The average job seeker spends 20 – 30 minutes every day on LinkedIn. If you’re one of these members, you’ve likely wondered how you can maximize your time spent on the platform to improve and expedite your job search. Based on our observation and interaction with candidates, we’ve identified 5 of the most important practices for using LinkedIn in your job search. Keep reading to learn more and connect with us so we can see you in action!
1. Keep your profile up-to-date
An up-to-date LinkedIn profile is a sign of a detail-oriented future hire. It also helps establish trust and build a relationship with an employer. Use a professional, recently taken profile photo to give an employer an idea of who you are. This will help them understand how you will present yourself in their workplace. Be sure your resume matches your job history on LinkedIn, because inconsistencies will raise questions about your experience. Lastly, ensure your skills are up-to-date with the strengths you’ve gained in your most recent role that will help you succeed in your next one. These skills will help employers understand how you measure up to the job description.
2. Be available and responsive
LinkedIn has over 250 million monthly active users. That’s 250 million opportunities for a person to start a conversation with someone that will reply. If you’re looking for a job, set your profile to “let recruiters know you’re open” and reply when you receive messages from them. When you don’t make yourself available and communicate quickly, an employer will move to the next qualified and active LinkedIn user. If you’re not interested in an opportunity that someone sends you, politely and professionally say so. You never know what other opportunities that particular employer or recruiter may have.
3. Set up job alerts
LinkedIn hosts 10 million active job postings at any point in time. If you’re seeking a new opportunity, you can streamline the process of sorting through these by setting up job alerts. By doing so, you’ll be among the first to know when a new posting becomes available that may interest you, and if you act fast, you can be one of the first to apply.
4. Engage and post regularly
Your LinkedIn activity is a good indicator of your industry involvement and your professional interests. You can highlight these aspects by commenting, linking and posting regularly, showing recruiters and employers that you have a genuine interest in the field. If it looks like you haven’t touched your LinkedIn in months, people will assume it isn’t the best way to reach you – and they’ll move on.
5. Follow companies you are interested in
If you’re seeking new employment opportunities, give yourself a competitive advantage by following the companies you are most interested in. By doing so, you show recruiters and employers your enthusiasm for the job. You also benefit from getting the latest company news in your feed, which will be helpful when doing research about the company and showing you’ve done so in an interview.
Ready to use your LinkedIn profile as a tool in your job search? View our opportunities on LinkedIn and follow us to see the latest in Accounting & Finance solutions from VIP.
