A job seeker reached out to me last month, July; he lamented about his job search. He had tried everything possible to land a job on LinkedIn even when he was advised to use the platform more often.
I understand how frustrating it can be when looking for jobs. Being there before, so I can imagine. However, it’s not the hours spent on LinkedIn or the number of connections that determines the success of your job search. It is an intentional strategic search that often works most times.
Han Peter Jeschke shared some simple LinkedIn tips that many job seekers can leverage on. Han Peter was irked by the manner in which some LinkedIn influencers are riding on the emotions of poor job seekers to drive engagements and cheap popularity.
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He made a comment after reading a post on a job search that goes thus:
“Unfortunately, it will not stop job seekers from following people who exploit their thirst for a little encouragement even if it is fake.
You can surely use LinkedIn to land your dream job or a job if you lost your dreams. It’s fairly simple and has nothing to do with randomly liking posts or following strangers.”
Han Peter further proceeded by sharing some tips that many job seekers would find useful during their job search. Here we go:
- Get a professional headshot. Seriously that’s the number one investment you should make because no one would love to connect with an anonymous profile. Putting a picture of yourself on your profile brings it to life. In a world where everyone is careful of whoever he/she engages online, having a profile with no picture won’t do you any good.
- Fill in all the blanks in your LinkedIn profile and make it obvious what you do and how you can help your ideal employer. That’s the easiest way to market yourself without having to shout at the top of your voice or on the roof of a mountain top. One thing you should know is when people click on your profile, they read the profile summary and work history. They try to find if there’s any synergy between you and them. A well-written profile will do you good.
- Make connections with people that work where you want to work. Let’s say you want to work at Google as a coder. Fine. Connect with all coders on LinkedIn that work at Google. Make friends. You will learn about the culture of your future employer and you will learn when they are building a new team even before their HR department. This will give you a nod above everyone else. Also, you’ll stand a chance to be recommended by your friends to the HR department.
- Engage with your ideal employer’s company page and the executives there etc. You will become part of the family. Company pages do get fewer likes and comments, so it will be easier for the PR and some members of the company to spot your contribution especially when you are doing it consistently.
- When a job opens up, submit a resume and your LinkedIn profile. They will see how many people you are connected with at your target employer and they will see the engagement and your friends. This will help you to get the job because they can easily reach out to a mutual connection and inquire about you.
Now that you have been shown how strategic it is to find a job on LinkedIn, these five tips can be the real deal if you use effectively. Chasing the likes and views might end up being vanity metrics. Likewise, licking influencer’s boots may not get you anywhere. Rather than waste your time on chasing the wind, be intentional about what you want. Opportunities only come to those who work hard and smart.
Are you working hard and smart enough?