How to leverage LinkedIn and build a meaningful career

The pandemic has changed the employment landscape and companies continue to adapt to constant change.? Even with an evolving job market, there are millions of jobs and three people are hired every minute on LinkedIn.? So, to support veterans actively looking for employment, we’ve put together some helpful tips as you think about your next step and prepare to transition.??

Supporting your career search with LinkedIn Premium?

As a veteran, you face a significant transition when leaving the military as you begin looking for a new job – likely in a new location, and often in a new industry.? To help make this a little easier, LinkedIn offers a free one-year Premium Career subscription to eligible veterans.? With access to 16,000+ LinkedIn Learning courses, InMails to reach out to hiring managers and recruiters to grow your network, and exclusive insights on open roles where you might be a fit, it’s easier to navigate your job search with Premium Career.?

Check out opportunities in demand

The world of work is changing. Opportunities are becoming more accessible than ever as more companies embrace? skills-based hiring and remote work options. In fact, remote work jobs have increased 4.5x in the U.S. since the beginning of the pandemic.?

This year, we published our Jobs on the Rise Report to spotlight the fastest-growing jobs and the skills required to land one. Many of the jobs on the list don’t require a four-year degree, and they span a range of functions and industries – healthcare, technology, marketing and sales, just to name a few.? These roles, and the positive trends we’re seeing, mean that there are more opportunities available when you’re planning your upcoming transition from the military.???

Explore jobs based on your current skills?

Building a career isn’t always clear or linear.? For example, if you’re a transitioning veteran and want to make a career pivot, you may not be sure what jobs you’re qualified for based on your experience. With Career Explorer on LinkedIn, you can look at where your skills might transfer to help you find the right next job.? This can help you broaden your search and identify potential growth areas.? We know that as a veteran, you have a diverse set of skills, yet mapping them to jobs isn’t always easy. Career Explorer can help.??

Preparing for your virtual job interview?

In addition to seeing an increase in remote jobs, we’ve also seen a 60% increase in virtual job searches. So, to help you land opportunities in this new virtual world, we’ve introduced several features to support your search:?

• We’ve added a “remote jobs” filter to help support you in looking for remote work in perpetuity.?
• With more interviews taking place virtually, we also created an Interview Prep Assessment to help you practice your interview skills, get AI-powered feedback, or request feedback from your network.?
• Finally, we’ve also added skills assessments to give you the ability to showcase skills proficiency on your LinkedIn profile and to help match you to relevant jobs.??

Leverage your network with #OpenToWork

Our #OpenToWork feature gives military members the option to share their career preferences and indicate they are open to new opportunities, either privately to recruiters or to the broader LinkedIn community through a simple LinkedIn profile photo frame.? Since launching the #OpenToWork photo frame last year, we have seen that members using it are, on average, 40% more likely to receive InMails from recruiters, and 20% more likely to receive messages from the LinkedIn community.? This is great news for military members exploring their next opportunity.??

Understanding the Veteran Employment Journey?

Earlier this year, LinkedIn published the Woman Veteran Opportunity Report and in 2019 the Veteran Opportunity Report to highlight the key challenges that veterans face in their post-service journey.? The information in these reports can also help you during your transition.??

We currently have ~3 million veterans on LinkedIn. LinkedIn can help you connect with hiring managers, other veterans, future colleagues, jobs, and learning opportunities that could help you in the next step of your professional journey. To learn more about LinkedIn’s support to the military community, visit: www.dhirubhai.net/military ??