LinkedIn for Job Seekers

On this episode of The Job Looking Podcast, I wish to discover LinkedIn as soon as once more, a platform I by no means tire of discussing. As a profession coach and a former company govt, I’ve witnessed LinkedIn’s transformation through the years and perceive its vital function in private branding for company professionals.

LinkedIn is consistently evolving, and a latest change – the replacement of the ‘People Also Viewed’ box with ‘Similar Profiles’ – is a testament to this. This function is already launched within the US, however on the time of the discharge of this episode, IT has not but reached Australia. I’m monitoring how IT appears to be like for my US shoppers, and to this point, I’m not happy that the profiles are “comparable.” Or higher nonetheless, that IT helps my shoppers in any method. And to make issues worse, you may’t disable this new function, which I am not notably thrilled about. However IT underscores LinkedIn’s significance in our skilled lives, and the way we have to maintain a finger on the heartbeat of modifications which will have an effect on our skilled model, how our profile appears to be like to the human eye, and the way IT performs in searches.

Not everybody who must work wants a LinkedIn account. However for sure company professionals, IT’s indispensable. LinkedIn, with its 1 billion members as of 2024, is greater than a social media platform: IT‘s knowledgeable networking powerhouse. IT‘s notably essential for these behind a desk or operating a enterprise. I’ve been a person since 2008, and IT has been instrumental in each my former company profession and, since 2018, the expansion of my enterprise and The Job Looking Podcast. Utilizing LinkedIn, I’ve related with shoppers globally, highlighting the platform’s energy in increasing skilled networks past borders. 

Whereas IT advantages white-collar employees, company professionals, small enterprise house owners, and entrepreneurs, IT will not be as essential for artists, medical professionals, or commerce employees except they search particular skilled alternatives. Different social media platforms, like X, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, could also be higher advertising and marketing channels. When working with a consumer, we talk about completely different communication methods and channels and develop a presence on them, both for his or her skilled pursuits, facet hustles, hobbies or private use.

Listed here are my prime suggestions that can assist you improve your present LinkedIn profile:

1. Get the Fundamentals Proper: Your LinkedIn technique begins with a robust profile, encompassing a compelling ‘About’ part, knowledgeable photograph, and an applicable banner. The highest part of your profile is prime actual property – make IT rely. Recruiters usually depend on headlines and pictures in searches, so these components have to be notably attention-grabbing.

2. Add Options: Within the Options Part, you may show hyperlinks to articles, press releases, or tasks that spotlight and validate your skilled model. I counsel being strategic with what you embody—not the whole lot you’ve accomplished must be a Characteristic, and there are different methods to showcase IT in your LinkedIn profile, equivalent to including a publication field or including hyperlinks underneath every of your work experiences.

3. Be Energetic: Creating partaking content material on LinkedIn begins with having a stable following. Have interaction with others’ posts by means of likes and feedback earlier than creating your individual content material. If you do submit, guarantee your content material is partaking, notably the primary two strains, and invite interplay.

4. Join: Networking on LinkedIn is extra than simply connecting; IT includes messaging and fascinating in significant conversations. Measure your LinkedIn success not by the variety of connections however by the standard of alternatives IT brings, like job presents or enterprise ventures.

By listening to this episode, you’ll get extra perception from me on every of the guidelines above, which I hope will make it easier to suppose extra strategically about your LinkedIn presence. Keep in mind, a well-crafted LinkedIn profile and a considerate engagement technique might be game-changers in your skilled journey.