How to Use LinkedIn to Apply for Jobs

Summary: LinkedIn is a greatly beneficial resource when applying for jobs if it is done right. Use these tips to make sure you have the best information on your profile.

Are you on LinkedIn yet? You should be. LinkedIn is a great tool to use when keeping up with your industry as well as looking for a new job. Recruiters use LinkedIn to scope out candidates and candidates can use LinkedIn to check out the company and competition.

What do recruiters want to see on a candidate’s profile?

• A summary must have correct grammar, but more importantly, it needs the facts. Fill the summary with high-level details of your experience and career goals. This includes noting what companies you have worked for, the dates you worked there, the titles of your roles, and a quick description of what the title means.
• Make sure everything is clear and cohesive so that a recruiter will understand your “career story” just by reading a few lines on your profile. You want your experiences to build upon each other, showing you are growing on your career path and not moving backward. There may be an experience that needs to be left off in order to make your career path appear stronger.
• Recruiters want to see strong connections from your past jobs. Ask your connections to endorse you on important skills that will help strengthen your career story. You can’t build up your connections in one day, so make sure you are adding them as you go.
• Your profile needs a professional picture. Don’t pick one that you would put on your Facebook page that has you lounging on the beach or with your friends at the bar. A good professional picture is a picture just of you looking polished with a simple smile or expression. Wear a professional outfit similar to something you would wear to the office on a normal day.

If you happen to use LinkedIn to apply for a job, the hiring manager or recruiter will not see everything on your profile. They receive an email that includes your name, the headline beneath your name, your current employment title, past employment job titles, names of college or universities you attended, how many connections you have, how many people have recommended you, and your contact information. Your resume is included only if you opted to upload it or apply it to the application.

The information they receive from a LinkedIn application is fairly brief. The most important details the company receives is your headline and recommendations. From those details, they will weed out candidates to just the most qualified and interesting.

Since they will be receiving your headline, it should include keywords and position titles so that they can immediately and easily see that you are a strong candidate with experience. You must have recommendations if you want to be seriously considered. Ask colleagues, previous employers, and current clients to give you a recommendation on your profile.

Once you have sent off the application, don’t hesitate to follow-up. Call the employer, expressing your interest in the position so that they understand how interested you are in the job.

Do you utilize LinkedIn? Share what you do to maximize your LinkedIn experience with us in the comments below.

To learn more about how to follow-up, read these articles:

• Five Follow-Up Emails Not to Write
• How to Write a Follow-Up Letter after No Response from Employers
• Seven Steps to Cold Calling Follow-Up

Photo: flickr.com