Using LinkedIn For your Job Search

The Difference between Today & Yesterday Social Proof is a must! Technology is your guide to a successful job search. Social media allows you to find and reach out to connections, research and follow companies, find job leads, and seek professional advice. 79% of employers will look at an applicants’ online profile prior to hiring.

More than 347 million members in over 200 countries 30% of members in the U.S. geographical area 2+ new members join every second 67% of users = age 25-54 Your competition is likely using it All Fortune 500 companies are registered on LinkedIn - 100% use it for hiring 45% of members are considered major decision makers for their companies 3 million active job listings Completely business focused Network with the right people in the right way Relatively easy to get started AND use LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the internet

Signing up for LinkedIn Complete the form at www.linkedin.com You will need: First name Last name Email address* Password (choose your own password) *A professional email address is the key requirement to establishing your social media profile.

Choose Basic Membership Basic membership allows you to do everything you will need to do for your job search.

Understanding Your Homepage Status: Update this box with messages, photos, and articles to your network. This will make you visible to those that know you. Receive updates from your network, review articles based on your feed and interest, check out jobs you may be interested in, and connect with people you may know. See who’s viewed your profile and posts

Basic Features Search Home My Network Jobs Messaging Notifications Work Me Account Settings Help Center View Profile

Edit Profile Customize your public profile Set Privacy Settings

Be sure your profile is complete and up-to-date Build A Basic Profile Follow the prompts Be sure your profile is complete and up-to-date Headline: should state the job(s) you want and what makes YOU uniquely qualified to fill it.

Create a Headline One of the most important aspects of your profile. This tagline appears below your name and is the only information seen about you when a recruiter scans a list of search results. Grab their attention by summarizing your story clearly and succinctly. Think what makes your skills, experiences, or personality appealing to an employer.

Add Your Photo Must be a professional headshot Profiles with a professional photo receive… 7x more visitors 6x more followers

Add A Summary It’s crucial to write a powerful summary selection. Your summary should included what makes you uniquely qualified for the jobs listed in your headline – briefly (2,000 words or less). Use keywords from job descriptions to weave into your sentences or include in a list of your specialties. Include only facts – and support them with numbers and statistics where you can. *FILL OUT YOUR PROFILE COMPLETELY

Add duties and accomplishments for every job, using keywords and being as brief as possible. Recruiters want to know what you’ve done. These descriptions will contain keywords used by recruiters when searching. Be sure to list all relevant positions and companies. Recruiters will often search for people who have worked for a particular company. It also allows people to search for former colleagues. *FILL OUT YOUR PROFILE COMPLETELY Add Experience

Add Education Put most recent and/or notable education first. Add relevant courses and activities/honors. Add grade and description (if needed). Do not complete education section if you do not have an awarded degree (i.e. certificate, license, etc.). *FILL OUT YOUR PROFILE COMPLETELY

Featured Skills & Endorsements Add up to 50 skills Show and/or Hide all or selected endorsements

You can decide to make endorsements visible or not Featured Skills & Endorsements Delete or change the order of your skills to highlight those you want to be seen first You can decide to make endorsements visible or not

Featured Skills & Endorsements Add new skills to profile suggested by network Manage endorsements

Individuals with Skills on Profile are 13x more likely to have profile viewed

Recommend job seekers, then ask them to reciprocate. Recommendations To many potential employers, a LinkedIn recommendation is a reference in advance. This is one of the most valuable aspects of LinkedIn. Try for at least one from each past company - Aim for at least three recommendations. Prepare people to write about you by sending your resume or bullet points. Recommend job seekers, then ask them to reciprocate.

Request Recommendations You can ask your connections to write a recommendation of your work that you can display on your profile: Navigate to the member's profile page. Click the More icon in the top section of the profile, to the right of the picture. Select Request a recommendation. Fill out the Relationship and Position at the time fields of the recommendations pop-up window, and click Next. You can change the text in the message field, and then click Send. The Recommendations section of your profile is only displayed once you give or receive a recommendation that isn't hidden. Note: You can request a recommendation from up to three connections at once. There's no limit to the total number of recommendations you can request or receive.

