5 powerful ways to Use LinkedIn to Get a Job.

Almost everyone has a social media account nowadays, from Facebook, and Instagram to Twitter everyone is signed up to at least 2 social media accounts. Joining this team, LinkedIn has since seen its user base grow, especially in Africa. We have noticed two things about LinkedIn activity in Africa, usually, most people just join the platform and just leave. They are not active on the platform and some use it as a platform just to highlight their career achievements, with no end goal at all insight.

Well, you have been using LinkedIn wrong, you can do so much more for your career with the platform. Used strategically LinkedIn can help you gain the attention of the companies you would like to work for. In this article, we look at how you can use LinkedIn to further your career prospects.

Set a target list of companies

Having a target list of the companies you are interested to work for is very important when using LinkedIn. Remember we are not just throwing a stone into the dark here. We have set goals we want to achieve. We want to land our dream job, hence having a list of the companies you are going for is very important. So, what you do here is identify a specific industry you are interested in joining, for instance, IT. You can use specific filters in your search, to look for the position you want, an example is maybe a digital marketer.

What you then do is search for the digital marketers that work for the company you are going for and connect with them. Ultimately, the main purpose of this exercise is to network with those people. Get to know the individuals, and enquire about their work and how they got to where they are so that you can use it for yourself.

Keep your profile updated

This goes without saying, you must always keep your LinkedIn profile up to date. This means uploading a profile picture on your page. Furthermore, you must also add the skills you have to beef up your profile. LinkedIn members with profile pictures and skills added to their profile are 13 times more likely to get their page viewed and noticed by potential employers. Regularly update your profile to meet the demands of the job market you are in to increase your chances of getting noticed by recruiters.

Have a specific role you want to work in

Some people join LinkedIn to look for jobs, and to use the platform as a job board. That is good if you have a target role. Most people just go on LinkedIn to just find a job, doesn’t matter what job as long as they get employed. That is not the right way to do it. Make sure that your profile is specialized to a certain role. Specialization is the key to getting hired. Most companies are looking for people who are the best for a specific role, not just those people who are good at everything. Having a specific role in mind will help you connect with the right people who might be essential for your career development.

Identify the recruiters for the job you want

Identifying the people responsible for recruitment is very important. This will give you a chance to get to know them and to check the jobs they are advertising. The advantages of identifying recruiters are apparent the main question is how do you do it? It is quite simple to identify the recruiters of companies. 

If you are a student, you can search for university recruiters for the company you would like to work for. After finding them look at their activities. Check when they are recruiting and what positions are they recruiting for. You can also search for the recruiter by specific function. An example is maybe you want to work in the marketing department. You search “marketing recruiter” and filter for the companies you want to work for. Some companies use one recruiter for every department which makes your search easier.

Do not be a wallflower, be social

Like any other social media channel, in order to get noticed, you need to get active. Be active, post articles you write, and videos as well as any career updates you might have. Also, get involved with professional groups and interact with others on LinkedIn. Ultimately, the more you post and interact with people the more you get noticed and recognized by important individuals.

In conclusion, this is just the tip of the iceberg. You can do more to optimize your LinkedIn to get great jobs faster.

Key Takeaways

• Set a target list of companies you want to work for.
• Keep your profile updated all the time.
• Specialization is key, have a specific role you want to work in.
• Identify the recruiters for the job you want to have
• Do not be a wallflower, be social and active on the platform