How to Find Your Ideal Role on LinkedIn - Leveraging New Job Search Features (2023)

Welcome to all of this week's new subscribers to The Link Tank?? newsletter; my newsletter always focuses on the practical: Real implementable strategies to increase your LinkedIn ROI,?sometimes focusing on the what but?always?focusing on the how!

You are not a job search expert unless you have fully utilised LinkedIn as your job finder! LinkedIn is a powerful tool for discovering the right jobs, improving your candidature through skill assessments & referrals and researching employers & recruiters.

It has recently rolled out and updated its job search features - are you using them?

1. Optimise Profile for Recruiters:

An optimised profile is crucial for inbound recruiter traffic and also job suggestions by LinkedIn. The key is to include prevalent keywords related to the job you seek. For example, a Financial Analyst aspiring to be a Portfolio Manager can include Risk Management in the top card description. Other keywords can become names of the uploaded profile picture and banner. It is important to upload a professional high-resolution profile picture with a neutral background.

A report of LinkedIn shows that users with profile photos receive 20x more profile views.?

Next, add an Open to Work banner to your profile picture & update the Open to Work section in your top card.

Even better- create your own bespoke banner here

2. Add #OpenToWork to your profile

With this feature, you have control of who is able to see that you are ready to take on a new opportunity. You can choose who sees you’re open:

• All LinkedIn Members:?This also includes recruiters and people at your current company. It also adds the #OpenToWork photo frame.
• Recruiters only:?People using LinkedIn Recruiter only. To protect your privacy, LinkedIn take steps to prevent LinkedIn Recruiter users who work at?your current company?from?seeing your shared career interests, but they don't guarantee your privacy so process with care!

3. Match your skills

This feature is currently being rolled out but the Skills Match insight allows you to see which job opportunities are a good fit by comparing your profile with the job description. With this insight, you can quickly evaluate whether you should apply for jobs based on skill fit and potentially save time in your search.

You'll see the number of skills you have that match the job posting's skills requirements. "x of y skills match your profile" will appear with "x" referring to your skills and "y" referring to the number of skills the job requires. Note: Job skills requirements in Skills Match insights can be derived from skills added by the job poster or skills LinkedIn identified in the job description.

Recruiters will know of your “skills match” status when searching for candidates with the Skills match filter.

I would advise to turn on notifications on your phone for the LinkedIn mobile app to receive instant notifications for jobs that match your skills ??

4. Create Job Alerts:

After your profile is optimised, LinkedIn will adjust its job recommendations to match your profile description. Whenever you explore a job, you can switch on the "similar job" alert on the job page.

Later, you can use the three-dot more icon on the Job Page & select "Job Alerts" to view your list of Job Alerts. Then, you may click on a particular alert and adjust it for daily reminders, notifications & mailers.

To create a job alerts:

• Search for a job on LinkedIn.
• At the top left of the job search results page, switch the?Set alert?toggle to?On?to create a job alert for your current search criteria. You’ll see a popup that says "Job alert" created.
• Note: Switch the toggle to?Off?to turn off the job alert.
• Click?Manage alerts?to select how often you'd like to receive alerts and how'd you like to be notified (email, notification, etc).
• Click?Done.

Is your dream job at a specific company?

To create job alerts for a specific company:

1. Search for the company you’re interested in on the LinkedIn homepage.
2. On the Page, click the?Jobs?tab on the left.
3. Click?Create job alert.
4. Complete the required fields and click?Create job alert.

5. Maximise Your Network

When looking for a job, you already have certain organisations and roles in mind.?Consequently, it is useful to grow your network in the target organisation, industry & relevant recruiters on LinkedIn. You can identify the right connections by following Company Pages, relevant hashtags & LinkedIn influencers, joining the industry or domain-specific groups and subscribing to complimentary newsletters.

6. Use Advanced Filters & Features:

A regular LinkedIn job search can be upgraded to a targeted job search with the use of advanced filters in the Search Tab. You can now click on the filter icon under the search tab after it generates results and prescribe the nature of the job (remote/hybrid/onsite), experience level, location, company etc. You can also sort the jobs based on relevance or the date of the job posting.

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Have you spotted new filters such as :

• Jobs that need eco-friendly "Green skills"?
• Jobs with under 10 applicants
• Jobs within your network?

You can further improve the consistency of your job applications by adjusting "Job Seeking Preferences" in the "Data Privacy" section of your Settings page. By enabling all features in these settings, you can save responses to recruiter questions on LinkedIn Job Pages and also improve your visibility to them.

