> Using LinkedIn to Find a Job

Last month we put up a blog post that discussed the ever-evolving role of social media within the job search. We concluded that social media can go a long way towards helping your job search or hurting it, depending on how you decide to use these relatively new platforms.

Each social media platform probably warrants its own blog post, and even then we would just be scratching the surface of how to use social media to land a job. In light of this, we decided that it would be helpful to focus on LinkedIn in today’s post. Of all social media sites, LinkedIn is the most professional-oriented, which makes it particularly valuable when looking for a job.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of LinkedIn:

Step 1: Perfect Your Profile

On LinkedIn everything begins and ends with your profile. From your profile picture to your experience, your profile on LinkedIn is essentially an online copy of your resume.

With that in mind, choose a profile picture that gives off an aura of professionalism. This is typically the first thing that people will look at when viewing your profile, and as you hopefully already know, first impressions are vitally important. A head shot is often best because people will be able to see and recognize your face. Also make sure that the picture is reasonably current so that hiring managers and/or recruiters aren’t in for a surprise.

While having a good profile picture is important, the real meat of your LinkedIn profile lies in the “experience” section. In fact, it probably isn’t a bad idea to lift this section right off your resume. Use the “professional summary” section to provide a summation of your experience, highlighting experiences that are particularly important or notable. Remember to list your skills in the “skills and expertise” section. People who can vouch for these skills are able to “endorse” them if they feel so compelled.

Step 2: Connect

Once your profile is satisfactory, start connecting with people you know in an effort to grow your network. The more people you know, the more opportunities you will have to potentially advance your career. If possible, try to get at least one recommendation from someone you have worked with. These recommendations appear on your profile and will only increase your chances of landing a job.

Make sure that you don’t go overboard, though – only connect with people that you know and trust. There is no need to connect with random people just so you can look popular or important, and these people will likely decline your invitation anyway.

Step 3: Search and Stay Active

While it’s not unusual for people to be contacted by recruiters or hiring managers, don’t sit back and assume that employers will find you. Go to the job search section and see if there are any that look appealing. If there you find a position that seems to be a good fit, don’t hesitate to hit the “apply now” button. Also, be sure to take note of what keywords appear in postings that interest you. Ensure that these keywords also appear in your profile so that you are more visible to employers and/or recruiters.

 

In the end, LinkedIn is just one of many tools that you, the job seeker, have at your disposal. Hopefully the tips above will get you headed in the right direction, at the very least. Good luck!

– Cobey Culton

> Social Recruiting

The recent advent of social media has undoubtedly provided staffing agencies a huge opportunity. Job seekers are more accessible than ever, with LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter literally putting millions of people at these companies’ fingertips.

As Andrew Hally points in a recent blog post on The Staffing Stream, though, many staffing agencies fail to employ these social tools effectively. The statistics are actually pretty alarming. Here is a brief excerpt from his post:

In 2012, only 12 percent of recruiters were connected to all three of the networks, with 14 percent of recruiters using a combination of LinkedIn and Twitter for recruiting versus eight percent using LinkedIn and Facebook. Fifty percent of North American recruiters using Twitter for recruiting have fewer than 50 followers, and 26 percent of North American recruiters using Facebook have fewer than 200 Facebook friends.

Oddly enough, Hally makes no mention of Google Plus, which recently surpassed Twitter in active user count. With only 12% of recruiters using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, there is no telling how far that number would tumble if you added Google Plus into the equation.

So, the first problem is abundantly clear: staffing agencies and recruiters simply aren’t utilizing social media to its fullest extent – but why?

One reason could be the distinct disconnect between the overwhelming number of people that are active on social media websites and the number of people that recruiters are actually reaching. Fifty percent (yes, 50%) of North American recruiters have fewer than 50 followers. Obviously, there are a number of factors at play here, so we have to be careful to not oversimplify the problem.

Part of the explanation may lie in the fact that websites like Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, etc. are able to provide a smorgasbord of job opportunities from a handful of recruiters. These websites also allow the job seeker to target specific opportunities that match up with their ambitions, which is clearly a better alternative to being spammed on Twitter/Facebook by recruiters who post a new job listing every ten minutes (the majority of which are irrelevant to the job seeker). However, job boards really only reach active job seekers – there is an entire network of people who may not be actively searching for a job, but could be convinced to take a better opportunity.

