Using LinkedIn to search for your next job is essential for any professional. Not only is it the largest professional network in the world, recruiters and employers frequently go to LinkedIn first when they begin looking for a new employee. It is not an option to be absent on LinkedIn if you are in a career transition.
There is a real strategy to a LinkedIn jobs search. It is much more than replicating your resume into your profile, although that is important. You have to think like and employer or recruiter. How would they find you? What kinds of experience, skills, and keywords would they search to find someone like you? These are considerations you have to make as you build or fine-tune your
LinkedIn profile.
Profile Optimization is the first step. A fully optimized profile contains these key elements:
- A professional business picture
- An attention grabbing headline
- Full contact information
- A WIIFM (the employer) Summary section
- Examples of your work (i.e...Projects section)
- Full work history filled with appropriate keywords
- Your Group and Interests
It usually takes several hours of work to fully optimize your LinkedIn profile. However, this is an important first step when you begin a LinkedIn jobs search.