As the largest professional networking platform, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool in your job search. You need to be proactive and strategic in your use of the platform to make the most of it. Here are four tips to help you use LinkedIn proactively when networking for job search.

1. Optimise Your LinkedIn Profile

The first step in using LinkedIn proactively for job search is to optimise your profile. Your profile is your online professional identity and the first thing recruiters and hiring managers will see when they search for potential candidates. Make sure your profile is up-to-date, complete, and showcases your skills and experience.

Your headline and summary should accurately reflect your professional background and career goals. Use keywords relevant to your industry or job target to help recruiters find you easily. Highlight your achievements and skills, and include a professional-looking headshot.

Activate the ‘open to work’ feature and detail the types of roles you are looking for and the geographic locations where you’re available to work. Also add endorsements for your skills by asking former colleagues or connections to endorse you for skills that you want to showcase. This can help boost your credibility and increase your visibility in LinkedIn searches.

2. Reach Out to Colleagues, Potential Employers and Recruiters

The second step to using LinkedIn proactively is to build a targeted network. Focus on connecting with people who can help you achieve your career goals. This includes colleagues, alumni, mentors, industry professionals, and recruiters.

You can ask someone to join your professional network by sending them an invitation to connect. If they accept your invitation, they’ll become a 1st-degree connection. When inviting members to connect, I generally always recommend you send a personalised note to introduce yourself or add context to your relationship. When sending connection requests to people you know, use a familiar tone and reference mutual work or social experiences.

Before reaching out to potential employers, or recruiters, make sure you have a clear goal in mind. Having a clear goal will help you focus your message and make it easier for the person you are reaching out to respond. This could be to learn more about a specific company or role, to request an informational interview, or to ask about potential job openings.

LinkedIn reports that some LinkedIn members have conveyed that they don’t like receiving invitations from people they don’t know, and that they will often ignore or mark those invitations as spam. It’s therefore essential that when reaching out to potential employers and recruiters, you personalise your message and explain why you are interested in the company or role. Don’t just copy and paste a generic message to every connection or potential employer you come across. Take the time to research their background and understand their professional goals and interests. This will help you tailor your message to their specific needs and interests.

Be professional and polite, using proper grammar and spelling, addressing the person by name, and avoiding slang or informal language. Avoid using a pushy tone in your message. Instead, focus on building a genuine connection and expressing your interest in their organisation or role. Remember, your goal is to build a relationship and not to come across as desperate!

When crafting your message, make sure you are clear and concise about why you are reaching out. Explain who you are and why you are interested in connecting with them. Highlight your relevant experience and skills, and how you can add value to their organisation. Don’t forget to express your gratitude for their time and consideration.

3. Alternatives to Sending Invitations to Connect

If you do not feel comfortable sending invitations to connect to people you do not know, or you have a free LinkedIn membership and there are some restrictions on the invites you can send, there are other actions you can take. Here are two alternative and free ways to network with others, rather than inviting someone to connect:

• Follow someone to see the updates and new content that they share in your feed, and establish familiarity by interacting with their posts.
• Find and join a group that’s relevant to you, so you can meet other professionals with similar interests.

4. Engage with Your Network

As you build a targeted network, it’s essential to engage with them regularly. This means liking, commenting, and sharing relevant content related to your industry. If you feel nervous about posting your own content, that’s okay. Instead, clean up your newsfeed by following relevant industry leaders and organisations and re-post their updates with your thoughts, or comment on their updates.

This activity is visible to your connections and hiring managers and recruiters who may be viewing your profile and helps you stay top of mind with potential employers and recruiters. It also allows you to build relationships with other professionals in your industry and can lead to valuable connections and opportunities down the line.

Keep in mind that while LinkedIn is a valuable tool, it’s not a magic bullet and relationships are built over time. Be patient and remember that networking takes time and effort. With a curious nature and a proactive and strategic approach, you can use LinkedIn to make valuable connections and take your job search to the next level.

Marina Pitisano

I am a passionate Career Coach who works with individuals in the explore and search phase of their career journey, helping you realise your strengths through my career coaching and training programs. I enjoy showing people the path to greater career satisfaction and providing insight and tools to help you make your next career move.

The post How to Leverage LinkedIn as Part of an Effective Job Search & Networking Plan appeared first on Letz Create.

The thought of actively looking for another job can be daunting. So often people wait until a redundancy before they make a change, because it’s been forced upon them. While it may be easier to stay where you are, if you are in an organisation that’s making structural changes or it’s difficult to progress your career with your current employer, then this article is for you.

