LinkedIn for Job Seekers
Did you know that 6 people get hired via LinkedIn every minute (Hootsuite.com)? No wonder, seeing how there are millions of companies on the platform, and how recruiters scour the site every day in search of candidates. One part of the candidate experience involves making yourself searchable and becoming one of those that get found. Another one is taking decisive actions and engaging in the search more actively.
Can you say that your experience lives up to either of these fully?
LinkedIn’s main purpose has always been to facilitate job hunting and provide career development opportunities. At its core, it is a social media platform, hence the majority of its features revolving around building one’s online presence and networking. However, over the years, the platform has introduced many other features that cater to different aspects of career growth. Some were more successful than others.
What (mostly) doesn’t work
Hoping to increase their chances of landing a job, LinkedIn users often make two simple changes to their profile, one of which is even encouraged by the platform itself. Though both changes may prove beneficial in some cases, especially for professionals on the lower rungs of the ladder, they usually work to the detriment of the experienced ones.
The two controversial decisions are: putting your Career Objectives in your headline, and using the “green frame.” Why are neither of these a good idea?
1. Career Objectives in a headline
Put yourself in the shoes of a recruiter. You wake up, brew some coffee, open LinkedIn, and… search for people that are looking for a job. If that doesn’t sound right to you, then you’re on the right track! There’s hardly any recruiter on this planet that would react to the following headlines:
I’m looking for new opportunities
looking for new challenges
looking for a job in XXX
I’m open to new opportunities
It is simply impractical for anyone to go down the list of hundred thousands of people looking for a job and find the target candidate. Instead, recruiters will narrow down their searches to actually qualified people, using the information in the headline to make their final decision, as to whether they’ll even click on a profile. Someone announcing their job search is generally of no importance to them and will get sidelined. If you’d like to learn more about the recruiter’s perspective, read our article on the topic: click here!
At best, it’s a waste of a precious opportunity to define yourself in your headline. At worst, it makes you look desperate, just like the #OpenToWork frame could.
2. #OpenToWork frame
It’s very tempting to use this feature, especially since LinkedIn itself pushes you into it. Out of the two controversial decisions, this one is definitely less harmful, as it doesn’t replace any potentially useful information in your profile. Therefore, there are still people advocating its use.
We’ve done our own research on the topic (click here!) and our consensus is: better be safe than sorry, especially if you’re a senior candidate. By using the “green frame” you run the risk of looking desperate, and desperate candidates mean difficult candidates.
The paradox of the job market is that already employed candidates find jobs easier than unemployed ones, because they are seen as more desirable.
Unless you can risk losing job opportunities over the “green frame”, you probably shouldn’t use it, as you most likely won’t gain much from it anyway. Especially if you’re an experienced candidate. Apart from that, there are many alternatives to the #OpenToWork frame that you can use instead.
What does work
One possible reason why people gravitate towards the two options mentioned above is that they are easy to implement, and they seem to directly help with job hunting. The truth is that to find success on LinkedIn, one has to play to its biggest strength – its ability to create a professional online presence.
1. Flawless profile
All the effort you put into your job search on LinkedIn will be in vain if at the end of the day, your profile looks unprofessional and uninviting. Everything from your background picture to the description of your responsibilities at your previous job should be flawless. The idea is to create a coherent and consistent story that represents you well and shows you in the best possible light.
Additionally, make sure that your profile is ready both for the human reader (recruiter, hiring manager, HR) and for the robot (LinkedIn algorithm). For more information, refer to our extensive guide on the topic: click here!
2. “Open to” settings
As part of getting your profile in tip-top shape, don’t forget to adjust the “Open to” settings on your profile (found right under your number of connections). While we already mentioned that we don’t recommend using the “green frame,” the remaining settings in this section are worth looking into.
Note: remember to choose “Recruiters only” in the Visibility section.
3. Job ads & top skills research
This is one of the most time-consuming steps of preparing your profile, but also one that you absolutely cannot omit. The goal is to get listed as a top candidate when applying to relevant job ads.
Search for your target job ads on LinkedIn and scan them for the skills they require (there are separate sections for that in a job posting on LinkedIn). Remember to check both categories of skills:
- skills connected to a job ad
- skills connected to candidates of a job ad (you need a Premium account to see those)
Once you’ve looked through enough job ads, choose the skills that appeared the most often, and then add them to your profile.
Note: if possible, ask your friends and colleagues to endorse your skills.
4. Miscellaneous
- create and share valuable content to present yourself as a professional / expert in your field
- reach out to your closest connections individually
- research companies’ structure & identify their decision makers, but contact them only via e-mail (here’s our guide to finding e-mail addresses: click here!)
- join groups that help in job hunting, e.g. HJM – Hidden Job Market for Experienced Managers in Europe
Job hunting can be tedious enough as it is, but if you’re not putting enough effort and thought into your profile beforehand, you’re actually making it worse for yourself in the long run.
Our final tip is, therefore: do the necessary prep work and then enjoy the results!
Are you finding it difficult to find a job via LinkedIn? Would you like an experienced consultant to review your job search strategy?
- Request a free 20-to-30-minute Career Consultation via this link or by sending an e-mail directly to Contact@CareerAngels.eu | Subject: Free Career Consultation
