Most people are not using LinkedIn effectively. They copy their CV into the Experience section and many put little into the About section.
I’ve previously written masses of blog posts on the topic, going back almost 10 years
A great article to read is this one, How Effective Is Your LinkedIn Profile which you can access here
Anothe rpwerful article is this one Why You Should Be On Linked In
You may not know about LinkedIn Social Selling Index so you can measure yourself against the 4 pillars of social
- Establish your professional brand
- Find the right people
- Engage with insights
- Build relationships
I’d forgotten about this and my score has dropped from 71% to 69%. Whilst I’m strong on building relationships and establishing my professional brand, I’m lower in the other 2 areas. Your results include links to how to improve.
I did my Social Branding/ LinkedIn training initially with William Arruda and he wrote a fabulous article you can access here
This article provides links to many of my best articles on the topic, and of course, you can use the search option on my blog!
KEY TIPS FOR JOB SEARCH ON LINKEDIN
WHO DO YOU KNOW? Getting referrals
When you find a job to apply for, it helps if you have a contact within the company. Search through your contacts, and 2nd level contacts to check this out. More likely with greater connections. When you are with less than 50 it is going to be unlikely, so it is important to grow your contacts via a personalised connection request.
So if you find a connection, reach out, and ask them to help. Most people like to help others.
Also, some companies pay a referral fee when someone known starts working for a company. Only 7% of applicants come from referrals but they make up 44% of those recruited (Source: Jobvite)
Your task: Start building connections.
It can be powerful to join groups that work in the industry you want to work in. Start to get involved, like and comment on posts, then send a personalised connection request.
Keep your connections warm – send them links to articles they may like and ask if you can be of help to them.
Before contacting a connection
- Make sure you are a good fit for the job. Check the requirements carefully
- Ensure your CV/resume is focused on this job
- Find them via a search for people who work in that particular company
- Remind them how you know each other (both know Tom, went to the same University, both members of the same online group) and write a personalised request.
- Make it easy for them to forward on your message. Write clearly on the job you are interested in and ask them to forward your CV to the hiring manager
- Follow up with a thank you
