Amplify Your Job Hunting Game with LinkedIn in 2023: A Comprehensive Guide Follow these steps and get a leg up in landing your dream job on LinkedIn.
By Melanie Goodman •
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The job-seeking landscape has undergone a seismic shift. No longer are job hunters limited to scanning newspaper classifieds or making cold calls. LinkedIn has emerged as a powerhouse platform for professionals seeking new opportunities.
With an optimised LinkedIn profile and Sales Navigator, your chances of finding the perfect job increase exponentially. Here's a step-by-step guide to leveraging LinkedIn for your next job search.
Fine-tune your LinkedIn profile.
Your LinkedIn profile is your virtual resume and the first impression you make on potential employers. Therefore, it's crucial to focus it sharply and search engine optimise it (no IT experience required) rather than have a broad-brush approach.
Display relevant skills: Showcase pertinent skills on your profile. LinkedIn's most successful job seekers have five or more skills listed but remember, the key is relevance and uniqueness. Using cliched adjectives like 'skilled', 'passionate', and 'motivated' won't cut it. Instead, opt for unique descriptors to make your profile stand out and choose the top three to add to your 'About' section. With a maximum of 50 skills, you better choose wisely and remember to nudge your connections to endorse you for a stronger profile.
The power of a professional profile photo: Your profile picture serves as the first face-to-face interaction with potential employers. A high-quality, professional headshot can work wonders. Research shows that just having a picture makes your profile 14 times more likely to be viewed by others.
Tips:
- Use a high-resolution image
- The ideal size for your LinkedIn profile picture is 400 x 400 pixels.
- Make sure your face takes up at least 60% of the frame
- Be the only person in the picture
- Take a photo with the right expression
One study of 800 profile pictures found that people view you as more likeable, competent, and influential if you smile in your pic.
Regularly add new connections: Increasing your network improves visibility and opens up new job avenues. A vast majority of job seekers who find work quickly have added 10 or more connections within three months.
How to reach out? Try these messaging templates:
Hi Jane,
I really liked the post you made about Ways to Impress Customers - I agree that active listening is a major part of providing good customer service.
I'm a customer service specialist with over 5 years of experience in call centre environments. I noticed you have a position open for a Customer Care Associate, and I think I'd be perfect for this role.
Is there a good time for us to have a quick chat about how my skills and experience could make a difference to your company?
Regards,
Clive
Hi Chris,
I see that Ed Johnson is a mutual connection of ours. He's been a true mentor to me throughout and has really helped me develop my skills as an advisor.
I appreciate that you're very busy in the lead-up to the summer holidays, but I was wondering if you have a few minutes to talk about whether my skill set would make me a good fit for any open positions you have at your company.
Warmest regards,
Liz
Harness LinkedIn's community features.
LinkedIn offers several community features that can boost your job-hunting efforts.
Follow companies of interest: Staying updated with industry news and developments can give you an edge. Research reveals that 91% of successful job seekers utilised LinkedIn's company pages for research.
Join industry-specific LinkedIn groups: LinkedIn groups provide a platform to network, ask questions and stay abreast of job openings. Over 80% of successful job seekers were active in LinkedIn groups.
Broaden your professional knowledge: Regularly engaging with industry-related content on LinkedIn can increase your employability. More than 80% of successful job seekers were active content consumers on LinkedIn.
Utilize LinkedIn's job-search tools.
LinkedIn offers several job-search tools to help you find and secure your dream job.
The jobs tool: The Jobs icon on your LinkedIn homepage allows you to search for job titles or companies that interest you. It also shows the posting dates and, in some cases, salaries for these jobs. Start by clicking on the "Jobs" icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage. Then, you can input the job title, keyword, or company name in the search bar, and specify the location to find job postings that match your interests and skills.
Set up job alerts: With LinkedIn's job alerts, you can receive notifications about opportunities matching your criteria directly in your inbox, saving you the effort of manually searching for jobs every day.
Open to work: The #OpenToWork feature on LinkedIn signals to recruiters that you're actively seeking opportunities. With a well-prepared profile, opportunities will wing their way to you rathe than vice versa!
To add the "Open to Work" feature on your LinkedIn profile, follow these steps:
- Sign into your LinkedIn account and go to your profile.
- Click on the "Add profile section" button.
- Under the "Intro" dropdown, select "Looking for a new job."
- Fill in the details about the type of job you're seeking, your job preferences, and whether or not you want all LinkedIn members to see that you're open to work or only recruiters.
- Click "Add to profile" to save the changes.
- After completing these steps, an "Open to Work" photo frame will be added to your profile photo.
Leverage endorsements.
Securing endorsements for your skills on LinkedIn can significantly enhance your profile's credibility. More than 80% of successful job seekers had 10 or more endorsements on their profile.
Navigate to your LinkedIn profile and click on "Add Profile Section". Select "Skills" under the "Skills & Endorsements" section, then add your skills and save. Connections can then endorse you for these skills when they visit your profile.
Consider using the LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
It might well be worth you paying: LinkedIn Sales Navigator offers advanced search, lead recommendations and InMail capabilities, making it a potentially excellent tool for job seekers. Essentially, it's a tool that can help you find the right prospects to build trusted relationships. The best part is that it makes it easy to add and manage leads by automatically adding new leads and contacts to your CRM.
Embrace the power of LinkedIn and take your job search to new heights. Remember, every connection, endorsement, and engagement on LinkedIn is a step closer to your dream job. So, gear up and start optimising your LinkedIn presence today. Your dream job is just around the corner.
