How a LinkedIn is a best platform for job seekers
Some of the best tip for job seekers in LinkedIn
Use LinkedIn to tell your story and build your own brand.
According to Dunay, when creating your LinkedIn profile, you should consider your own brand. What do you want to be recognised for and who are you? What distinguishes you from your colleagues in your industry? Once you've identified your personal brand, you can include it into your LinkedIn profile.
"Your LinkedIn is your opportunity to give a broader narrative around your strengths and work style," says Muse career adviser Heather Yurovsky. "You have more room [than a resume] to showcase a wide range of experiences and skills, which means there's a better chance that something in your profile will resonate with a viewer." In a job search, that connection is critical."
Understand your audience and which keywords would pique their interest.
Consider who will be viewing your profile while you write it—most likely other professionals and recruiters in your sector. What will such individuals look for in a job candidate? Are certain technical talents more valuable than others? Or certain experiences or characteristics?
Follow a similar procedure to that of drafting or tweaking your CV to help you find out the answers to these questions. Dunay suggests looking up job descriptions for the type of employment you have or want to have. "Look at what they keep talking about, common themes, and what appears to be important to these employers."
Consider which ones pertain to you and your experience, as well as which exact words and phrases are used to express them: These are your important phrases. They're probably what recruiters look for when they're looking for folks like you. Many firms, for example, may be seeking for a programmer "proficient in JavaScript" or a digital marketer with experience putting together webinars. If you're having trouble, Hallow suggests looking for people who hold the professions you desire and seeing what talents and experiences they emphasise on their profiles.
Incorporate Keywords Throughout Your Profile
Once you've determined your keywords, incorporate them into your profile's title, summary, experience, skills, and anyplace else they make sense. But don't overdo it, warns Hallow. Make sure your keywords flow with the rest of your content rather than being crammed in. And don't just put "Keywords:" in your "About" section and give a meaningless list.
However, avoid using buzzwords.
Buzzwords are words that appear frequently on LinkedIn and job descriptions but do not necessarily reveal anything about an individual. Consider the following words: "innovative," "driven," "hardworking," "effective," "successful," and "motivated." These words don't imply anything on their own, or they're taken for granted, according to Hallow. (No one on LinkedIn is going to say that they aren't hardworking.)
Finish Your Profile
"LinkedIn's algorithm rewards users with complete profiles," explains Yurovsky. A full profile is considerably more likely to appear in search results. According to Hallow, there is a "massive advantage" to being at the highest strength, "All-Star," on LinkedIn.
Recruiters and hiring managers will look at your profile whether you apply for jobs on LinkedIn or elsewhere. "A barebones profile doesn't make a great first impression," Hallow explains. Furthermore, each section provides an opportunity to include more keywords and make a captivating story. "Why would you pass up an opportunity like that when you're looking for work?" Yurovsky claims.
However, concentrate on the top sections.
Recruiters, like most professionals, are extremely busy. There are many technical benefits to having a lengthy profile, but you can't expect everyone who visits your page to read every word. You must hook them right away. Include your most important skills, experiences, and characteristics near the top of your profile. This includes your profile picture, cover photo, headline, summary, and most recent experience. According to Muse career consultant Eilis Wasserman, your profile image and headline are the most crucial of them because they are the only two things "people see before they even click on your profile.
So, if you have a significant award or a vital qualification, don't wait till the "Accomplishments" or "Licences & certifications" sections to highlight it. Put them in one of your top sections, as high up as possible. The same is true for your primary keywords. Don't bury your most marketable expertise in the "Skills & endorsements" section.
In the Features Section, demonstrate your expertise or best work.
The "Featured" section, just below the "About" section, allows you to exhibit media, links, and LinkedIn articles and posts at the top of your profile. According to Wasserman, sharing the work or references that are most relevant to your personal brand and LinkedIn goals is a terrific way to demonstrate your skills in action. If you have an online portfolio, the "Featured" area is a wonderful place to link to it because it is very visible.
Personalise Your Experience
While your CV should be adjusted to each particular job you apply for, Hallow recommends tailoring your LinkedIn profile to the industry you work in or want to work in, as well as the role you have or the type of role you want to land. Emphasise the aspects of your previous experiences that are most relevant to the types of positions you want in your descriptions. According to Wasserman, you may also put relevant volunteer work or school projects in your experience area as well as the separate "Volunteer experience" and "Education" sections lower down on your profile.
Make Use Of Powerful Achievement-Driven Descriptions
In certain aspects, your LinkedIn profile can be treated similarly to your resume: Under each column in your experience area, you should be outlining your accomplishments rather than merely listing your job responsibilities. Each of your bullet points should include not only what you accomplished but also how you did it, what the outcomes were, and how it affected your team or company while you were employed there. Include keywords whenever you can to highlight the essential competencies you employed and when. Also, quantify your accomplishments and experiences. Employers can better understand the scope of your labour and the specificity of your accomplishments by using numbers.
Participate Actively
You cannot simply stop using LinkedIn once your profile is complete and come back to it when you are looking for work. You must be an active user. "That's your number one way to start seeing more success on LinkedIn," adds Hallow. Hallow experienced a 600% rise in his connections and followers, as well as a 1,000% increase in profile views, in the year after the start of his active participation in commenting on posts, interacting with other users, and creating material on LinkedIn. You may expand your network, increase your visibility to your current network, learn more about your role, industry, and future possibilities by actively using LinkedIn.
Join LinkedIn Groups
A fantastic resource for finding even more like-minded experts in your field or profession is LinkedIn Groups. You can engage in more meaningful conversation about pertinent subjects in a more concentrated atmosphere. The group's other members also provide a substantial network of potential connections.
Don't Just Pay Attention When You're Looking for a Job
People who aren't looking for a new job can still benefit from LinkedIn in a variety of ways, such as through networking with others in your industry and picking up new skills that will be useful in their present position. Additionally, Yurovsky adds, "remaining active on LinkedIn after you've accepted that new position and aren't job searching helps make that next job search that much easier." Before you need to use your network and personal brand to find your next job, develop them. According to Yurovsky, you'll also stay on people's minds in your network, and "you'd be surprised how many people will feel invested in your search when it's time to find the next right role for you."
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