The bottom line is that staffing agencies should try to engage job seekers on sites like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ which will in turn drive traffic to their website/job listings. Instead of posting a stream of job listings on Twitter, they should attempt to provide something somewhat proprietary: a blog, interesting/relevant links, etc. Social recruiting is about creating an audience – one in which there are both active and passive candidates.

 

This is not to say that recruiters shouldn’t toss up the occasional job opportunity, especially if it is one that will attract a larger audience than others. Still, recruiters should take a hard look at their social media strategy. It is certainly a powerful tool, but only if used the right way.

– Cobey Culton, Digital Marketing Intern

> Resumes in Today’s World

If you are a job seeker, you most likely have read articles telling you what are the top things to do in order to get your resume noticed. There are countless opinions as to what makes the best and most impressionable impact on a hiring manager; there are a few unwritten rules as well as a few accepted norms. I have my own opinions to throw in to the lot.
1.) Keyword searching. As people lean more and more on technical advances to streamline the recruiting process, it is sure that if you have submitted your resume for review to multiple companies, it has at least once been perused by a digital gatekeeper. It is important to remember that many companies use software to qualify and rank candidates prior to a human ever laying eyes on your resume. These gatekeepers fail to see the dedication to layout, “interesting” font, or polished word choices you have carefully selected to put the most pizzazz on your points. Remember to have enough “meat” in your resume to appetize the screeners, as well as key words which correspond to the job you’re applying for which will show up in keyword searches. This leads me to my next point
2.) Tailor your resume. Yes. It may be easiest to make one resume and hit the mass “send” button to 100 jobs. This may lead to success, but truly if you spend just a few moments to tweak your resume and pull out applicable experience for each position, you may meet with better success. This would add a more targeted approach to your search; you would apply for those positions with only those companies that you are really interested in. Again, pulling out key verbage or words from the job description itself may help with keyword searching mentioned above. Please do not take that as license to copy and paste directly from the job description as this is a sure way to end up in the bottom of the waste basket.
3.) Social Media. Realize what your social imprint is and use your network to the best of your advantage. Always make sure that your social networking profiles display your best self (if you do not have one, this is a great opportunity to get one, fast – LinkedIn is most useful for the professional job seeker). Ask for recommendations, post useful industry information, join professional associations online, etc. I guarantee prospective employers will look; I do every day. Also, connecting to people within a targeted company through LinkedIn may be a great way to push your experience to the forefront. Feel free to add a link to your successful LinkedIn profile on your resume.
 
4.) Keep it simple. Unless you are a graphic designer, keep your format simple and easy to read and impress them with a direct approach and display your experience. Here, I find “Objectives” to be just a time-waster. I prefer summaries that tell me why someone is a great fit for what I need. The “Objective” section is often bland and tells me very little about your actual experience. If your education is your strongest asset, list it first; the same with technical skills, certifications, or your experience. Lead with what is most relevant to the position and with your strongest asset.
5.) Action verbs and Uniqueness. Your resume may only be viewed for a few seconds before a manager moves on to the next; entice them! A list of responsibilities does little to tell me of what your experience is. The stronger action verb used, the greater the connection. Example:
Or
Yes, the latter may be a little more “fluffy”, but you may see the idea. Also, demonstrate what you bring to the table that is different from others. A list of duties only tells of what you can do, I want to know what made you “special”; what made you an asset, someone indispensable to the company. If you created a new way of doing things, saved the company money, streamlined a process, increased efficiency- please share. The best examples of these are ones that are quantifiable.
6.) Be truthful. Remember to sell the best version of yourself, but that you must portray an accurate representation of your experience and skills. Never lie on your resume. Even if you do end up with the job, you can be fired later, a la Yahoo! CEO, Scott Thompson. Accurate education and work history (including employment dates) are essential; remember everything listed should be verifiable.
So what do you think? What is the best resume-writing advice you’ve ever received?
-Samantha Oster, Operations Coordinator