Three ways to get a job on LinkedIn

When it comes down to it, there’s three ways to get a job (using LinkedIn).

First off, bring recruiters to you. You plant the seeds and watch your field grow. So how do you do this??To start with you turn your “Open to Work” on through the “Open to” button on your main page. From there, you choose who sees it.

Your first choice, that big green banner goes up for all to see when you choose "All LinkedIn Members." This is a great option because you might have people in your network who aren't recruiters and know of a job opening, or recruiter who don't have LinkedIn Recruiter can see it. The downside of course is if you're discreetly looking, discreet just went out the window. Your other option is "Recruiters Only" and then only people with LinkedIn Recruiter will see it, and it pops up plain as day when we look you up there. The downside is that not every recruiter has LI Recruiter and you're limiting your reach.

Optimize your profile. This is huge in allowing recruiters to search for you. It’s important to see "Project Manager" or "Software Engineer" in your headline if that’s the job you want. I have never been handed a requisition for a change agent, lifelong learner, chaos coordinator or servant leader. They brief well but don’t tell us what you do, forget the fluff.

You can’t have eight different (current) job titles. Well, you can. But how many job requisitions have you seen that are looking for a logistician/recruiter/HR manager/project manager/marketer? What do you do? You have to be targeted in what you’re looking for. Your summary is big and it's what makes you unique. Depending on if a recruiter is looking at you in mobile or desktop, they're either going to see 1 line or a few so make them count.

Your job experience is your LinkedIn resume. (In fact, we can pull this over into a resume!) This shows your qualifications to anyone looking at your profile, from the recruiter, sourcers or the hiring manager. List years of experience ACCURATELY. Not only is this one of the search filters we use on LinkedIn Recruiter, but it’s common for many jobs to have a requirement for xx amount of years in a role.?Don't leave it blank for your current role either, keep it updated and add to it as you go, much like you would your resume.

Now that your seeds are planted in properly composted soil in an area that gets a decent amount of sun, they’ll grow. And the recruiters will arrive with their phone calls and reach outs.

Next up, is networking. Your network is your net worth, right??Of note, networking is most effective BEFORE you see the job you want to apply to, it does little good if you try to network for a job that you just saw pop up as it takes a while to build a true relationship and sometimes jobs are up only a few weeks.

To build your network, you can go to job fairs and get involved with groups that share common interests. This can quickly grow your network. You can also reach out to people in fields or companies you want to work for. I recommend finding commonalities when reaching out, like using past companies (which is also a search option), or location.?

Once you’ve established connections, ask to learn more about their company and what they do (informational interviews) or even just a virtual coffee. Building true connections with people can go a long way. Don’t ask for anything beyond that. If they want your resume, they’ll ask. If they know of an open job there, they’ll mention it.?

Networking with recruiters/sourcers is a whole different ball game. Our job is to find people to fill the jobs we have, not to find a job for everyone. If the two line up though, this is awesome. Many recruiters will connect with anyone, because us having a strong network enables us to more effectively do our job, and we're generally pretty sociable. I’m all about connecting for future opportunities and growing my network! However, if you want to connect about a certain job, specificity is best. Something along the lines of “Hi, I applied for Job ID 12345678 and I wanted to talk to you about it if you had a chance. I’m a good candidate for xyzzy reason.” At that point, we know why you check the blocks (Basic Qualifications) and which job you apply to. This will stand out well above the dozen messages we get a day saying “I’m looking for a job”.?

As you've grown your network, maintain it. Comment on their posts, engage with them, like their stuff. Not everyone will become your best friend for life and that's ok. But as you engage, you will probably meet some quality connections that turn into friends, advisors and coworkers. Now that your network is built, this is when you can start asking for a referral. It’s 99% too late when you see the job to create a friend and say "oh by the way, can you refer me?" This is a long game.?

And lastly, APPLY, APPLY, APPLY. Yes, it works.

This is big. I know, there’s studies and stats out there to tell you that the only way to get a job is to network. I’m saying bologna. As recruiters, we want to see qualified candidates applying to all our jobs. So, apply to jobs that you’re 1) qualified for and 2) interested in. When you’re just applying to jobs that you're a perfect fit for (here’s the but, and it’s a big one), you need to be qualified and your resume has to demonstrate that using quantifiable data.?

Why?

We live in this (mostly) remote world, so people are applying to a company based in Seattle, WA while living in Kalamazoo, MI, Piscataway, NJ, Galveston, TX and everywhere in between. The candidate pool is much greater than ever before. LinkedIn has easy apply, ATS’ automatically scan your resume and fill in your application. Sometimes. Sort of. If you’re lucky. So all these factors mean you might be competing against hundreds of candidates.?

Standing out against these hundreds of candidates means you should check the blocks. Basic Qualifications are what the hiring manager needs you to have. Preferred Qualifications are what the hiring manager would like you to have. Make sure it’s clear to the entire hiring team that you are the right fit. Tailor your resume to the job description. This doesn’t mean copy pasta line by line. This means looking at the basic quals and the duties, then clearly articulating your skills to match what we’re looking for.

No matter what, be qualified. Networking, a killer resume, or a super optimized profile that brings all the recruiters knocking is only a foot in the door. It's not opening if you’re not qualified.?