4 Linkedin Tips for Career Search Success
Sarah A. Scala, M. Ed & OD, ACC
Estimated Reading Time: 2 Minutes
LinkedIn is the professional social media platform for connecting people and organizations. Having a professional profile on LinkedIn is a great step if you are searching for a job. Once recruiters become aware of a potential candidate, the first place they go to learn more is on LinkedIn. If your profile is not complete or professional, it will negatively impact their first impression. Here are a few LinkedIn tips for career search success.
Update Your LinkedIn Profile
Having a professional profile with a simple summary of your work or the work you want to do next, along with accurate current and past positions and accomplishments is a good place to start. Your LinkedIn profile shouldn’t be an exact copy of your resume document, but you can often use many pieces of resume data on your LinkedIn profile. Here is my LinkedIn profile as an example.
Grow Your LinkedIn Connections
Having connections on LinkedIn is also very important. If you are on this social media platform and you do not have any connections, a good first step is to start connecting with people you know. A lot of folks who are new to LinkedIn will simply push the connect button without including a personal message. A stronger approach is to write a few sentences in a personal note about why you want to connect or how you know the person, as it is more likely they will accept your request.
Following Companies You’re Interested In
If you are interested in a new position, following the company on LinkedIn is a smart idea so that you can start to get a feel for how they operate, what they do, and the types of solutions they provide. This also allows you to see who works (or formerly worked) there as you may find that some of your own connections are following the company. There may be people that you went to school with or are alumni of your school that you could connect with to learn more about the company.
Use LinkedIn for Personal Branding
LinkedIn is an excellent tool to share your personal brand reputation and connect when searching for a new position. Be sincere and friendly, when you ask to connect. Don’t outright ask for a job or an intro to the hiring manager until you have developed a strong personal relationship, and keep your profile current, with a professional picture and accomplishments.
Using LinkedIn Tips for Career Success
How have you been successful with using LinkedIn or other social media tools for career search?
Please share in the comments. If you have specific questions, regarding tips on LinkedIn for career success, ask me. I'm happy to help.
Learn more about our approach to career and transition coaching in our recent Blogs and Case Studies:
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About the Author:
Sarah Scala is a senior talent management leader and executive coach with 20+ years of experience providing organization development, change management, and leadership development solutions for diverse global and local industries. She is a collaborative consultant, coach, and educator supporting performance transformation of executives, leaders, and teams. Sarah is a methodical, results-driven leader recognized for helping clients reach their highest potential, increase revenue, reduce turnover, elevate business profitability, build competencies, and improve performance.
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