According to hiring circles, up to 85% of recruiters, hiring managers, and HR personnel will review your online presence prior to making a hiring decision. If you don’t have or have a poor online presence it could hinder your job search. LinkedIn offers an easy way to improve your online presence and your visibility that can lead to potential career advancements.
Some of the benefits to using LinkedIn are the following:
Recruiters use LinkedIn to source potential candidates for positions that they are looking to fill. It’s a strategy they use to find passive jobseekers. The typical passive jobseeker is someone who is open to finding new career opportunities, but not actively posting their resume on every job board out there. Being visible allows these headhunters to find you. And the good thing is, LinkedIn is becoming so popular that it doesn’t raise red flags that would alert your boss that you are open to hearing about new job possibilities. Who knows, maybe the next great position you hold will just fall in your lap.
Your LinkedIn profile, if developed correctly will allow you to stand out from the crowd. A lot of professionals join LinkedIn (by the way, it’s free) and never do anything with it. One strategy you can employ is getting involved in discussions within groups that are relevant to your career progression. By being involved and letting your ideas be heard, you can showcase your knowledge of current industry trends. You can become an industry expert and let everyone know about it. Everyone wants to hire an expert, don’t they?
Searching for jobs on LinkedIn has become very user friendly since they created a Jobs category in the toolbar of the home page. You can enter your requirements like keywords, job title, geography, and job functions to narrow down your search. With a paid subscription you can also search by salary, but this is optional.
Bottom line is this. If you are in a position to advance in your career, then you need to be on LinkedIn. You can register at www.LinkedIn.com and get involved. If your thought process is that you can’t manage another social networking site, don’t worry. LinkedIn is for professionals and people don’t tell you that they just ate a Chicken Finger Sub. They use it to advance their careers. Even if you aren’t looking for a new career or position, it’s a great way to network for your current position and develop a strong online professional network.
Now is the time to get involved. If you wait until your unemployed or want to make a career move, you’ll be too late. Get on board!
Alan Plath is a Certified Advanced Resume Writer offering resume development to individuals throughout the United States. He can be contacted at [email protected] or visit www.advancedwriteresumes.com