When you are actively in ‘job search’ mode, there are many factors that can influence your success. Here are 7 steps to achieve success in your job search:

1. Cover Letter

Your cover letter is the number one tool that will help you get invited to an interview. Many people often overlook crafting a cover letter, yet it is the first piece of information a potential employer or recruiter will look at. It will assist the employer or recruiter to evaluate your suitability for the advertised role. When I work with clients on writing their cover letters for their job applications, we can spend as much time on the cover letter as the resume to ensure we get it right!

In this article I explore how to write a cover letter that gets you to the job interview.

2. Killer Resume

Recruiters and hiring managers see LOTS of resumes. What can you do to develop a killer resume? You must focus on developing a resume that powerfully demonstrates your suitability for the advertised position. This means tailoring the resume to every new opportunity you apply for. There are some protocols to follow when writing your resume, one of which is what to cover in the Professional Experience section.

For each role you must provide the following key points:

• Role title
• Name of organisation you worked for
• Dates of employment
• Key Responsibilities
• Key Achievements
• Scope / breadth of role (e.g. how many people reported to you, what geographic area did you cover, etc)
• Value of Budget or P&L you managed (if relevant)

3. LinkedIn Profile

Your LinkedIn Profile is how you will get found by recruiters on LinkedIn.  Make sure you have updated your career interests on your profile’s private dashboard, letting recruiters know you are open to being contacted. Your LinkedIn profile must contain information that is consistent with your job search goals. Provide readers with a sense of your areas of expertise, experience and professional approach.

When in active job search, the key area to focus on with your LinkedIn Profile include:

• Photo
• Summary
• Headline
• Experience
• Recommendations
• Skills
• Career Interests

Importantly, writing your LinkedIn profile is not as simple as cutting and pasting the professional summary, experience and education sections of your resume.

In this article you can learn more about the difference between a LinkedIn profile and your resume.

4. Interview

You should expect to be invited to a variety of different interview types as part of the job application process. This may include group settings, with a hiring panel, online, face to face, informal or formal interviews. The STAR interview method helps you answer interview questions by providing concrete examples or proof that you possess the experience and skills required for the job you are applying for.

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. This method is particularly helpful in response to competency-focused questions, which typically start out with phrases such as “Tell us about a time when…” and “Share an example of a situation where…”

For many of my clients the interview is the part of the job search they fear the most. I support them with Interview Coaching which includes practice interviews where we develop the types of questions they may be asked for a particular job they’ve applied for, and we prepare and practice their answers.

In this article I share some tips on how you can stand out at your next job interview.

5. Networking

Networking has also changed considerably in the last few years. We have become more accustomed to online networking through a variety of platforms and more recently have returned to face-to-face networking. No matter which form of networking you are participating in, always follow up with connections you meet to form stronger relationships. Some ways you can do this include connecting via LinkedIn, sending an email or following up with a phone call to make a memorable impression.

With online tools such as LinkedIn and offline tools such as professional networking events, there are many ways to leverage your networks to help you during your job search.  It’s essential you develop a networking plan, and have practised how you describe where you are at and the types of roles you are looking for. You also need to be brave enough to seek the advice of other professionals who can assist you in achieving your career goals.

6. Recruiters

Recruiters are an important gatekeeper for some of the roles you will apply for during your job search. Importantly, most recruiters are not your career advisor (that’s what I am here for) and so you need to be sure that you meet with recruiters that are aligned to your values and have roles in the sector you wish to work in.  Ask trusted friends and colleagues in your industry (who may have recently changed jobs) which recruiters they would recommend you speak with.

In this article I explore what you need to know about a Career Coach vs a Recruiter.

7. Mindset

A positive mindset is essential when you are in active job search. The reason many people stay where they are, despite being unhappy and wanting to make a change in jobs, is because the job search process can be difficult. You are likely to receive some rejection emails or phone calls and sometimes absolutely no response at all. These can affect your confidence and mindset. You need to be mentally strong to overcome the negatives. Analyse the negative experiences and learn from them – what went wrong, what responses could you have used, what were you not prepared for, how could you have better prepared yourself?

You need to put yourself out there and be willing to experience setbacks. DO NOT GIVE UP! There is some work required to keep you in a positive state of mind, which I welcome the opportunity to explore further with you. Book a 15 minute Career Chat if you need some guidance in your job search.

If you are feeling stuck, here’s an article to help you get moving and take action!

