OPENTOWORK right or wrong?

There has been a lot of discussion on the use of the #OpenToWork logo to be added to your profile picture on LinkedIn. Some people saying it is a good idea and others are saying it is selling yourself short, but either way, what you do need to do is have a decent LinkedIn profile.

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I keep coming across veterans or those leaving the forces whose LinkedIn profiles are very poor and/or incomplete and even if you have the Green Banner alongside your picture, it will not help you very much in finding that dream or sought after role.

So, even before you put the banner up on your profile, you need to complete your profile and start filling in the gaps.

Think of this profile as a shop window on you, and that includes what you are looking for, where you want to go. You can do this very easily and quickly.

One of the first boxes you have when you have put up the basic info is the ABOUT section. In here you can describe yourself, and what sort or role you are looking for. You have 2,600 characters available here which if used wisely, can have an impact.

Then EXPERIENCE section comes up next, and the number of profiles I have come across with very basic information, i.e. HM Forces, British Army, 1995 – Present, and nothing else. This is where you can put down what you have done, your achievements etc, and you can actually break this down into separate roles within the time you have spent in the forces. A good rule of thumb, your profile on LinkedIn should look very similar to your CV, but please make sure that you try and get rid of as much of the military jargon you can. You can also add any roles you had prior to the military as well, as this can show you have something more to give.

Next is EDUCATION and this is a very useful section, as this is where you can list any qualifications you have got and where you have got them, making sure that you list the highest qualification first, and if you are an older guy like myself and I used a slate and chalk instead of pencil and pen, the fact that you have a few GCSE/O ’levels back in the day may not be all that relevant, especially if you have a degree or similar

The next box down is LICENCES & CERTIFICATIONS which is again very useful, so if you have CMI or you are a Chartered Engineer, this is where you can show it, as well as any other licences and certs you have picked up along the way.

The final box on the profile is SKILLS section, which you can select up to, I think, about 50 of them, and these can be searchable, and you can link them back to where you picked up that skill in your career. Also, if you can get your colleagues to endorse the skills you have selected that also adds meat to the bone to show you have some skills already in place but try and select ones useful in the civilian sector.

So an easy rule of thumb, when you look at your profile and you are still not happy with it, have a look at someone else’s and see how they have completed their profile and try and learn from them, because if your LinkedIn profile says nothing about you, and then you send your CV to companies/individuals, chances are they will go to LinkedIn to see if you are listed, and if the information does not match your CV or they see just a very basic profile they may well be put off. At the same time, remember OpSec, because you don’t know who is out there and what information they could glean.

So, to go back to the original questions, #OpenToWork banner on your profile, I would say yes, you need to use every tool in the box to get your next role, but that is just a very basic tool if you don’t complete your profile to the best of your ability then you have wasted a trick.

If you need any more advice, support or information, please feel free to reach out to us here at Ex-Mil Recruitment Ltd.