LinkedIn is a powerful tool that can help you build your career and tell your professional story. The platform connects a network of more than 700 million users with career opportunities at nearly 50 million companies. But in an uncertain job market, what steps should individuals take to set themselves apart from the competition?
We spoke with the LinkedIn team to find out, and here’s what they had to say about leveraging LinkedIn to land new job opportunities.
Define Your Personal Brand
First, think about what makes up a good brand. Then identify what it is that sets you apart. And then lastly, ask yourself, “What can I do to show that I am the right choice for a company?”
On your LinkedIn profile, you have the opportunity to show potential employers your authentic self. Your profile is a digital representation of your professional story and experience, and can be your ticket to a variety of opportunities — whether that’s finding a new job, building your network or growing your audience.
Create a profile that communicates your experience, goals and represents who you are. It’s also important to list your skills — both hard and soft — on your profile so recruiters can get a better sense of your experience and how you would apply what you’ve learned to a new role. You can showcase your proficiency for hard skills with Skill Assessments and earn a badge which gets added to your LinkedIn profile. Members with a Skill Assessment badge on their profile are 20% more likely to get hired.
For better chances of recruiters discovering you on LinkedIn, also include your key strengths and accomplishments in the experience section of your profile. You can add any relevant side project and volunteer experience to help round out your capabilities to recruiters visiting your profile as well.
Think of your profile and every post on LinkedIn as an opportunity to market yourself.
Create An Impactful Summary
Think of your summary like your elevator pitch. Give employers a snapshot of who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and your future goals. You can keep it to about 4-5 sentence bullets. Try to find creative ways to describe your skills. What makes you unique? You can also consider including relevant skills and keywords featured in descriptions of jobs that seem interesting to you. This can further boost your visibility in recruiter searches.
Leverage Your Personal Connections To Help Build Your Professional Network
On LinkedIn, applicants are nearly 3x more likely to get a job at a company where they have connections and applicants are 4X more likely to get hired through their network. So, make sure you’re connected with people you know, including friends, family and colleagues. These are the people who likely know you best, can speak to your work ethic and who you are as an individual. Check out the “People You May Know” feature on the “My Network” tab on LinkedIn as an easy way to find and connect with people who went to the same school as you, who work in similar roles or industries.
Engage With Your Network
Be sure to engage with the members of your network on the platform by liking and sharing posts, joining groups and giving testimonials. The more you pour into your network, the more your network will pour into you.
Consider asking members of your network for informational interviews. These interviews can help you learn about the career path you’re seeking, the industries you’re interested in, or the culture at a specific company.
Informational interviews with members of your network can also help you source work opportunities in the future. The indirect benefit of these informal conversations is that down the line, an informational interview can possibly lead to a job opportunity. Someone that you met with could think of you for a position that might be opening somewhere near them.
You can request job referrals directly from your network as well. In your request, include why you’re interested in a specific role and be sure to express your appreciation for their consideration. You can also request recommendations from former managers or colleagues.
Search For Career Opportunities
As you search for a job on LinkedIn, you have various filter options, such as remote location, job type, experience level, and more. You’ll see a prompt to set up job alerts. Once you’ve set up alerts, LinkedIn will send you a notification within minutes of a relevant job posting. Being one of the first to apply can increase your chances of landing a job by 4X.
You should also follow companies you’re interested in to not only learn about open jobs, but also the company culture. Also, consider joining groups with professionals who have similar interests or backgrounds, as they may be able to offer help and relevant resources.
On your profile, turn on the open-to work feature. This allows you to either quietly signal to recruiters you’re open to work, or engage your entire professional community in your search. To let the broader LinkedIn community of 700+ million professionals know you are looking, just add an #OpenToWork photo frame on your profile photo. When your profile comes up in a search or shows up in their feed because you comment on or “like” a post, professionals beyond your LinkedIn connections will see your #OpenToWork photo frame and can connect you to job openings they’re aware of or facilitate an introduction to a hiring manager.
Members who choose to use the #OpenToWork photo frame receive on average 40% more recruiter InMails and are 20% more likely to receive messages from the broader LinkedIn community. Explore the full Advancing Black Pathways Career Readiness Series for additional career and financial guidance.