WELCOME TO THE HIDDEN JOB MARKET

So you applied to every job you could find on a job portal and received rejection email after rejection email?

Always remember this - 80% of jobs are never advertised and instead filled through networks and referrals.

You might want to think that I’m a poor little student with no relevant connections in the industry what can I do? But that’s where you’re wrong.

Your LinkedIn profile is now more important than your resume.

Organisations and recruiters are increasingly using social recruitment software to digitally headhunt candidates. These days the best way for a company to identify candidates is not to read what you write about yourself on a piece of paper.

Instead, they want social proof and demonstrated skills and LinkedIn is the platform that can provide this to your future employer and make you the ideal candidate for the role you’ve been dreaming of.

But first your LinkedIn profile needs to step up its game.

There are a whole bunch of things you can do to differentiate yourself and attract that employer. If you’d like to have your profile reviewed and have detailed discussion on how to improve it, please click here to set up a discussion with a Professionals Australia expert now.

1. Profile Picture

Profiles with no photographs get ignored.

Profiles with unprofessional photographs get judged adversely.

It’s really easy to crack this. Just have a professional photograph taken which is ideally a mid-frame shot with a blank background.

Wear a formal outfit like a shirt with a collar and be neat and well-groomed for this photograph and that’s it. You’re ready to get started with a perfect picture for a LinkedIn profile that will work to get you closer to the job you want.

2. The Introduction

You can add a headline to your profile. Often professionals add their current designation/role along with the name of the organisation they are working at currently here. If you are currently unemployed and looking for a job, it’s a good idea to add something like, ‘Actively seeking a job in Electrical Engineering’ here.

You must also add a Summary. This gives an introduction to an employer about what you are interested in doing and whether that fits with what they are recruiting for. A good summary talks about your focus area and career aspirations with respect to the next 4 to 5 years of your professional journey.

3. News Feed

This is a great place to show what you are passionate about. In your chosen discipline there will be news articles, industry reports and various opinions published and you can use these to demonstrate not only your knowledge but also your interests, your passions and your point of view on subjects that the employers want to know about.

Don’t shy from publishing your own content on the news feed. Start a blog and write about new innovations and their impact as you see it. The more, the merrier is the strategy to go with on the news feed. Share articles, blogs, videos and any relevant content about the industry you are interested in and try to add your own thoughts and comments wherever you can.

4. Skills & Endorsements

LinkedIn offers this section for you to list down the skills you specialise in and have them endorse by your colleagues and peers.

Remember to select a range of skills starting from your technical skills but certainly not limited only to them. Socio-technical skills like Collaboration and Communication skills are highly valued by employers so remember to add these.

5. Recommendations

This is one of the most effective tools LinkedIn has to offer when it comes to getting social proof about the value you bring to the table for a prospective employer. Try to get as many recommendations as you can on your profile but do remember the following,

  • Recommendations should be from a range of people in your professional network instead of friends and family. If you’re a graduate without much professional experience, you can still get recommendations from your professors and if you worked part-time during university then from your team leaders and/or supervisors.
  • Ensure that the recommendation is not generic but highlights a specific skill like a communication skill or value like work ethics.
  • Target getting 3 to 5 recommendations on your profile and if that’s not possible then two at the very least

If you do these five things right, chances are that you will start seeing a higher traffic to your profile and more views from recruiters and organisations you are seeking.

There are multiple ways to make your profile even more attractive and get you the job you want. For this, we suggest a personalised discussion with one of our senior experts. We offer a LinkedIn Review service for all members of Professionals Australia. So if you’d like to have a detailed discussion about your LinkedIn profile, please click here to set up a discussion with a Professionals Australia expert now.