LinkedIn is an international professional networking site with over 645 million users. Most people utilize the networking aspect of the site to connect to people with whom they have interacted in a professional setting and to find jobs using the job board feature.
In my work running a career accelerator, my team and I have helped hundreds of people successfully navigate the job search, and in doing so, we have picked up a lot of interesting techniques to speed up some of the processes.
Given how widespread LinkedIn has become, I wanted to share our top three tips to leverage the platform and speed up your job search.
1. Optimize your LinkedIn with a great bio.
Just like your resume, your LinkedIn profile is a recruiter’s first look at who you are. Not only should you have a professional photo and the same name as on your resume, but you should be sure that you include all of your experiences and context for each entry. Unlike your resume, you have unlimited space on LinkedIn, so you can go into more depth on your internships, past positions and projects.
I recommend writing a short and interesting bio because it catches recruiters’ attention and easily sums up who you are and what you want. This bio is a good place to mention that you are actively seeking and explain the types of jobs you are interested in so that it comes up in keyword searches.
Here is an example for a new grad:
“Finishing my B.S. in Data Science in June 2020 at the University of X. Looking for data analyst or entry-level data science positions that combine my interests in machine learning with my love of community-building games.”
Here is an example for someone who is currently working and looking for a new opportunity:
“Product manager with 3 years of experience at an enterprise-level company looking to switch gears and join a mission-driven startup where I can make a difference professionally and personally.”
You should also add more information about your experience and goals in this section, especially if you are looking to transition careers or if you are looking for your first job out of school because your experience might not be as impressive. Telling your story in this section can help recruiters understand who you are and how you can make an impact at their company.
2. Let recruiters know you are open to new opportunities.
After you have optimized your LinkedIn to show who you are and to tell your story, you can open up your profile to recruiters by navigating to the Jobs page and clicking on “career interests.” You will be brought to the career services page, where you can toggle “on” to let recruiters know you are open to new opportunities.
This is a great way for you to see what is out there and take some time out of the search. Recruiters, often third party, will reach out to you using the messaging tool to let you know about opportunities in their pipeline. Because they are often hired by the company and not working for the company itself, the connections might be a little weaker, but it is still a good way to sharpen your skills and get a sense of the marketplace.
Don’t let yourself by tricked by the “Easy Apply” jobs. In my experience, they are the lowest conversion positions because the convenience leads to a surplus of applications. Make sure you diversify where you are applying so that you can get seen by recruiters.
3. Find connections for cold emails.
Job seekers often think that they should only connect with people with whom they have met or interacted with at some point. While that makes for a warmer connection, you can still reach out to people on LinkedIn with whom you have a more tenuous connection.
For example, if you find an alumni of your university who is working at a company you are interested in or an employee who has the same interests, you can still connect.
When you are reaching out to people you have not met, you need to make sure you warm up the connection. Find their email address using a service like Clearbit, and craft a strong cold email. Include your mutual interest in the subject line so you can grab their attention from the start. Then, be sure to keep your email concise and compelling so they read it.
Here are some tips for a good cold email:
• Don’t waste time with fluff. Start by explaining why you are reaching out. Example: “I saw a [position] opening at [company]. I wanted to reach out to a fellow [Wildcat/volleyball lover/etc.] to see if you had time to chat.”
• Give them a sense of why you would be a good asset, but don’t repeat your resume. Example: “In my computer science classes, I have mastered the art of writing clean, people-friendly code, and at my internship at Twitter last year, I learned a lot about the importance of using this code to create a safe community for everyone. I want to continue this work at Facebook, where I know safety is a value.”
• Close with a strong call to action that leads to a phone call. Ask if they would be free for a quick call, and provide two possible time frames.
Using the above tips as a jumping-off point, you can optimize your use of LinkedIn and find a great job faster.
Sourced From: Kevin Wu – Forbes