The Facebook of professionals, did you know that LinkedIn influenced hires are two times more likely to be in high demand versus other hires? You’ve already got that beaming profile picture, a handful of connections, your experiences recorded, but how do you actually find a job through this thing?
We run through our top tips and the best questions and answers from our Utilising Linkedin Effectively Career Lab below.
Market Research
Recruiters often market map to get a better understanding of the current talent pool and trends in the industry, but market researching on LinkedIn can also be beneficial for job seekers. Whether this is through joining professional groups, searching for specific hiring managers, or connecting with fellow alumni/ex-colleagues, taking the time to research on LinkedIn will enable you to be proactive in finding available opportunities when they come by.
Prerna suggests having a clear outline of potential employers you’re interested in, the structure of their team, and how you fare with who they’ve already got to fill positions you’d like. Not only does this give you better insight into the industry, but you might also be the first few people to know when a company you like is looking to expand.
Q: What’s the first thing a recruiter looks for on your LinkedIn profile?
Rina: Location. Make sure the location tag you put on your profile is accurate to where you’re living. If you’re open to relocating somewhere specific, mention that in your ‘About’ section.
KJ: Time spent in each role is also important. It can be a concern if someone looks to be spending less than a year in each position and is constantly jumping ship. We always like to say 18 months is a good minimum standard to show commitment to your role.
Personal Branding
It’s important at a time like this to be authentic. Don’t be afraid to be a little niche, and share personal anecdotes or sprinkle some humour when it relates to your professional life. To be a good networker on LinkedIn, people have to know who you are and what you’d like to communicate.
Q: What kind of original content should I be posting?
KJ: I would stick to the 80/20 rule. It’s difficult to always be creating original content, so sometimes it’s good to curate it as well. 80% of the time, think about sharing other people’s content in regards to your interests and connections - you can always add a sentence or two to give your take on the repost. The other 20% can be more personal (even if it is inspired by other people) on your achievements or insights.
Prerna: Asking other people for recommendations can be useful too because you’re letting others describe your brand themselves! Don’t let your connections just take your word for how talented you are, let them read it from people whose known you and worked with you.
Rina: Remember to be discerning about what you post too though. Try to keep it mostly professional or related to your career - that’s what your connections want to see on LinkedIn!
Q: What does the ideal ‘About Me’ section look like?
KJ: The three things to remember when it comes to the ‘About Me’ section is that you want it to show your personality have some specifics on your career speciality and highlight achievements, as well as best to kept under one paragraph.
Rina: The thing to remember is that you want to capture the attention of the readers, not necessarily display everything at once.
KJ: Yes, every profile is different, but it says a lot about who the person is and what kind of companies will be attracted by them.
Job Search
Though the job portal should be quite straightforward, something to keep in mind is utilising different keywords. Especially in Singapore, it’s common for different companies to call the same roles with different names or titles (ie: the title ‘Director’ at Company A can actually have the same responsibilities and pay as ‘Manager’ in Company B or ‘Technical Writer’ can overlap with roles labelled as ‘information design,’ ‘content writer, ‘technical editor’), so it’s good practice to carefully read through job descriptions and search for variations of your role, not just the official ‘title.’ Don’t forget to also set alerts for the best keywords so you can be kept up-to-date.
Q: Are your chances higher when applying to a job via LI versus applying normally through a company’s website or other sites like Indeed?
Rina: Most companies just have a combined platform where all applications sync, but it really depends on the sophistication of the company. Personally, I feel that the volume of applicants is always higher on LinkedIn, but it’s also where the information on the candidates is most thorough and useful.
KJ: I work with a lot of smaller SMEs and agencies in PR/Comms, and I feel that sometimes going through a company site could give you a better response rate if they have a strong employer’s brand and find it essential to respond to direct ‘career@’ emails. No guarantees it will be a successful response, though!
Q: I’ve applied to over 100 job postings on LinkedIn, but I haven’t gotten any. Are they even real?
KJ: The dark truth behind LinkedIn is that it could be a secondary source for candidates by the company. Meaning, they might already have some people on the pipeline or have internal candidates they’re considering, but they’re making sure they have options.
Rina: Even though there might be over 200 applicants on a posting, recruiters and hiring managers really do look through every single entry. We always try to keep outstanding candidates in mind so we can recommend you for a future role or other positions we know of that could suit you better.
To watch the whole episode of this Candidate Career Lab and hear more asked and answered questions on Utilising LinkedIn effectively, check out out the full video on our YouTube channel. To join our 33 Talent Candidate community and read more how-to's, click here, and let us help you find your next role.