The coronavirus pandemic has brought fear and layoffs swiftly across the county. Information technology roles are more likely to transition to remote work but these roles have not all been spared. There will probably be more competition for openings now than job seekers have seen in their careers. Unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet in marketing yourself if you don’t have the right experience. Let’s focus on what you can control. Your network should always be your first go-to when finding a new job. Hiring managers trust referrals more than any other source of candidates so take advantage of the network you’ve built. You shouldn’t start trying to build your network when you’re looking for a new job, you should continually build your network and turn to it when needed. That’s like holding out on buying a spare tire until you have a flat. If you’ve gone through your network and are still looking, what are some quick fixes you can do to stand out from the crowd? Your LinkedIn profile has to stand out and you need to apply to jobs first.
Your LinkedIn profile is your living and breathing resume. Don’t limit your profile to the company for which you currently work, and avoid including only job titles. Instead, fill in your responsibilities and accomplishments exactly like you would on your resume. If you need some tips about how long your resume should be check out our previous blog. Also, it sets off red flags if your dates of employment or job titles don’t match up. Fill out your skills section. Profiles with at least five skills are messaged up to 31x more. Ask for recommendations. Don’t leave any stone unturned. You’re less searchable with less information so make sure recruiters can find all those acronyms and certifications. A few years ago, LinkedIn added the feature to let recruiters know you’re open to new opportunities. Recruiters will usually search these candidates first. If you haven’t updated this setting LinkedIn can walk you through it.
Profiles with photos are viewed 14x more but use a good one. Don’t know what picture to use? LinkedIn has advice for choosing. You also should add a background banner picture. Don’t be lazy and leave the blue banner. It only takes a few minutes to find a free one and Pixabay is a good resource for free photos. Here are tips for choosing your background banner photo.
According to LinkedIn you’re 4x more likely to hear back about a job application if you apply within the first 10 minutes. Last year LinkedIn added a feature to be notified when companies you select post new jobs. Set up job alerts for companies you want to work for or you think are still hiring. You don’t want to be the 32nd person to apply to a job and never hear back because hiring managers already have candidates in the interview process.
We’re all in new territory now. The ability to interview and train new hires has been disrupted but there are companies still hiring. With so much competition job seekers need to find a way to keep themselves from falling through the cracks. Make sure when recruiters are searching for you, you’ve updated your status to “Open to New Opportunities” and we can find your profile with the keywords that match your experience. Keep your living and breathing resume, aka your LinkedIn profile, up to date and detailed. Set up job alerts so when you do see that perfect job, you’re first in line.
