How well do you utilize your LinkedIn account for finding a job? If you are like many job seekers, you set up a decent profile, add some career history information, and then use the job boards searching for an assignment. But is this the best way to use LinkedIn to find a new job? LinkedIn was designed to connect professionals with each other in an open community. It’s not just a job directory, it’s a powerhouse of networking just waiting to be discovered.
With some 238 million users worldwide (as of this article date) on LinkedIn, nearly 30 million of them students and recent college graduates, there’s an awful lot of networking opportunities available to the job seeker. Even if you have a limited career history, you can use LinkedIn to learn from peers, research companies, and get in touch with active recruiters who are searching for talent like you. To help you make the most of LinkedIn, here are some tips.
Create a branded professional profile.
When setting up your LinkedIn profile, consider that for the right people to find you, the profile needs to be branded to the industry you are targeting for employment. Therefore you want to use words that describe your industry and your area of expertise. Include achievements, educational pursuits and title changes whenever they occur. Your contacts will get automatic updates every time you do this so it keeps you in their mind.
Join industry related groups.
You can greatly expand your reach as a job seeker by joining LinkedIn groups specific to your industry. Look for those that also list jobs and go to where the recruiters gather the most. Find connections in common with those in your group and ask to be connected to them through these associations. Get recommended by your peers so that more connections can be made.
Respond to connections with tactfulness.
When someone sends you a connection request, carefully review the person’s profile and then respond with a direct message. You can say something like “Thank you for your connection, I am a <Insert Your Description Here> looking for an opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals. Perhaps you can recommend me to one of your colleagues with a career opportunity?”
Continue seek out new contacts.
Your task as a job seeker is to connect with as many people in your industry as possible so you can be in the right place at the right time. Use LinkedIn to accomplish this by continually seeking out new contacts who are part of your social circle and that of your friends. Get introduced to others who can lead you to a better career.
If you are looking for employment agencies in Michigan, contact Venteon today.