Why Is LinkedIn So Important in Your Job Search?


If you're a job seeker who doesn't use LinkedIn in looking for job opportunities, you are not probably aware of the current tools being used by recruiters. Employers nowadays do not only review your resume. In fact, they are more interested in reading your LinkedIn profile to get more information about your qualifications. Aside from being a vital recruitment tool, you might wonder why LinkedIn plays an important role in your job search. Read on to know the answers.
Why More Employers Choose LinkedIn Over Traditional Resumes?
Recruiters and employers choose LinkedIn over traditional resumes for the following reasons:
1. Since a LinkedIn profile can be easily edited, the provided information is more updated and relevant in the context of one's industry.
2. A resume is often limited to a page or two while your LinkedIn profile could have unlimited information.
3. A LinkedIn profile is often considered more trustworthy since it's seen by the public. People are less likely to lie about their skills and experience as past and present colleagues could quickly point and call out exaggerations and fabrications.

Using LinkedIn in Your Job Search
There are 3 common ways for you to use LinkedIn to your advantage when you're looking for a job:
1. Use LinkedIn as a key to be found by hiring managers and prospective employers. Candidates who are found by recruiters via LinkedIn have more advantages than those who completely rely on the traditional resume. The following LinkedIn strategies will increase your chances of being found by recruiting and outsourcing specialists:
-- Ensure that your profile is 100 percent complete. LinkedIn indicates how close you are to completing your profile.
-- Also, it's a good idea to include a keyword-rich and powerful headline to your profile. If you're not sure about your headline, try browsing profiles of people in the same industry as yours.
-- Include a professional and a smiling photograph in your profile.
-- Avoid being too vague with your skills and previous employment information. After listing your skills and former employers, be sure to talk about measurable results and unique accomplishments.
-- Join LinkedIn groups. Currently, the site allows each user to join 50 groups. Consider diversifying your groups --by skills sets, college alumni, geography, interests, or even previous employers.
2. Use LinkedIn to network and consequently find job opportunities. This networking site doesn't only allow you to market your qualifications to employers; it also provides an avenue for you to find a job that matches your qualifications. In the website's main menu, you can click on the "Jobs" section and filter jobs by date posted, industry, function, and organizational level through the Advanced Search feature. Further, each LinkedIn group has its own "Jobs" section that enumerates employment opportunities that are different from the ones posted on the main job board.
On the other hand, the LinkedIn Signal feature allows you to run a search amongst the status updates posted by members of your network. To look for job opportunities in your network, use the keywords "hiring" plus your "job title".
3. Utilize LinkedIn to keep yourself updated and obtain useful information in a wide variety of career topics. LinkedIn also provides news and original articles covering a wide variety of fields and industries. Company profiles are also featured.
Do you need more information on how to use LinkedIn in your job search? Download CareerFact's free, effective career guide for more tips on how to improve your presence on LinkedIn as well as how to use the site in climbing up the career ladder.

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