeking.
List everything that benefits you. If you speak several languages, you are an excellent candidate for numerous jobs. If you have some sport or musical achievements, it will give people a chance to see that you are persistent and a fighter. Include any additional training, courses and classes that you have attended. Any extra knowledge will always be greeted with excitement.
If you include all of this additional information to your basic contacts in the summary, it will be complete. Overall, it will give a much more complete image of you.
Expand Your Network using LinkedIn
By making sure that you have a large number of contacts, you present an image of a person who is either well known for their work (which is a top quality) or that you are in professional relationship with people who can provide you with a good reputation. Either way, being popular works. It should not be important to have an enormous number of contacts to be hired, but it should pose as a great deal if the number is 50 or higher.
Still, avoid adding unfamiliar people. A bad reputation rubs of as the good one. If someone is labeled as “spam,” you do not want this feature to be associated with you as well.
Join a LinkedIn Group or Create One
Another way of expanding your network is to join a group of members rather than adding them one by one to your contacts. You can go to the Groups Directory and simply search for a group that is most suitable for you. Think about of your line of business and remember to join a group of your peers that are members of your CPD (Continual Professional Development).
Another option is to go through the Groups You May Like category, where the system automatically recommends some groups that are suitable for you. These will be based on your profile and the data that includes it, and therefore it is likely that LinkedIn itself will recommend you a group matching your needs. Consider becoming a member of a group where you are likely to find recruiters of your industry expertise. Bear in mind also that you should seek out your potential customer or your employee so go through as many groups as possible to see their members and join more than one.
Not only can you become a group member but you can also make one. To start new group just follow a few simple steps explained on the LinkedIn page. Remember to check the box whether you want the group to be public or members only, but remember about making your profile public, and then make a decision. Also try to come up with some new ideas for your peer members and recruiters on you line of work and try to attract them with those. Finally whether you are a member of a group or a creator of one, you must respect people you are in contact with. Reply to their messages, and maintain a professional relationship that will surely widen your network.
We recommend that those looking for jobs join other groups (esp larger groups >10k members), starting a group can take a lot of time and is a long term strategy.
A Working Community of Like Minded People
As we are all connected at this form of service, it functions as a type of community. Basically, you get a reputation. It is a type of situation where you pose as public relations for your own persona. Making quality connections is extremely important in this business. By making good impressions, your ratings move higher, and you will receive more praise. Recruiters are always looking for a worker who does what it takes. A diligent, hardworking professional who respects the deadlines, does the work as it’s supposed be done, and shows respect is often a shoe-in for the job.
While your personal network of recruiters, business partners and acquaintances grows, so do others. This way the possibilities double, and you can easily be recommended for other networks, thus tightening your profile to the maximum. Try to achieve this goal, as it can only result in more income in the end.
Why not try to be a recruiter yourself? In case you have a large number of tasks that you cannot complete on your own, look for a worker, also logged on to LinkedIn, to help you out. Increase your network of contacts by increasing someone else’s.
Like, Share, Recommend and Comment
Because it is a type of social network, although different from others that are mainly used for fun and interacting with friends, LinkedIn allows you to interact, albeit in a slightly different manner. There are several options that allow you to like or share an entry someone in your network posted. This, however, is not something that you need to do to improve your profile. Posting is fine; it is even a good thing because it shows that you are active on your profile and that you update it frequently.
However, some members, both looking for a job and a worker, disapprove of these options, because they are similar to other, much less formal social networks. They can appear juvenile and excessive to some. What is enormously appreciated on LinkedIn is the comments option.
This is what can boost someone’s rating in this working space. By commenting on how well someone completed their job duties, and how their credentials hold up, one is certainly going to be “put on the up and up.” Therefore, the network will spread, and more opportunities will certainly appear. It is a two-way street, and comments should be exchanged between the recruiter and the employee. Positive commentating builds up everyone’s image.
By clicking share as an option, you can show that you have read a person’s post, and had some opinions about it. Complete it with a comment about your experience on the topic or just agree or disagree with what it is said. It gives the impression that you are opinionated and willing to speak up, or that you are also supporting your colleagues, and sharing your experiences. This is what a working community is all about.
Apart from these options, you should consider a recommendation. If your contacts give you one, it will boost up your credibility online and will definitely be noticeable for a recruiter. You should also return the favor, or give one without being asked. If you praise your fellow workers, they will most often praise you back.
Consider These Listed LinkedIn Tricks
In addition, while improving your profile, try to find a balance in between making one suitable to the need of recruiters and also, a profile that you are satisfied with. Keep in mind that all information posted should be visible because there is no need to post something that you originally do not want to be seen. Leave those private posts to yourself or some more easygoing social networks.
The first step to improve on your profile is checking whether your profile is still not set to be public. Go for the full visibility, which will widen your network, and give you a wider range of opportunities. Give your basic contacts and information a second look, they must be correct. Otherwise, update any change necessary.
When making contact with your fellow members or recruiters, be sure to address them appropriately. They must be treated with respect. Reply to every message you receive, even if it not something that interests you. Some of those offer that do not suit you, can later on become an ideal job, and form the same person offering. This is how you don’t close any doors, but rather open more of them.
Insert a photo to your profile. According to statistics, you have twice as better of a chance to being checked out as a potential candidate, than without a photo. It is also just in human nature to associate a face with the name and information.
Even though some criticize the fulfilled summary as it can be overwhelming, you should definitely complete it. The advantages of a completed summary are that they provide the recruiter your full and broader image. You should of course avoid complicated sentences, but should rather be straightforward and precise. Broaden your network by making new, secure professional relationships. Respect your fellow members and build a reciprocal chain of good reputation.
Use LinkedIn to its full potential. Once you master these several tricks, your profile will surely appear on every search of a given job. This will drastically improve your chance for being hired. The results will not be missing out.
Other articles relevant to Linkedin LinkedIn Groups, LinkedIn Reputation, Connecting on LinkedIn
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