Marina Pitisano

I am a passionate Career Coach who works with individuals in the explore and search phase of their career journey, helping you realise your strengths through my career coaching and training programs. I enjoy showing people the path to greater career satisfaction and providing insight and tools to help you make your next career move.

The post 7 Steps to Achieve Job Search Success appeared first on Letz Create.

On the blog this month I’ve asked Karen Hollenbach, the Founding Director of Think Bespoke and one of Melbourne’s leading LinkedIn specialists, to share a piece we developed together for our CAREER Grow Community. We explore the difference between your LinkedIn Profile and your Resume and why it’s important to know how to maximise these two essential career tools for your career success.

Over to Karen . . . . .

In Australia 4 out of 5 people have a LinkedIn profile and searching LinkedIn is increasingly the first step for professionals, recruiters and hiring managers who are seeking people with particular skills and experience for potential projects, collaborations and vacant roles.

Writing your LinkedIn profile is not as simple as cutting and pasting the professional summary, experience and education sections of your resume, although I do see many LinkedIn profiles written this way. It’s hard to write about yourself, and so today’s article will help you understand the differences between your LinkedIn profile and resume and how you should approach writing each.

Marina and I often discuss the fundamental differences between a LinkedIn Profile and a Resume. We agree these are both essential career tools, but play different roles in your career planning and job hunting journey. In fact, we think there are 8 differences that you should be aware of when updating your LinkedIn Profile or resume, including:

1. Photo
2. Variations
3. User Experience
4. Length
5. Focus & Format
6. Tone
7. Role of Keywords
8. Audience

Let’s explore some of these in more detail.

Photo

A photo is expected for your LinkedIn profile and is not needed for your resume. LinkedIn reports that members who include a profile photo receive 21x more profile views and up to 36x more messages.

When deciding which photo to upload, choose one that aligns with your role as a professional, but that makes you approachable. You can upload directly from your phone, but make sure it’s good quality and includes you only, not your pet or significant other.

If you can, have a photo taken by a professional photographer. Your goal is to come across as likeable, professional, influential, and competent.

Variations

Marina recommends that each resume is specifically tailored to the job offer and designed in a way suitable to your industry. You should always have more than variation of your resume, and write as many resumes as jobs you plan to apply for, because the purpose of your resume is to respond specifically to an advertised or vacant role and to get you an interview with the recruiter or hiring manager.

You have just one version of your LinkedIn profile and need to keep it updated as you change roles, gain qualifications or certifications and are involved with new projects. It is worth searching your name on LinkedIn to check if you have not accidentally created duplicate profiles. I see this often, due to members accepting invitations to connect from different email addresses. I f you discover you do have a duplicate profile, here’s instructions from LinkedIn for how to merge your details into one LinkedIn profile.

User Experience

For the reader, LinkedIn offers a much richer experience than a resume. Your resume is static and contains only limited information that’s related to the requirements of the job in question, whereas your LinkedIn Profile is dynamic and ever-changing, especially if you are active on LinkedIn and post updates, publish LinkedIn articles, like or comment on your colleague’s posts.  I recommend being active on LinkedIn as it helps develop your reputation, keep you top of mind with your connections and position you as a knowledgeable professional.

Skill endorsements and recommendations on your LinkedIn profile will also change,  with colleagues endorsing your skills or providing you with recommendations that you can then choose to add to your profile. For more information on how to add recommendations to your profile please read this article.

Length

Since your resume should contain only details related to the job position you’re applying for, Marina recommends you keep your resume to a maximum of 2-3 pages in length.

With your LinkedIn profile, there is no limit on how long your it should be, and you can include extra material such as links, videos, presentations or your publications. Importantly, I recommend you only add information to your profile that is relevant to your goals for LinkedIn. If you are actively job hunting, consistency with your resume is essential, and it is worth reviewing your LinkedIn profile to ensure there are no ‘red herrings’ or distracting details in your profile that you included when you first signed up to be a LinkedIn member.

Focus & Format

While your LinkedIn profile positions you as a professional with overall skills, experience,  and perhaps also a point of view, the focus of your resume is on your skills and previous work experiences, how they make you an ideal candidate for a specific role, and how the organisation will benefit from hiring you.

In a resume format, you need a “Professional Summary” or “Profile” at the beginning of your resume. This replaces the traditional “Career Objective”. It is the cornerstone of the resume because it will influence whether people read on. This needs to be three to four short sentences or phrases to present a compelling snapshot of your professional expertise and key personal attributes that represent your personal brand.

