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LinkedIn is the top professional social networking site with more than 830 million members and 58 million registered companies worldwide. 90% of the recruiters use it regularly and 40% of the active users access it on a daily basis.
An experienced recruiter shares how you can use it to its full potential:
1. Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date.
Consider your LinkedIn profile as your business card and set it up in such a way that it gives a good first impression of you at a glance. Include a professional photo, highlight your current experience and give a good overview of your skills and objectives.
Complete your profile by adding skills. Select keywords using SEO (search engine optimisation) principles, by checking the search results for these keywords in the LinkedIn search bar. Ask (former) colleagues and/or managers for recommendations and give one back in return.
2. Expand your network.
According to the idea of six degrees of separation, all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. There are three different ways to expand your network and reduce the number of degrees of separation:
a) Add connections. The average LinkedIn user has around 500-999 connections so with each new connection, your amount of 2nd and 3rd-degree connections grows exponentially. Also, it is easier to reach out to somebody unknown if you share a connection.
b) Follow companies and organisations you are interested in. To get interesting content and be on top of recent development, follow companies and organizations you are interested in.
c) Join LinkedIn groups. In these groups, you can connect with professionals in the same industry or with similar interests. The best way to start is to bring value to the group and to continue being an added value. You can share interesting content and/or engage with fellow group members. There are more than 2 million groups, so there is always one for you.
3. Be active. Like all social platforms, LinkedIn uses algorithms to 1) prioritize relevant content - the more you like, share and comment, the more detailed information LinkedIn gets on you and your interests - and 2) encourage social engagement - the more you interact, the more interaction you get. In addition, by being more active online, the suggestions you receive on companies, organizations, and groups might be a better match as well.
Always remember to keep it professional and ‘neutral’. LinkedIn is not suitable for sharing your political and ideological ideas unless you are pursuing such a career.
Also, use a recruitment agency. Recruiters operating on a commission basis are highly motivated to extol your virtues and aggressively pitch you to their clients. Get in touch with our experienced team of Talent Acquisition Specialists today, at: applications@trm-international.com
We are here and happy to help with all your recruitment needs, from CV to interview advice.
You can also check out some of our public job opportunities here.