GETTING STARTED
If you’re looking for a new employment opportunity, consider using LinkedIn as a resource in your search. This is a great place to start if you’ve already set up your LinkedIn profile.
Be sure to put in the time to make it a great profile because this will be the first opportunity a prospective employer has to get to know you. Your profile will provide a window into your personality so write your summary as if you’re having a conversation with someone.
You want to highlight your strengths, professional ambitions, passions, key skills, unique qualifications, and the various industries you have been exposed to.
It is important to treat your profile like your resume. Highlight your best accomplishments in the employment history section. Use bullet points that describe what you did well, how you did it, and who it impacted. Never underestimate the power of a few key stats to impress a potential employer.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Targeting connections in your preferred industry can prove essential to your job search. While LinkedIn offers a jobs search board, you want to find people in your preferred industry by using the advanced search option. This is a great way to get your profile in front of decision makers and make new connections.
A good rule of thumb is to have between 50-100 connections as starting point, but be sure to not go overboard and add people simply for the sake of increasing your number of connections. You want to be sure you strategically add people from your desired industry.
Another way to spruce up your LinkedIn profile for a potential employer is to seek a recommendation from former colleagues. Managing LinkedIn recommendations is an easy way to get a virtual letter of recommendation from people you’ve worked with in the past.
SHOW OFF A BIT
The best way to show your expertise in any given area is to make a post to the LinkedIn Pulse. This area allows you the opportunity to share your perspective about what’s going on in your desired field, give your thoughts on recent industry developments, or simply show off your writing ability. By posting to the Pulse you will make your post available to be viewed by every LinkedIn member. The post will also be pinned on your profile page giving prospective employers easy access to your published post.
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