The first thing you need is a robust LinkedIn profile. Ensure you have a good headshot photo and a ... [+]
To grow your career, you will need to forsake the stereotypical depiction of networking by going to a conference, wearing a name tag on your blazer, forcing a fake smile and shaking hands. As nearly everything is online these days, you can get noticed by recruiters, hiring managers and human resources on social media platforms, such as LinkedIn.
Before you embark upon a job search, start cultivating a network of like-minded people who can mutually benefit each other. It won’t work out well if you come across as asking for help without the professional relationship being reciprocal.
LinkedIn Photo And Profile
The first thing you need is a robust LinkedIn profile. Ensure you have a good headshot photo and a summary highlighting your skills, experience and past work achievements.
Include your current position, title, past jobs, education, certifications and licenses. On your LinkedIn profile, allocate the most real estate to your current job and somewhat less space for prior roles. It's okay to leave off short stints of three months or under. You can explain the employment gap in person when you interview. Be honest about your jobs and responsibilities; otherwise, it could backfire on you when called out in an interview.
500 Connections Is The Goal
Make a goal of achieving 500 connections on the professional social media platform. Within the LinkedIn ecosystem, that number shows you are serious about your career and networking. If you only have a few connections, people on the platform won’t be interested in engaging with you, as you come across as disinterested in participating. You want to appear well-connected and on the fast track.
Target List Of People
Put together a list of the companies you’d love to work for. Then, search for their hiring managers, human resources, corporate internal talent acquisition professionals and decision makers on LinkedIn and send out invitations to connect. Once you have the person as a first-degree connection, you can personalize messages and InMails to hold private conversations with them. You can ask for an introduction to the professional handling the job you’re interested in and have applied to.
In addition to in-house recruiters, you can connect with headhunters who specialize in your space. A search professional will know the industry, the ranking of the companies, the hiring managers, interviewers and human resources. They’ll be able to get your résumé to the right person's desk. Recruiters also offer exclusive entry into well-paying jobs in the hidden job market, as many corporate jobs are not posted online for confidentiality reasons.
Reconnect with former colleagues who are now at other firms. Ask your connections for referrals to job openings or introductions to hiring managers. This can help you stand out from other applicants and increase your chances of getting hired, as an employee referral goes a long way. Take someone out for coffee to brainstorm about your prospects.
How To Get Noticed On LinkedIn
A thoughtful way to garner attention is to “like” and participate in the discourse on LinkedIn by responding with well-thought-out comments to other people’s content. The authors of the posts will appreciate your support, and over time, online friendships form.
To establish your own social branding, create content by writing compelling articles on LinkedIn or coming up with interesting, short-form videos. At first, putting yourself out there can be uncomfortable, but you can start slowly. You don’t need to author lengthy articles or viral videos. It can just be informative content about fast-moving developments within your field of expertise. Then, tag some prominent people in your sector, so they can see your post and add their own two cents.
There are easy layups to communicating with people on LinkedIn, such as giving kudos to someone for getting a new job or promotion or celebrating a work anniversary. On the platform, you can join up to 100 groups that cater to your profession or industry. Just like you “like” and share articles on your main LinkedIn feed, you can do the same within the groups.
Posting sparingly on LinkedIn will not prove to be an effective strategy. You’ll need to contribute regularly to build up an audience to get noticed and increase the number of people who can help you grow your career.
