More and more business use the Internet as a marketing tool to reach their clients in the environment they spend much of their time. However, it is not the only use of the Internet for companies. Many employers, as well as recruiters, use it for headhunting purposes. Because people spend so much time today in social networks it is a good place to look for those you need in your company. When we are talking about job search the very first social network that comes to our mind is LinkedIn. We have already written some time ago about how beneficial it is to have an effective LinkedIn profile. Today, we would like to focus on how an effective LinkedIn profile looks like.
Increasing One's Chances
As we have mentioned multiple times before, LinkedIn shouldn't be the only job search tool. In no way we want to say that job seekers don't need to have a resume. LinkedIn isn't sufficient for effective job search, one still needs to have a results-oriented resume. Besides, if you have one it will be much easier to develop a LinkedIn profile. If you know what employers and recruiters are looking for in a resume then it will not be very hard to know what you should include into your LinkedIn profile. But it is important to understand that copy-pasting information from your resume to a profile isn't something recruiters are interested in. This shows nothing but your laziness.
It means you never wanted to spend more time on it, which is not the best characteristic of a candidate. Every recruiter wants to know whether the candidate really wants the job. You will probably agree that hiring someone who is not interested in the job is a very risky thing. And who wants to take the risk if a company can hire a candidate who will demonstrate commitment and interest in the position. Depending on what kind of position you are pursuing tailor your profile to the requirements of the job. If you are targeting a specific company you can make a little research and the findings could be a good foundation for your profile. You could also reach out to someone who is employed in the company you want to work for. It can become a great difference that can grant you the job.
Another thing that is very specific to LinkedIn is your acquaintances. There is an old saying "Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are." You can be a well-qualified professional but if you are not connected to industry professionals or colleagues you might be disqualified. So make sure you connect with those people you know. It is better if you connect to all the people you know. This will give you an opportunity to extend your network significantly. It will be a good idea to search for new contacts by skills - you may be surprised to find people you used to know in the past. To cut the story short, build relationships with people and reach out to new connections.
