Top Tips to help you get a job on LinkedIn – Part 1

Top Tips to help you get a job on Linkedin – Part 1 

Looking for a new job can be stressful at the best of times. Fast forward to 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic has certainly made an impact.

The good news is that there are still jobs out there so you shouldn’t give up. LinkedIn themselves have started to curate some great content on job search with the hashtag #GetHired.

I recently had the pleasure of doing a webinar with Joss Search  where we discussed the importance of personal branding on LinkedIn. They emphasized the importance of reaching out to recruiters whether or not they are hiring. You should be connecting with other people to expand your professional network and using this time to prepare.
The best time to build your network is NOW. This will give you the edge for your job search.
I’ve created a series of 2 blogs to help you get your foot in the door.
Part one is about optimising your profile and part two is about taking action.
Read on for some of my top tips on how to get a new job on LinkedIn.

Part One – Polish Your Profile

1. When it comes to recruiters on LinkedIn, most will have a license and access to LinkedIn Recruiter. At the bare minimum, you need to ensure that your profile is up to date, highlighting current skills and objectives. Key areas to focus on are Skills & Endorsements, Job Title, Location, Keywords, Industry and Education / Certification

2. When it comes to Privacy & Settings – make sure that your LinkedIn profile is visible to the public vs your immediate 1st degree network

3. When job searching, you need to be visible! Stop being anonymous. Turn off ‘private mode'. You want to bring attention to yourself.

4. Get your profile photo right. You need a professional picture which makes you approachable and authentic. Recruiters may skip people with no photo in a search and having a photo will enable you to stand out. According to LinkedIn, your profile is 14 times more likely to viewed if you have a photo.

5. Create a branded cover photo with images relevant to you. Your cover photo is like a warm introduction to who you are, what you do and how you can help. It shows those viewing your profile that you are invested in your personal brand and career. You can create one for free on www.canva.com

6. Does your LinkedIn Headline have the X Factor? The purpose of your headline is to get people to click in the ‘show more’ section and you have 220 characters to sell yourself. If you're feeling stuck, there are many proof points that you can add in that will help steer people in your direction – such as your location, your industry, what you specialise in, how many years’ experience you have, award wins and anything else that’s targeted and relevant. If you get your headline right (along with your profile photo), you can increase your chances of being found by 200%.

7. Fill out your contact information! It makes it easier for recruiters to get in touch with you.

8. Try to achieve All-Star Status so that you show up higher in more searches. You will see this in your dashboard grey section of your LinkedIn profile. All-Star is approval from LinkedIn that this is an approved profile. According to LinkedIn, profiles with an All-Star rating are 27 times more likely to be found in recruiter searches.

9. Check out #OpentoWork which is a relatively new feature which is rolling out in beta. This feature allows you to be identified in a shortlist for recruiters. You have two options to choose from when it comes to visibility – you can be visible to your entire network or recruiters only.

10. In the ‘About’ section you need to describe yourself, your background and focus on your ‘why’. People buy people and you have 2600 characters here to sell your journey to date (experience, expertise and achievements). Include a call to action (email / mobile) either at the top or the end.

11. You can use the ‘featured section’ to introduce yourself and demonstrate your background and who you are. Three things you can do here to stand out are:

• Create a 60 second video introduction via camera (good lighting, no background noise) – the person viewing your profile then gets a sense of who you are and if you are the right team fit. You can load the clip to YouTube or Vimeo and share the link.
• You can create an impressive PowerPoint summary of your background, skills, achievements etc.
• You can attach a CV / resume as a PDF or word document. There is an opportunity to make the first page stand out with great branding.

My website is www.mysuperconnector.co.uk

My LinkedIn profile is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifercorcoran1/