Below I have outlined 8 ways LinkedIn can help you land an advertised job
Contacting a recruiter – When you see a job advertised through a recruitment agency, LinkedIn can help. You can use LinkedIn to check out, and even get in touch with, the recruiter. You may have mutual connections on LinkedIn, and communication through these mutual connections can warm your initial approach. You may be a member of similar groups on LinkedIn and this can offer an alternative way to contact the recruiter about the job.
Find employees working for the company – When a job is advertised directly by a company, then LinkedIn could help too. Use the search function on LinkedIn to locate employees working with the company. Your quality connections on LinkedIn can enhance your reach. I believe it’s better to have your CV handed to the HR/Hiring Manager by a current employee rather than sending in a cold application.
More focused applications – LinkedIn can help give the edge to your CV or cover letter. Using your network, or accessing professional knowledge on LinkedIn can offer inside information about a company department, their challenges or plans. This information can help you tailor your CV and cover letter to catch the eye of the hiring manager.
Create a CV with a twist – If you are going to stick with a traditional CV, then paste your LinkedIn Profile URL to your CV. Remember to customise your URL – www.linkedin.com/in/paulmullan. This link can draw the hiring manager to your LinkedIn profile. For me, a sharp LinkedIn Profile can offer much more information than a CV.
Find a hiring manager – If you don’t meet the exact criteria for an advertised job, but feel you have something to offer, try to avoid the “send CV to HR” channel. Use LinkedIn to find the details (name/contact) of the Department Manager. Make a direct sales call or email your application to the manager directly.
Substitute for your CV – Try using your LinkedIn Profile as an alternative to your CV. I accept that this can be a risky strategy BUT not if your job search is void of positive results. I believe a strong LinkedIn Profile offers much more information than a CV and that hiring managers will probably spend longer reviewing a LinkedIn profile. This can help differentiate your application and land an interview.
A key selling point – Some organisations value LinkedIn knowledge for certain roles. Strong knowledge of LinkedIn can be viewed positively and lack of knowledge can be viewed negatively. Some examples include – Sales, Marketing, and Recruitment positions. Using LinkedIn as part of your application strategy for these roles could add weight to your application.
Researching a company – LinkedIn Groups and LinkedIn connections can provide valuable information (insight, facts, and opinions) to help you stand out at interview. LinkedIn can help you access information nuggets to give you an edge and to highlight that you went the extra mile with your interview preparation.
Researching an interviewer – Recruiters, and HR professionals, are checking you out online. So why not reverse this. Search for interviewers on LinkedIn. This can provide a valuable insight to the interviewer, and could enhance your interview performance. You can access useful information like – previous work history, previous study, group memberships, and even interests. This information can help you build rapport at interview.
Please post any additional advice in the comments below ….
LinkedIn Training Workshop for Job Seekers/Employees on 6th November @ Bewleys Hotel Dublin
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