LinkedIn has grown to become a KEY platform for job seekers and recruiters alike. Recruiters use LinkedIn to headhunt talented professionals who are a good fit for organizations they work in, or for clients they are hiring for.
Now, if you are a job seeker actively looking for a job, and want to be among the group of people recruiters reach out to, or are just wondering how you can use LinkedIn to get your next job, you’re in luck. It’s imperative for your LinkedIn profile to have the following elements, among others.
1. Have an up to date profile – This includes a professional profile picture, a relevant headline, and ALL your jobs listed on your profile. Ensure to include a summary of your responsibilities and achievements for your past roles. Additionally, use the LinkedIn feature to outline the skills that you possess in your career field. LinkedIn allows your connections to give you a rating of how good you are based on the experiences they have had with you; the higher the ratings, the higher your chances of being recognized by recruiters.
2. Show recruiters that you’re available – Now, if you have a job but are still looking to let recruiters know you are available, LinkedIn provides a feature that lets recruiters know, without showing your current employer, this article explains more on how to tell companies/recruiters you’re open for a new job. If you’re currently unemployed, you can highlight this on your profile by including this in your headline, for instance; “Currently open to new opportunities”. This makes it easier for recruiters to reach out to you with new opportunities.
3. Personalize and increase your connections – Don’t assume that it’s only the job of the recruiter or hiring manager to look for you. By adding more people and joining groups that are in your field of interest as well as recruiters, you’re able to likely learn more about new job opportunities, trends in the industry, and create a community of people whom you can comfortably engage with, because you’re in the same space. Learn more about how you can grow your network on LinkedIn
4. Follow organizations you’re interested in – Map out the organizations you would like to work for, and add them on LinkedIn. This will enable you to know of positions available in these organizations and provide you with an opportunity to learn more about them through the content that they share with their followers. This gives you an upper hand when you get an opportunity to apply for a job, or interview with them because you have more awareness of where they are as an organization.
5. Set job alerts – Do you find yourself forgetting to log into LinkedIn and see what job opportunities are there? Well, there’s an easy solution to that! LinkedIn allows you to set job alerts that come straight into your email inbox using different job titles, as well as specific organizations! Read this LinkedIn guide on how to set job alerts on the platform. You can also search more on YouTube where there are screen recordings if you’re new to LinkedIn. Isn’t the World Wide Web amazing?
Looking for a career thought partner to navigate some of the pressing challenges you have? Reach out to us today at happycareers@edgeperformance.co.ke and join our career happiness seekers community.