LinkedIn: The Number One Tool for Your Job Search
It’s the job search topic that everyone is interested in learning more about. With an estimated 850 million users worldwide and 190 million in the U.S. alone, LinkedIn is the number one platform for a job search and a powerful tool to distinguish yourself from the competition to land your next job.
David O’Brien recently gave an informative presentation during CRC’s program, “LinkedIn for Job Search.” David has been a volunteer in many different capacities—advisor, trainer, and facilitator—with CRC since 1999! He shared his expertise and insights in getting started on LinkedIn as well as leveraging it to your advantage in a job search.
LinkedIn has evolved over the past 15 years to be more of social media platform where users share content that is more social in nature. People can post articles, videos, and other engaging content. It is used by the professional workforce for more than just a job search. LinkedIn is a valuable resource used by consultants, recruiters, job seekers, and salespeople.
David’s advice, “Don’t be intimidated! Be active on LinkedIn by making connections, sharing information, and interacting with people.” He notes that the foundation for success on LinkedIn is a good and complete profile, allowing you to be found more often in searches. Complete profiles should include your name, a professional looking headshot, ‘About’ section summary, skills and interests, and a job history of at least the last 10-15 years.
Building your network is another of David’s top recommendations. Take the time to find people to connect with at places such as past companies you worked for, past educational institutions you attended, and other affiliations you may have. “Building your network on LinkedIn is an active process,” David says. “Invite people to connect and accept invitations to connect with others.”
Increasing your visibility on LinkedIn is driven mostly by the number of connections you have. The more people you are connected to in your network allows you to find more people and more jobs on LinkedIn. Someone already in your network is a 1st level connection; someone connected to someone else in your network is a 2nd level connection. These 1st and 2nd level connections are powerful resources to network yourself into your desired job in your target company.
According to David, one of the most underrated aspects of LinkedIn is as a research tool for both the interviewer and the person being interviewed. Both can research who they will be talking to during the interview process. This is a great way for each to learn more about the other person’s background and possible conversation topics, making the actual interview a much more smooth and pleasant experience for both.
Job seekers can use this strategy to their advantage to help themselves stand out from their competition. “Put the time in to mine the LinkedIn database for people, companies, and your connections,” David says. “There’s a lot more to your LinkedIn profile than just your resume. The research power of LinkedIn is where you will find success in your job search.”
Written by Cathleen McCann, CRC's Manager of Operations
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