5 Reasons You Should Research Your Job-Seeking Competition on LinkedIn
Think LinkedIn is just a place to gather connections, apply to jobs, or cultivate endorsements?
Think again.
With the increased transparency among professional users on LinkedIn, you can use it to check out the careers and credentials of your competition – gaining valuable insight and even a leg up in your job search.
You can see who’s been promoted or holds a position of interest in a target company—and figure out how they were able to make these career moves.
Here are the best reasons to leverage LinkedIn as a research tool (whether you’re in an active job search or just considering looking around) to gauge your fitness in the job market:
1 – You’ll gain insights applicable to your own career path.
If you’re trying to make a move up the corporate ladder, consider looking at the examples presented by those already working at your desired level. Perhaps they started working in a similar occupation, or earned promotions similar to the ones you’re targeting.
Make note of the career paths and steps that these executives have taken, especially in cases where their background matches yours. You might find, for example, that a change in industry or title isn’t the showstopper you originally thought it would be. (more…)
Writing Your LinkedIn Profile Headline for Searchability & Branding
Like any other announcement, your LinkedIn Profile Headline can deliver a powerful first impression
Using LinkedIn for your job search? You might have assumed, as many others do, that your mere presence on the site is enough to make your Profile findable by employers and recruiters.
However, the key information used in some LinkedIn Profile fields can actually make a huge difference in the way employers become aware of your qualifications.
Specifically, your Headline is prime LinkedIn real estate—critical to the marketing and search optimization methods that might be used by recruiters to locate you when they search for candidates.
Here’s how it works: As a quick identifier, your Headline should be tuned to not only your job level, but your goal, enabling LinkedIn’s internal search engine to do its job more efficiently.
When you first populate your Profile, LinkedIn will ask if you’d prefer to use your current job title as the Headline. Even if you respond with “Yes,” you can (and should) take the time to update your Headline to a branded representation of your job target and value to employers—filling up as many of the 120 characters allowed as possible.
To change your Headline, click on the Profile option at the top of your Home Page, then choose Edit Profile. In the area that lists your name, select Edit to change your Headline.
Consider the following examples when tuning your Headline for greater searchability and relevance to your job goals: (more…)
Why a First-Person LinkedIn Profile Will Help Your Job Search
Trying to attract more traffic to your LinkedIn Profile – and impress employers who drop by to visit?
No matter if you’re in an active job search or just want to be courted for a top career opportunity, you’ll gain a unique advantage by writing your LinkedIn Summary and other sections in first-person.
Why? It helps convey the all-important WIIFM (What’s In It for Me) message that can capture your reader’s attention.
Here’s what happens for ME when YOUR LinkedIn Summary is written in first person:
1 – It engages me on a different level.
There’s something about reading another “results-oriented professional in the xxx industry” paragraph that just leaves me cold. It’s boring and unoriginal.
However, when your profile tells me about your goals, value proposition, or passion, then I sit up a little faster and take more notice. After all, these aspects of your career are personal and unique to you… and no “proven team player” or “experienced professional” is identical to you.
2 – I feel as if you’re speaking directly to me.
Instead of getting the impression that your summary was developed for everyone, I am drawn in when you address ME directly.
Writing in first person forces you to get to the point faster, too. This way, you can tell me why your profile is worth reading and note the salient points in your background.
Online reading is different than reviewing a resume or biography. Social media is designed for engagement and short attention spans. By catering to your online readers, you’re demonstrating a thorough knowledge of social media and its purpose.
While I’m on the subject, let’s not forget that LinkedIn is all about connecting with others to form relationships. Why not remind me that there’s a REAL person (not just a bag of credentials) behind your Profile?
3 – I get the impression that you care about my needs.
A first-person LinkedIn presence allows you to address your target audience, looking them in the eye (so to speak) and asking them where their pain lies.
If you tell me that you’re the solution to my predicament, I’d like to know what you think you can fix, and what you’ve done that has helped others.
All in all, this makes me believe that you care enough to conserve my time, and that you realize my needs (or an employer’s requirements) are important.
So there you have it… reasons why writing your LI profile in first person helps others tune in to your value.
If you’re struggling to get your point across on LinkedIn or other social media, take a few minutes to translate your message into your own original thoughts and convey your passion. You’ll be surprised at the results.
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