Let’s face it, it is common sense to update your resume and revisit interview skills when you are considering a new job, but LinkedIn may often times be a forgotten tool in your tool belt. At TalentFund, we understand the value of utilizing LinkedIn to find top talent, and for top talent to find their next opportunity as well.
Luckily this platform, with the sole mission of connecting the world’s professionals, has several ways to enhance your job hunt whenever you may need. The bigger challenge is ensuring that the millions of people who use it, understand its full potential. Consider implementing some, or all, of these tricks to ensure LinkedIn is providing as much value as possible to you.
Tips for Active Job Seekers:
Turn on “Open to Work”
Whether you were caught up in company layoffs or you are looking to re-enter the workforce after time away, this feature has become the most visually impactful way to let your network, recruiters and hiring managers know that you are interested in new opportunities. Learn more about this feature and how it work in this featured article.
Let your Network Know
Getting back to the basics of LinkedIn and social networking, posting simple and informative updates about your interest for work is helpful for others to see that you are looking. Keep this concise and professional so people can quickly see what you are looking for, share with others in their network, and provide relevant suggestions for companies or roles they know of.
Share your Resume
Include your most updated resume within your LinkedIn profile! This could eliminate extra steps for you as recruiters or connections are looking to find the right candidates for a role, having your resume readily available removes the hurdle of waiting for an email or message response.
Update Contact Information
Decide how available you want to be to potential hiring managers. If LinkedIn will be your main source of contact, be sure to check in regularly, and consider enabling notifications to avoid missed opportunities. If you plan to communicate through email or phone calls, ensure your contact information is easily accessible for interested parties to reach out to you.
Tips for Confidential Job Hunters:
Update Privacy Settings
While LinkedIn cannot guarantee your current employer stays in the dark to your applications, networking efforts or new followings, they have put additional security measures in place to help you remain quiet in your searches. Make sure you sharing edits are disabled, but keep your profile should be fully visible. You want people to be able to find you, but not see every new company, person or trend you follow throughout your search.
Strategically Post (or Don’t Post)
Maintain your profile and activity for relevancy ongoing, to avoid the appearance of sudden changes being seen as actively looking to move. If you aren’t a frequent user, use caution when posting comments, sharing posts or interacting with public posts that may imply you are looking for a career move.
Search on Your Time
Keep your LinkedIn usage, and job hunt searches, off of your work computer and outside of working hours. Eliminate the risk of your current employer seeing or stumbling upon your personal efforts during working hours. Prioritize your job hunt time to before or after work, during lunch or on the weekends to be safe.
Whether you are publicly looking for a new job, or quietly considering a career change, there is never a bad time to refresh your LinkedIn presence, snap a new headshot and brush up on your understanding of the features LinkedIn has in place to help you grow in your industry.