I’m sure you’re already well aware of the great resource that LinkedIn can be to your job search, but did you know there are actually a few things you can do on LinkedIn that will help you to be noticed by recruiters? Here are three little-known facts about LinkedIn that will help you increase your visibility and receive more interest from recruiters and employers.
Related: 7 Tips To Best Utilize LinkedInRecommendations Matter
The majority of job seekers utilizing LinkedIn do not realize the importance of having recommendations on their profile. Whenever you apply for a position that is posted on LinkedIn the employer receives a snapshot of you with that application—not your full profile. Here’s an infographic that outlines exactly what an employer or recruiter sees when you apply to their job posted on LinkedIn. On that snapshot they’ll see how many recommendations you have on your profile. 90% of people have 0 recommendations, which means there is no third party to validate your experience, what you offer a potential employer, or what you’re good at. Most people do not provide recommendations without being asked. Make sure you ask for them.
LinkedIn recommendations are verifiable references that potential employers can read that support your personal brand—and they have a positive influence on recruiters and employers.
Story Vs. Resume
A common misconception I hear from job seekers often is the belief that their LinkedIn profile must mirror their resume exactly. The belief is that employers are looking for an exact match between the two, and if they don’t match up, then it will send up a red flag. This simply is NOT true. In fact, I’ve spoken with hundreds of recruiters and employers, and they tell me they go to LinkedIn to find out MORE about you. How can they find out more about you and what you do if all you’re giving them is what they’ve already read on your resume? On the contrary, give them more! There are countless studies that tell us the effectiveness that stories have on our brains and their ability to engage us and to help us remember. Write your career story in your LinkedIn profile. Use the summary to share with recruiters why you do what you do, why you’re great at it, and how you got to where you are and what you want to do next.
Career stories engage the reader
They’re memorable
They make it easier to connect
Three great reasons to change your profile from a second resume into a reflection of who you are, what you do, and how you bring value to others.
Publish
Become your own best marketing director. Start writing subject matter content and publish it to your LinkedIn profile. As your content is read and shared it will attract the attention of recruiters and employers. Use the publishing platform on LinkedIn to share about your expertise in your industry and how you’ve overcome challenges (write about a specific situation and how you addressed it). You can use the platform and the knowledge you possess to write articles that will help others—and in helping others, you’re helping yourself by increasing your LinkedIn exposure and attracting the attention of employers.
These aren’t the only three ways that you can attract attention and get noticed by recruiters and employers; there are many other ways to do so, but I’m only skimming the surface. What’s your favorite go-to strategy for being noticed by recruiters?
I love to connect and network. Feel free to send me an invite on LinkedIn here.
You can also find me at Great Resumes Fast, where I help busy job seekers create interviewing-winning resumes, shorten their job searches, and increase their earning potential.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a Work It Daily-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.Photo Credit: Bigstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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