Careers coach Penny Strutton is writing a weekly column for This Is Nottingham with advice for job seekers. This week she looks at raising your profile on Linkedin to get found by recruiters...
Good news! Employment is on the rise, there are 50% more jobs being advertised now in comparison to this time last year. It's a perfect time to start reassessing your career and looking around for opportunities that meet your aspirations. We all know that during the recession job seekers had to change the way they approached their job search to stand out from the crowd. However, it's not only job seekers that have had to change, businesses have adapted their approach to recruitment too. The social network Linkedin has risen drastically in popularity and is now becoming one of the most significant methods of recruitment.
I attended an event at Loughborough University last week which was geared to train business and recruitment agents on the benefits of using Linked in to run low cost but effective recruitment campaigns. What does this mean for you, the job seeker?
If you want to be found by companies looking for your skills you need a Linkedin profile, which is up to date and written in a way which sells your skills and experience. Linkedin is a fantastic form of promotion, you can include a whole host of information which gives employers far greater insight into you as a person than a bog standard CV. Most importantly, it allows you to have recommendations from past employers, clients and colleagues which act as references for you. This builds your credibility and makes you more employable to a business looking for your skills!
Linked in is also a great tool for you to use to access company details which meet your own criteria. Only about 70% of jobs are advertised, that means that if you can make contact and develop your profile with companies of interest to you, you might just be the person they turn to when they need yours skills to fill a position. Linkedin allows you to search for companies; it details employees who work for the company, and if in your network, you're able to contact them directly. If they are connected to one of your contacts you can ask for an introduction. Personal approaches are always more effective and being proactive will work in your favour, demonstrating a real commitment and interest in the company and your career.
So, good news for everyone – Linkedin provides an up to date database of companies and candidates, making recruitment easier and cheaper than ever before. If you don't have a profile and need help making it stand out from the crowd, please get in touch or take a look at my online career coaching session "networking and the hidden job market".
Best of luck!
Good news! Employment is on the rise, there are 50% more jobs being advertised now in comparison to this time last year. It's a perfect time to start reassessing your career and looking around for opportunities that meet your aspirations. We all know that during the recession job seekers had to change the way they approached their job search to stand out from the crowd. However, it's not only job seekers that have had to change, businesses have adapted their approach to recruitment too. The social network Linkedin has risen drastically in popularity and is now becoming one of the most significant methods of recruitment.
I attended an event at Loughborough University last week which was geared to train business and recruitment agents on the benefits of using Linked in to run low cost but effective recruitment campaigns. What does this mean for you, the job seeker?
If you want to be found by companies looking for your skills you need a Linkedin profile, which is up to date and written in a way which sells your skills and experience. Linkedin is a fantastic form of promotion, you can include a whole host of information which gives employers far greater insight into you as a person than a bog standard CV. Most importantly, it allows you to have recommendations from past employers, clients and colleagues which act as references for you. This builds your credibility and makes you more employable to a business looking for your skills!
Linked in is also a great tool for you to use to access company details which meet your own criteria. Only about 70% of jobs are advertised, that means that if you can make contact and develop your profile with companies of interest to you, you might just be the person they turn to when they need yours skills to fill a position. Linkedin allows you to search for companies; it details employees who work for the company, and if in your network, you're able to contact them directly. If they are connected to one of your contacts you can ask for an introduction. Personal approaches are always more effective and being proactive will work in your favour, demonstrating a real commitment and interest in the company and your career.
So, good news for everyone – Linkedin provides an up to date database of companies and candidates, making recruitment easier and cheaper than ever before. If you don't have a profile and need help making it stand out from the crowd, please get in touch or take a look at my online career coaching session "networking and the hidden job market".
Best of luck!