How to Smartly Use LinkedIn to Seek a Job
If you have been job-hunting any time during the last ten years, you have likely tried to tidy up your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn isn't only a social networking site for job hunters —it is likewise an incredible self-marketing platform too.
LinkedIn is the topmost professional social networking site with 29+ million users in the UK alone and reaching 200 countries and territories around the world. Per the
Jobvite Recruiter Nation Survey, 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn as part of their candidate search.
1. Keep Your Profile Up to Date
This will be your first step in creating your own identity on LinkedIn and Use LinkedIn to Seek a Job. You will need to ensure that you fill in all the required details on the page – such as your profile pic, contact details, address, a small description, and so on.
Keep posting regular updates on your page, primarily to showcase the work that you are currently seeking and how you have been able to help your previous companies achieve their goals. Additionally, company testimonials help as well. Legitimise your page by asking all your ex-employees and your previous company to write reviews or recommendations for you.
2. Establish Your Authority on Your Topic
To get the attention of companies, or prospective clients, you will need to showcase that you know what you are talking about. In other words, you will need to showcase your expertise on the subject matter. In order to do this, you may write long-form articles to put forward your opinion on the matter. Make sure that it is something related to a problem other companies/clients may face and that you give them a solution to it. While people may be able to find the subject matter elsewhere on the internet or otherwise, what should be unique is your perspective on it.
You may also showcase your expertise via your profile page and by commenting on other people's posts. This will increase your reach and more people will get to know about your credibility.
3. Engage with LinkedIn Groups and Use LinkedIn to Seek a Job
The goal here is to connect and network via discussions in LinkedIn groups. Find some groups that are relevant to your job profile. Also, make sure these groups are active groups with a sufficient number of people, Once you have an entry in the group, contribute to topics and discussions. You may also post your content on the groups and invite others to discuss the topic.
4. Generate New Opportunities
You can begin targeting new companies by using the LinkedIn Advanced search option. With this, you can search for relevant job titles that you might be interested in. For instance, try to connect with the Marketing Managers, AVP Sales, Directors, Heads of Marketing APAC, etc. Once you have scanned through the profiles that LinkedIn search throws at you, it may be a good idea to then figure out a way to connect with them. You can message them on LinkedIn. Alternatively, if you have a mutual connection, then it is a better idea to ask the mutual connection to introduce the both of you.
We hope this has been helpful in getting you started and given you more clarity on your next step.