7. Create Your Personal Services Page:

In some sectors, your experience as an Independent professional may improve your job prospects. If the current trend of your target employers is to hire experts before offering them a permanent role, you can improve your candidature by creating a service page. Go to your Profile Page and edit the "Providing Services" tab under your top card.

While you can edit your services on the App, it is best to create the Services Page on your browser. This way, you get the additional features to upload work samples & get client ratings for your work. A good service page improves your visibility to recruiters who are searching for domain experts.

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8. Take a Skills Quiz:?

In the last few years, LinkedIn has added many Skill Assessments in the verification stages of a job application. The same skill assessments can be accessed through the "Skill Quiz" tab on your Profile Page.

Scroll down until you see the trophy icon and press the "take skill quiz" button to view the entire list of skill assessments available on LinkedIn. Then, select a particular skill & complete the test to earn a Skill badge. You can retake any skill test and try to achieve a top 5% score. A skill badge also improves your job page results. LinkedIn also mentions whether you possess a "preferred skill badge" for a job.

In my opinion, these quizzes offer an efficient and reliable way to showcase your expertise in a specific domain, setting you apart from the competition. Not only do they provide tangible proof of your abilities, but they also help instil confidence in recruiters and hiring managers who are often inundated with numerous applications. By demonstrating your commitment to self-improvement and validating your skills through these quizzes, you are more likely to capture the attention of key decision-makers and, ultimately, secure better job opportunities.

Apart from the mentioned features, the following tactics are also helpful in securing visibility with the right recruiters.

●?????Directly connect with "job posters" mentioned on the job page and send them a personalised invite that can also act as a cover letter for your job application.

●?????Get Referred with “Hiring in Your Network”

This feature enables job seekers to tap into their network to learn about job opportunities and increase their chances of getting hired. LinkedIn proactively notifies when people in their network are hiring.

●?????EnableCreator mode on your profile and actively host LinkedIn Events and Audio Events to add personality and improve engagement with your network, especially industry peers and active recruiters.

9. Personalised Job Collections

The last couple of years has materially changed the way people look for a new job. The platform often hears from professionals that they would like to discover & explore new career opportunities even if they are not actively pursuing another job; and also seen an increase in members who are “casually” exploring job opportunities, especially ones that align more with their values and preferences (e.g. work-life balance, flexible work arrangements, up-skilling and career growth). To help professionals discover what’s possible for them, LinkedIn is testing and showcasing new personalised job collections that don’t require members to articulate their needs in a search box.?

This new capability, now under beta testing, will use AI for analysis, improvement, and expansion of options. Preferences for things like work-life balance, flexible scheduling, skill development, and professional advancement will all be taken into account.

Find your dream job at a cutting-edge company using tools like (Discover your next employment with a startup) and its subheadings (Job listings related to Unicorns, or LI's Top choices)

Jobs with specific geographic requirements, such as "remote," "beach," or "national parks," will be listed.

I would like to also pay homage to the fact that this year LinkedIn has observed a 33% increase in conversations about accessibility and inclusivity in the workplace and has now Standardised Accessibility Job Titles: Members in the accessibility industry can now choose a standardised title in accessibility, such as “accessibility designer” or “accessibility engineer”. Standardised job titles help users get discovered & find opportunities that match their skills.?

10. Share your CV with all recruiters

Job seekers can share their resumes with all recruiters, making it easier for recruiters to find and contact them.

Are you interested in a particular job? Well now, you can tell them!

Job seekers can use this feature to directly indicate their interest in working for a company from its LinkedIn page. The profile and information will be privately shared with recruiters at the company to consider for a role in the future.

LinkedIn has evolved from a mere digital resume to an essential career and networking platform, empowering job seekers and professionals alike.

By optimising your profile, expanding your network, leveraging LinkedIn's job search capabilities, and showcasing your unique value proposition, you can elevate your job search experience to new heights.

So, what are you waiting for? Dive into the bustling world of LinkedIn, tap into its potential, and seize the opportunities that await. Stand out, be memorable, smile and let LinkedIn be the catalyst for your professional success. The future is bright, and your career breakthrough is well within reach.

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I hope that you found these LinkedIn tips and strategies useful. If so, do click on the ?? on my profile to be notified of my new posts and follow?#Trevisan?to see LinkedIn strategy tips in your feed.

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