This ebook helps you through the whole job search process; with advice on understanding your skills and values, writing a CV / covering letter, networking, preparing for interviews, and salary negotiations.
Promoting yourself on LinkedIn
LinkedIn has over thirty-five million members in over 140 industries and 200 countries. With a network this huge, the chances are that you know someone – a colleague, ex-colleague, ex-classmate etc – who’s already on LinkedIn. All you need to do is to find these people you know (by searching on LinkedIn or by importing your email address list) and then invite them to join your network. In this way, you can build up your network of connections.
But apart from being able to use your network (and second degree networks – the networks of your personal connections) to find career opportunities, another powerful reason to be on LinkedIn is that companies and recruiters alike can search LinkedIn’s database to find potential candidates with the skills and experience they’re looking for. For this reason alone, it makes sense to set up your profile on Linkedin.
The key to getting yourself noticed (so that you come up in a recruiter’s search, for example) is by making sure your profile is as complete as possible. Include your employment history and education, and incorporate the keywords and skills from your CV. Ask for and get recommendations from the people you’ve worked with. You can also add your photo, which gives a more human touch to your profile.
You can also look for jobs directly by using the Jobs section of LinkedIn. Alternatively, you can search companies by industry, and LinkedIn will show you who from your network (or your second degree networks) works in that company. It also tells you who has recently been appointed to the company, who has been promoted and who former employees are.
For more information on getting the most from LinkedIn, see Guy Kawasaki’s blog post: Ten ways to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job.
Comments: 3
[...] Your first step is to research the companies you find interesting and would like to work for. You can use LinkedIn to get a list of companies in your field or use a keyword to do a search. LinkedIn also shows you if you have a direct contact at the company, or if there’s a second or third degree contact there. (For more information on using LinkedIn see the earlier post on promoting yourself on LinkedIn.) [...]
[...] skill can highlight their expertise. Writing a blog, a comment in a blog, by helping others in your LinkedIn groups, or by tweeting advice, links and tidbits to your followers, you can become a subject [...]
[...] tips for your job research: LinkedIn is perhaps the best way to research companies and people and allows you to make personal [...]
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