How to utilise LinkedIn for your job search
Looking for ways on how to utilise LinkedIn for your job search? LinkedIn is one of the most established business networking tools out there.
The social network has almost 740 million members. In order to stand out against the competition, your LinkedIn profile must be utilised to help you with your job search.
There are many different uses for LinkedIn. From finding a new role to building your personal brand. If you are searching for your next job, updating your profile will help you to increase your discoverability. This will make it easier for potential employers and recruiters to find you.
Here are 10 ways on how to utilise LinkedIn for your job search:
1. Select a professional LinkedIn profile picture
Having a professional photo is key. First impressions are important as it is a visual representation of who you are. Ensure it is a professional-looking headshot of good quality. Your profile is 14 times more likely to be viewed if you have a good quality picture.
Here a few tips on how to pick the right one.
2. Update your headline
Make sure this represents your professional identity. For example, Director at JasperRose – Recruiting accountants into the Consumer sectors. Instantly, people will be able to see your area of expertise.
3. Personalise your LinkedIn URL
LinkedIn automatically assigns you a profile URL, to increase the likelihood of your profile being found personalise your LinkedIn URL. Your name will then be at the top of the search results.
Here is a quick guide on how to do this:
- Go to your profile page
- In the top right-hand corner, select “Edit public profile & URL”
- Again, in the top right you will see “Edit your custom URL”
- Press the small pencil, and change to your name
4. Fill in the About section
This is the area where you should be highlighting how you differentiate yourself. It should include a snapshot of your passions, background, and details about your company. For example, “CIMA qualified Finance Business Partner with 4 years PQE. Experience working in the FMCG & Retail sectors. Currently working for a FTSE 250 Retailer working as the commercial finance lead for X brand”.
You can also highlight any key achievements (e.g. systems implementation), ensure you include contact details if you are happy for people to call/email you directly and you can state you are immediately available/seeking contract work if relevant.
5. Outline your previous experience
Do not just copy and paste your CV into your LinkedIn profile. The experience section is to highlight the core duties and key achievements of your role. Keep your experience relevant (particularly focusing on skills that are useful for the next role). It should be a snapshot of your career that is easy to read in bullet point format.
Provide a one-line summary of what your company does and ensure you are linked to your company’s LinkedIn page and that their brand logo is present on your profile.
Make sure you add your job title, company name and dates of all previous roles, however you you do not need to state the duties and achievements, you can leave this blank or just provide a one-line summary of the role
6. Add in your education
Ensure this is up to date and clearly states what year you qualified/planning to qualify for. For example, ACCA/CIMA/ACA or equivalent.
7. Obtain LinkedIn recommendations and endorsements
Both recommendations and endorsements can strengthen your profile by validating your experience and strengths. Recommendations are just one way that LinkedIn offers a lot more than just a CV, it is therefore important to proactively ask for them. A recommendation from your Line Manager, key stakeholder and colleagues carries the most weight. Think about inviting these people to write you a recommendation. You could also offer to recommend and endorse them too.
8. Let your network know you are open to work
You can let your network know that you are Open to Work. When you turn on the feature, a #OpenToWork frame will appear on top of your profile picture. This will let employers and recruiters know that you are open to hearing about different opportunities.
Alternatively, if you do not want people from your current company to know, you can set it so only those who are using LinkedIn Recruiter (this will only be Recruiters and Talent teams who can see this).
Here’s how to turn on the frame:
- Go to your profile and click on your profile picture
- Underneath you will see frames, select “Open To Work”
Here’s how to let only recruiters know:
- Go to your profile and underneath your picture and click on the “Open to” button
- Select “Finding a new job”
- Choose your job titles, locations, start date and job types
- Click on the “Choose who sees you’re open” and select “Recruiters only”
9. Add in any key facts
To ensure you approached about the most relevant roles, make sure to include additional information which is useful such as languages, willing to relocate etc.
10. Stay active to get noticed
You don’t need to be posting every single day. Try commenting, liking or sharing your connections posts. By liking one of your connections statuses or sharing an article will help you to get noticed by not only your network but your connections’ newsfeeds too, This can also be great for your personal branding as it will allow you to share your interests, experiences and show employers who you are.
There are many different ways on how you can utilise LinkedIn for your job search. However, if you are still unsure or if your profile needs an update, please do get in touch. One of the JasperRose team will be happy to help you level up your LinkedIn profile.
For the lastest jobs and industry updates, follow us on LinkedIn
