Are These LinkedIn Problems Affecting Your Job Search

Are These LinkedIn Problems Affecting Your Job Search Frustrated with your LinkedIn results? Does any of this sound familiar? You send LinkedIn messages to others, but they don’t respond You’ve filled in your LinkedIn Profile, but you’re not sure it represents you or your brand You see a stream of Congratulations messages for others (whove landed jobs that should go to you) Take a look at these common dilemmas and resolutions: 1 You put in the minimum effort when writing your LinkedIn Profile. And boy, does it show. If your Profile contains only job titles and a mere mention of your degree, you’re shortchanging yourself! If you’re not sure where to start, give each of your jobs a description of duties, skills, and achievements. (This alone will bring more traffic to your Profile, based on the keyword density of the data you add). Then, venture into the Summary section and write a short recap of your strengths and career trajectory. If you’re feeling particularly brave, add several sentences on what motivates you professionally and what others appreciate about your capabilities. You’ll also want to use a LinkedIn photo that represents your professional persona, with the same smile (and attire) you’d wear to an interview. Get even MORE serious and use rich media in your Profile by adding video, documents, or links to your Summary or individual jobs. You’ll gain more visual interest with a thumbnail image that’s likely to be clicked on. Voila! Your Profile will now draw more attention, fresh Connection requests, and perhaps even more inquiries from prospective employers. 2 You applied a “set it and forget it” philosophy. Just because you wrote it doesn’t mean others will come! After following the suggestions in point #1, you’ll still need to tweak your LinkedIn Profile for the occasional boost in readership and engagement. For example, you can add more of your core skills (either in the Skills Expertise section or the Summary), changing up the list from time to time. You might try injecting a  note on what engages you professionally  the Interests section. To top it off, switching up your LinkedIn Headline can garner some serious visibility â€" even if you don’t make the changes obvious. Try putting in a core skill (Manufacturing IT, Sales Training, Marketing Collateral, etc.) or a note on your education (MBA, INSEAD Training, Six Sigma, etc.) and see what happens. 3 â€" You’ve never proactively used LinkedIn while job searching. A successful social media strategy requires you to engage on a regular basis with others. Even if you’re not feeling particularly “social,” failing to reach out to others on LinkedIn can be a grave mistake. Researching company contacts, job openings, or networking leads is one of the main benefits of LinkedIn. You can contact a hiring manager with a short message of interest, review the background of others in your field, or maintain connections with thought leaders in your industry â€" all steps you should be taking if you’re serious about finding a great opportunity. Take a minute after applying to a hot job for hunting down the hiring manager or HR recruiter on LinkedIn, then shoot over a summary version of your qualifications and ask for their consideration. Scan the Profiles of other candidates in your field (a must, according to this article on important LinkedIn changes) to see how your credentials stack up against the competition. Most importantly, aim to initiate real conversations by contacting former colleagues, industry leaders, and potential new connections on a regular basis. To summarize, actively pursuing your dream job requires MORE than just sitting and waiting to be discovered!   Take the time to adjust and refine your LinkedIn strategy, while reaching out to others â€" and you could be celebrating a new job offer in short order. Need a competitive edge in your job search? As an award-winning executive resume writer, I create branded, powerful resumes and LinkedIn Profiles that position you as the #1 candidate. My clients win interviews and top C-suite, EVP, VP, and Director positions at Fortune 500 firms, niche companies, start-ups, and emerging industry leaders, using powerhouse documents and executive job search techniques tailored to todays job market. Get in touch with me  to experience the outstanding results I can bring to your transition. Laura Smith-Proulx, CCMC, CPRW, CPBA, TCCS, COPNS, CIC, CTTCC