Do you feel dejected after not hearing from your interviewers after some time? You reflected upon the past interviews—you felt each interview was a great session—interviewers and potential employers seemed to give off positive vibes about you. So, what could have gone wrong?
Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer. Yet, on the flipside, there are ways you can do to boost your chances, that is to get noticed. And the next question is how?
Depending on the industry you are exploring, your potential employers may be on a look out for you on social network services, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and etc. Resumes and interviews represent the image you want to portray to potential employers; social media platforms represent your lifestyle and interactions with people; LinkedIn is where you strategize your professional experiences and image. If you set your profile as private, it may lead to ambiguity and uncertainty. On the other hand, setting your profile on public means that you will have to be careful about what you post and share. This is probably a good topic to discuss but we shall leave it to another day.
In this article, we want to focus on how to use your LinkedIn account to get your dream job. This article would be especially helpful for those who do not have an account, and for those who are thinking of enhancing your profile.
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is designed to connect professional people online; it is a professional networking platform that supports career opportunities and development. The profile you created is akin to your resume, except that it will be viewable to anyone once your profile is set to public status. It also serves as a summary of your qualifications and working experiences. The best part of getting a LinkedIn account is to get in touch and connect with former colleagues, current colleagues, business partners, school alumni.
Create Your LinkedIn Account
Create Your Profile
Always remember that when you are creating a LinkedIn Profile, you are also creating a brand name for yourself. Therefore, it is important to upload a quality and professional image that reflects your personality. In other words, stay clear from using avatars or a cartoonised profile photo. This is to validate that you are a real person, and to establish yourself as a trustworthy potential candidate.
Tailor Your Headline Description
You are given 120 characters to show who you are, and it is the best segment to distinguish yourself from the rest. It is undeniable that our resumes are more or less similar to people in the same line of work as we do. So, write beyond your job title by including your expertise and keywords that you think recruiters or employers are looking out for. If you are a webmaster, it is good to include the number of years of experiences, the software and tools you are familiar with. You may also include the number of clients you have, if you have not exceeded the word count. If you do not have as many clients in your portfolio, you can include, if it is worthy to mention, the most well-known client that you have. This instils confidence in your potential employer.
Personalise the About Section
Do not shy away from mentioning the highlight of your working experiences and milestones. When you include education to your profile, you will be surprised that your future employer or supervisor might share the same alma mater as you. Who knows, this increases your chances to opportunities. List down your top skills that can appeal to recruiters, as well as your professional successes and contributions. A word of caution, do not overexaggerate your pointers, it might turn them off.
With all the above information provided, you are encouraged to connect and expand your professional network.
Connect and Expand Your Professional Network
Expanding your network is more than gaining popularity, it is about building relationships in the form of connections. Through connection building, you may come across more people in your field, and you may even discover acquaintances that can provide insights about the company you want to work for, or the industry you want to establish yourself in. You can also gain access to company information, updates, and latest news by connecting with their LinkedIn Pages. By finding out more information through these connections, you should be able to discern if the company or industry is a good fit for you before making the next step to get your dream job.
Better yet, you might even find your life mentors through the connections you make.
Review Your Profile Periodically
Just as how you would continually look out for opportunities; it is advisable to review your profile periodically. If there are major changes in your current position, you can update the headline description, your skills and achievements. By refreshing your profile on a regular basis, recruiters will receive your updates in real time.
Having a LinkedIn profile is an extension of your resume with an additional ease of accessibility. The sooner you have it covered, the higher your chances at getting noticed. Get started with your LinkedIn profile, together with the right keywords and dedication, you are one step to getting your dream job!
As you move forward in life, whether you are seeking your career path or looking to step up on your career journey, Recruit Haus will go through it with you.
