7 Simple ways to use LinkedIn to find your next job

Earlier this week I was asked to contribute some advice to a women who had this question:

"I'm 50, I've been made redundant, is this it for me? Will I ever find work again?"

I also spoke to another woman who would like to return to work after ten years out. In both cases, my first question was:

"Are you on LinkedIn?"

It's not so much that the answer is usually "No" or, at best "Yes but I don't really use it," it's the look of horror on their faces as they contemplate the prospect.

Well, strap your boots on people because if you're serious about getting a job you need to get serious about LinkedIn. Happily, it's very easy if you know how. Here are seven simple steps that I guarantee will help you on the way:

Be "findable": make sure your profile is complete.

Give yourself a meaningful title. Meaningful to recruiters or hiring managers, not just yourself. "Account director", "Lawyer", "Marketing manager" are not very helpful. At least tell us what sector, practice area or industry.

Use a professional photo - as my good friend Steph often says, you wouldn't buy a house without at least seeing a photo.

About should bring you to life and you must make sure you highlight your key skills and experience. More tips can be found here but here are 3 highlights

1. You can edit your public profile & url so that it looks like you rather than a string of letters
2. You can turn your profile visibility "off" so that you are in private mode when you are viewing other people's profiles (which you may want to do from time to time)
3. Conversely, when you want to let people know you have changed your own profile or hit the news in some way, you may want to turn "on" the notification so that your connections know. It's a nice way of starting a dialogue.

Be open to opportunities

Literally. When you go on your profile it's possible to click on an option that says you are open to opportunities. And if you don't want the world to know, you can choose to make this visible purely to recruiters - option 2 below.

Find jobs and edit your profile to match.

LinkedIn isn't just full of people, it's also full of jobs. Say there's a job you think you might be able to do but you're not sure exactly what's involved. Do a search for the job and you'll see a list of roles currently being advertised. Click on a couple to see the skills and experience required,

Not only will this help you work out whether it's for you, you will also be able to make sure you highlight the relevant skills and experience in your own CV and on your profile.

I wanted to know more about what was involved in "Policy wording" recently so I did exactly that. I'm now an expert. I don't possess the right skills myself but I know plenty of others who do.

Be a Follower

Ok, you've been out of your industry for a while and you'd like to return. You want to get up to speed with the latest goings on, trends, developments. Who are the big hitters in your area of expertise? Who is creating interesting content? Which companies are making waves?

Follow those individuals and companies on LinkedIn. Read what they are sharing (once you follow them their content will start to appear in your feed). Set yourself a set time each week for your research. You'll be surprised how much you'll learn. And better still, once you secure an interview, you'll have something to say.

(Re)Grow your Network

You are five times more likely to find work through your network (AKA people you know) than through a recruiter. So reconnect with the people you used to work with - colleagues, clients, friends - most of them will be on LinkedIn. It's totally normal now for people to be asked to connect here so don't be shy.

Once you're connected, you can send direct messages. Say hello, tell people you're looking to return. Whilst I wouldn't recommend asking people for a job directly, I definitely would recommend reaching out to people you know reasonably well and asking for advice. The more specific and time bound the better.

"Would you be able to spend 20 minutes giving me some feedback on my CV?" or "I'd love to hear what's been going on at X Ltd whilst I've been away, if you have half an hour to spare?"

Be Proactive

At the very least set up alerts to receive notifications when relevant jobs are posted onto the site.

More than that, though, be pro-active. Which organisations would you like to work for? Who is hiring there? Follow them. This may sound like stalking but, trust me, it's perfectly above board and it works. If you comment on what they're sharing they will begin to recognise your name and are more likely to accept a connection down the line.

Alternatively, go on their LinkedIn profile to see if you have any connections in common. Do you know someone who can make an introduction?

Be There

When anyone views your LinkedIn profile, they will also see your activity in the last 90 days. Here's mine,

And here's an example of what you see if someone hasn't been active at all

Nothing to see here. Not very compelling is it?

There you go. No excuses. It's not difficult and you never know, you might even enjoy the experience. It will definitely get you closer to your next job.

Good luck and please do share your success stories.

PS for lawyers looking to reignite careers in 2022, we're running a free workshop with a panel of women who have returned to law on 24th Feb. Register here .