It’s not a secret that recruiters use a LinkedIn strategy as part of their candidate search as well as looking through the job boards, such as Reed, Jooble etc. For professionals and students, LinkedIn has become the preferred platform of choice for networking and job hunting. As well as showing the world their career journey. However, some people fail to regularly update their profiles and find themselves only updating when they start job hunting. Below are some useful tips on creating a LinkedIn strategy to use when job hunting.
Profile Picture:
Your LinkedIn page is more likely to be viewed if you have a profile picture but it is also important to make sure it is a high quality, professional photo where your face is clearly visible.
Cover Picture:
Many people keep the generic LinkedIn image. However, if you would like to change it, the dimensions should be 1584 x 396px, even though LinkedIn suggests otherwise.
Update your Headline:
Most people use this to state their current work position so make sure this is always up to date when you change positions.
About Summary:
These first four bullet points listed are what people see first. The ‘about summary’ is a great way to sell yourself. Use this space to highlight your strengths and an overview of your career but avoid going into detail about your current experience (There is a relevant section for this).
Eye-catching Media:
Post relevant material which is a positive reflection of you professionally. Whether that’s blog posts or articles, case studies or samples of your portfolio for example. Potential employers or recruiters will be drawn to great content and projects, these show your knowledge and readiness for the challenge.
Be Active:
Besides posting relevant material. Be seen to like, share and comment on other people and companies content too.
LinkedIn Professional Groups:
Identify groups in your industry or area of interest. This will help you expand your network, creating a more effective Linkedin strategy.
Update your Experience:
This is where you list your experience like you would on your CV. These show what you may or may not be qualified for when it comes to roles. However, it also shows that you keep yourself busy, which I’m sure you know is important especially for graduates and members of Gen-Z!
Skills and Endorsements:
Make sure you list your skills and regularly update them. Skills should be relevant to the industry you are looking to work in, Endorsements are also something you use too. By endorsing your friends and colleagues, you can then ask them to do the same for you.
Recommendations:
If you have several strong recommendations from recent roles, this will add a level of credibility to your profile.
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