Request Recommendations Personalize your request

Add Sections to Increase your Profile Strength Add volunteer experience, honors and awards, organizations, publications or projects, etc. Including direct links

40X MORE LIKELY Users with complete profiles are to receive opportunities

My Network Click Connections > Add Connections

My Network – Making connections 1. Allow LinkedIn to search your email account and invite those you know who are on LinkedIn.

My Network – Making Connections 2. Connect with connections’ connections. Contacts>Connections>Their Connections

My Network – Making Connections 3. “People You May Know” Add connections by clicking “Connect” * “Invite” sends email to those not currently LinkedIn members and asks them to join

My Network – Making Connections Personalize/customize your invitations – LinkedIn members are more likely to accept

My Network – Making Connections Accept Connections

1st connections lead to 2nd and 3rd degree connections Have at least 50 connections or you look like you don’t have friends or don’t know how to use LinkedIn! Your connections should represent your “real world” network. You can utilize them for recommendations and/or ask for inside introductions into a job or opportunity that you are interested in. 1st connections lead to 2nd and 3rd degree connections Your network grows exponentially!!! You can make connections with individuals you don’t already know. Be clear that you can connect on LinkedIn but cannot recommend people you do not know.

Join up to 50 groups Alumni Industry/field Interests Aspirational Join LinkedIn Groups Join up to 50 groups Alumni Industry/field Interests Aspirational Local Job search/Networking

Join LinkedIn Groups Search for groups by name or keyword: In the search box at the top of your LinkedIn homepage, type keywords or group name of interest and click Search. On the search results page, click the Groups tab.

Join LinkedIn Groups Browse groups recommended for you by LinkedIn: Click the Work icon in the top right of your LinkedIn homepage and select Groups from the dropdown. Click Discover at the top of the page to view suggested groups.

Other Benefits of Groups: LinkedIn Groups Other Benefits of Groups: Connect to other group members View Discussions, and join Discussions Access job boards Adjust Group Settings as needed Recruiters will often scan groups looking for good candidates – show them you are one by providing thoughtful answers and comments.

Why? Completing your profile and building your network improves your relevancy ranking so hiring managers and recruiters can find you Many companies are ONLY using LinkedIn to post employment opportunities Resumes serve a very focused purpose and it’s more powerful when it’s very relevant; while LinkedIn profile is general purpose because there are many different reasons why people look you up on LinkedIn People who have heard about you, people who want to connect with you, recruiters searching for potential candidates To learn about you, including where you’ve worked, who you know, skills, education, talks you gave, etc. To establish reasons for them to connect with you, contact you, determine next steps LinkedIn is a place where you can tell your “whole” story and showcase a clear and cohesive picture of your “brand” Update statuses; post interesting articles, thoughts, questions, etc.; follow new people; to maintain your online presence

Job Search Visit the Jobs Tab See Saved and Applied Jobs Search for a job Jobs you may be interested in Fastest growing companies in network

Job Search Search Feature Always use advanced search and enter additional paramaters Save search and receive alerts

Job Search Results See job title, company and if you have someone in your network affiliated with company or you are connected to job poster.

Job Search – View Job Description and Apply You can apply on company website or with LinkedIn Profile

Job Search –Job descriptions can include information about the company, similar job openings, and the job poster/current employees. ***Follow the company…

Job Search – Find connections at company by using “Search” feature. Ask contacts for help… Introduce to decision makers Vouch for capabilities Submit your resume to hiring manager

Follow Companies Find Companies by using Search Bar/Box Click Follow button to learn new hires, recent departures, job postings, current news, etc.

  This product is partially funded by the MoSTEMWINs $19.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. Unless otherwise noted this MoSTEMWINs material by St. Louis Community College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.