Landing Your Dream Job How to Use LinkedIn to Your Advantage - Sterling Career Concepts

Landing Your Dream Job How to Use LinkedIn to Your Advantage Landing Your Dream Job: How to Use LinkedIn to Your Advantage Guest post by Jackie Edwards Photo by Nik MacMillan on Unsplash There are currently over 133 million US LinkedIn users with access to around 3 million active job listings on the site. There’s clearly plenty of supply and demand in the online work space but how do you make your profile stand out on such a crowded platform? You are probably aware of how to  employer-proof your social media accounts  but getting your LinkedIn profile just right requires some careful and strategic planning. However, if you get your page set up correctly then you may even find that the perfect employer comes straight to you. How to Build an Effective Profile Be very careful with the language you use on your LinkedIn page. Making your page too generic will just blend it into the background. The word ‘motivated’ is one of the most overused words on the site so make sure you are clever with the vocabulary that you use to sell yourself and show off how unique you are. You can  make your LinkedIn profile powerful  by grabbing attention with a creative headline and an effective summary but you need to  ensure that your page is searchable.  Think about what words you would search for if you were looking for an employee for the type of roles you are attracted to. Employers are Constantly Searching for New Talent A  LinkedIn report published in November 2017  showed that hiring rates are 24.1%  higher than this time last year. As soon as your resume lands in a potential employers inbox, you can be sure that the first thing they will do is check you LinkedIn profile. The unique selling point of the social media platform is its connections, and they really do work both ways. Your new employer can see if you have any mutual connections who can vouch for your skills, while you are able to  virtually network your way to an interview  with just the right person. Job Searching Doesn’t Have to be so Hard LinkedIn is the essential tool for job seekers in today’s working world. It’s not enough to simply have a profile on the site, you need to know enough to be able to ensure you are  using LinkedIn to its full potential. LinkedIn is like a Google for employers and they are always searching for new hires online as it allows them to vet potential candidates quickly and all in one convenient location. Employers are Busy People Getting your page found is only half the battle and in order for employers to stay on your page long enough to see that you are the employee for them, you  need to have the right skills and attributes displayed on your page in an easy to digest way. Recruiters don’t have time to sift through lengthy pieces of text so being concise is really key here. First impressions have never mattered so much and once your new employer has found you, you definitely want them to like what they see.