Using LinkedIn to get a job in Sport...

If used correctly, LinkedIn could be a very valuable tool that helps you get the job you want.

I personally use LinkedIn on a daily basis and I think it is a great platform to be part of if you are looking to get a job within sport. Also, if you already have a job in sport it can be a great way to network, find new contacts and learn from others.

In this article I am going to run you through a few different aspects of LinkedIn and explain how I think they can be a benefit to you, in your professional career.

You probably have a CV, that gets sent in when you apply for a job but your LinkedIn account can act as your professional, online profile, that can show off your interests, previous work and allow you to exchange messages with other people in the industry.

I’ve mentioned in previous videos and articles about the power of networking so make sure you check out all the other content on my YouTube channel.

Ok... Firstly, I am going to mention your profile and the content that you include.

You should have:

• A professional looking photo (head-shot, plain background)
• A current job title. If you aren't at a club you can include 'video analyst' or 'football coach'. Also there is nothing wrong with including the fact you are a student.
• History of previous jobs and experience. Break down the roles and responsibilities that you had at each.
• Featured content. Feature some of your work, your blog, youtube channel etc.
• Skills along with recommendations and endorsements from any previous colleagues or university staff.

So that was a quick overview of what your profile can include and so once that has been done, you will want to start connecting with people in your industry who are in the type of jobs that you want. If you want to connect with other analysts for example, or football coach, you can literally just type that in the search bar and LinkedIn will give you a list of people that have that job role.

It will also let you know if you have connections in common which can be a great icebreaker if you are sending someone a message.

When you have connected with people, you will start to see their content on your feed but there are other ways to fill your feed up with relevant content and that is via groups, following companies, and also following hashtags.

You can:

• Follow companies that you find interesting. This way, each time they post an update, you will see it in your feed.
• Join groups. There are groups that are dedicated to 'performance analysis' or 'football coaching' for example. Request to join and you will then be part of a community with likeminded professionals. Interact and connect.
• Follow hashtags. This is similar to Twitter. If you follow a certain hashtag, you will see any mention of it in your feed, even if you are not connected to the person that put the post out.

Once you have your profile nailed down and you are connected to and following the things that interest you, it is probably time for you to put out some content of your own and interact with others.

This includes liking content that you see on your feed, and commenting on it too. Maybe you have a question to ask about the content itself, or you have done something similar in the past. You are free to leave a polite comment and interact with the person that put that content out. You obviously don’t have to do this for everything you see but when you do do it, you will be getting noticed by others. That said, don’t just like everything and leave pointless comments, as that is annoying. Try to add value if you are commenting, or share a relevant opinion.

When it comes to publishing your own content, you can use this to share work that you are doing. If you have watched my previous videos or read my articles you will know that I value a portfolio of work and so your LinkedIn account can be a great vehicle to share this portfolio to others within the industry to help you get noticed. It is quite likely that other people with similar interests will find value from it. You can ask for opinions, share videos, infographics, pictures, all while interacting and connecting with other like-minded people.

So after creating your profile, following the content you want and interacting and sharing, you may then want to message others. This could be other people at a similar stage to your in their career, people you have interacted with already (via content) or it could be a a more senior person that you wish to reach out to ask a question.

Whoever it is, be polite and don’t ask the world.

Check out their profile and refer to something on there. Maybe you liked a piece of work or content that they put out? You can mention that in your message.

I’ve had messages that literally say “Hi mate, any jobs?”..... Come on, surely you can do better than that...

Don’t just say what you want. What could you offer in return? Maybe don’t even start with asking for work experience to be honest. You could just ask for a bit of advice. It would be more likely to get a reply, I think, and you can keep experience open for further down the line.

I would be interested to hear about your success rate in getting replies from LinkedIn messages. Obviously everyone is different and people are busy but, it only takes a minute or two to send a quick reply. I do try to reply to all mine that reach out for jobs, experience or advice as I remember being in that same situation and know how hard it can be.

Ok, so, once you have done that you will hopefully be able to get more from LinkedIn and start to build meaningful connections and relationships. If you aren’t already, you can connect with me on there too, and say hi.

If you enjoyed this article, I actually have a video version of it along with loads of other useful videos if you are interesting in working within sport. You can check the video out below and subscribe to the channel so you can catch future content.

Have a great day!