LinkedIn allows you to do the same in the “Summary” section of your profile. However, you have more space (up to 2,000 characters). There are some limits on formatting text in your LinkedIn Profile, with the insertion of symbols (which I suggest you use sparingly) and capitals, the main options. You can also add links to showcase an online portfolio, videos and online publications.

While the core chronology and facts will be very similar in your LinkedIn profile and resume, they way you describe your transition from one role to the other and the amount of previous and current career information will differ.

The LinkedIn profile will provide an overall sense of achievements, and perhaps also an element of storytelling for each role, while the resume should contain only the information relevant to the job offer you’re applying for and stick to key metrics and provide evidence of performance based results.

Tone

I encourage my clients to take a more relaxed tone on LinkedIn, but am mindful that their industry and role type will strongly influence the appropriateness of this. If you view LinkedIn like a virtual room, then your LinkedIn profile is you,! It’s an invaluable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online ambassador.

Your LinkedIn profile should tell a bigger story. It’s a place to showcase your personal branding, demonstrate your expertise and share relevant information that adds value to your professional community.

Both need to strategically address what’s in it for the reader, but your resume will be more formal in tone and is perhaps one of the most formal documents you will ever write. The strength of your resume is in the structure and word choices. They must respond to key selection criteria and use words and language that are consistent with the words used in the job advertisement or those used by the organisation generally in their website copy. The real estate on the page of a resume is more limited so you must choose your words very carefully!

A professionally written resume and an impactful LinkedIn profile should demonstrate the value you can add to an organisation.  It is essential to articulate the impact you’ve had in your current and previous relevant roles. However, the level of detail will vary due to the public nature of LinkedIn and the private and specific focus for your resume.

Role of Keywords

While your primary goal with your LinkedIn profile and resume is to connect with the reader, ignoring the technology used by recruiters and hiring managers can put you at a disadvantage. Scanning software may be used to filter resume applications, and LinkedIn’s algorithms look at keyword density to rank your profile in a search. To read more about how LinkedIn does this please read this article from LinkedIn about LinkedIn Search Relevance – People Search. The headline, summary, experience and skills sections of your LinkedIn profile must be written in a way that help you get found.

If you are actively job hunting, consider the role titles and skills required for these roles. Review your LinkedIn profile and ensure that any skills or experience you have are written in a way that is consistent with the industry terminology.

Choosing the right keywords is much easier in resumes, since every advertised role contains plenty of keywords and phrases you can use. Marina advises that some companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that search for the keywords the right candidate should have in his or her resume. Without these keywords you will not be very successful with an ATS. This is particularly important if you are putting your resumes up on SEEK or job boards. Tread carefully!

Audience

The purpose of a resume is to get an interview and get hired. Marina recommends that you keep your resume updated as an ongoing record as you change jobs or roles.  In this article she writes “Life runs at a rapid pace, and the older we get, the harder it is to remember the specific details of each role.  It is the key achievements and examples of what you’ve done in each role that become your compelling selling points . . . when you are looking for a new job or making a change in your career direction.”

Though headhunters often use LinkedIn to hire people, it’s main goal is to keep you connected with other people from your industry and to help you stay in the loop about what’s going on in your area of expertise.

After the hiring manager reads your resume, they will go and check how you look on Linkedin before doing a general online search, and perhaps also a specific search on social media. As a side note – if you are actively applying for roles, please review your privacy settings on platforms like Facebook and Instagram if you have activities or comments you’ve shared that you would prefer not to be public knowledge.

It is important to mention that your LinkedIn profile has the potential to reach a broader audience than your resume. It’s therefore important to strike a balance between creating the opportunity for making more connections with tailoring the LinkedIn profile for your ideal job or client base. Consistency is the key!

How Can We Help?

If you’d like a fresh set of eyes to look over your LinkedIn profile, please read more here about Think Bespoke’s LinkedIn Profile Audit .

If it’s your resume that needs some attention, please read more here about Letz Create’s Resume Review.

If you are thinking about your next career move, please join our Career Grow Facebook group here. Our aim is to provide you with helpful resources and thought starters to assist your professional development. This is a comfortable and safe place to access useful resources, learn, reflect, ask questions, seek professional development guidance and understand how to achieve greater job satisfaction.

Marina Pitisano

I am a passionate Career Coach who works with individuals in the explore and search phase of their career journey, helping you realise your strengths through my career coaching and training programs. I enjoy showing people the path to greater career satisfaction and providing insight and tools to help you make your next career move.

The post The Differences Between Your LinkedIn Profile & Resume appeared first on Letz Create.