Social media channels are an important way to leverage your position in looking for a job or taking a step in your career. And one of the most important channels currently is LinkedIn. It is as equally an important tool for new graduates as for people who’ve been in their jobs for any length of time. The competition for graduate jobs is highly competitive so it is important to make use of anything that can give you an advantage. Here’s how new graduates can make the most of LinkedIn.
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1. Let HR Departments do Their Due Diligence the Easy Way
When a HR department does its research into you, they have to show proof that they did sufficient research. That way, if you turn out to be a bad worker or a psycho, the HR team doesn’t get sacked. Many companies allow sweep of your LinkedIn profile to count as a due diligence check. Ergo, if you have a LinkedIn account, you make it slightly easier for a company to hire you. There are also some HR departments that search on LinkedIn to try and find new employees, so it is always worth having a profile on LinkedIn if you are looking for job.
2. Improve Your Resume by Stealing Ideas from Other People’s LinkedIn Profiles
If you think your resume is perfect, then you haven’t been unemployed for very long. The fact is that your resume is an ever-evolving creature that grows and changes over time. Whenever you apply for a new job, you should be changing, fixing and improving your resume. LinkedIn is a website full of different resumes in profile form. All you have to do is look through it and steal other people’s ideas. Do you like the way another person has worded his or her introduction? Twist it to suit your needs and steal it for your resume.
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3. Solicit Employers via Your LinkedIn Profile
Plenty of people nag employers on LinkedIn. Employers are used to it. Some give away jobs because they are tired of politely asking you to wait. Sure, you may end up getting yourself blocked, but you are unemployed, so what do you have to lose? Solicit away and improve your technique over time so you are more effective.
4. Cozy up to Your Old Friends for a Job
LinkedIn is not that dissimilar to Facebook in that you are able to re-romance your old friends and become chummy with them again. Their LinkedIn profile will show you if they have a good job that you would like. Re-acquaint yourself with them on LinkedIn and have them get you a job within their company.
5. Find out if There Are Job Vacancies within Different Companies
The easiest way to find jobs on LinkedIn is by signing up to job alerts. The emails arrive regularly, notifying you of vacancies in positions that match the advanced search criteria you set when you sign up. If you want to receive the widest range of options, keep your search criteria loose.
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6. One-up Your Competition for Jobs
If they say they have X months of volunteer experience, say you have X+1 months of experience. If they claim they only had 3 days off last year, say you only had 2 days off last year. Look at what others are writing on their LinkedIn profiles and try to beat them in a way that sounds plausible.
7. Do Research on a Company so You Are Better Prepared for Your Interview
The more you know about a job, then the more likely you are to get it. After all, it is not going to sound very genuine if you claim you have always dreamed of getting a job at company X, when you cannot tell the interviewer the first thing about the company or job. Learn more about the job and the company via LinkedIn and the info and external links on the company profile and you will be more confident as you enter the interview. You may even feel as if you work for the company already.
The more you use LinkedIn the bigger the benefits you will find.
