LinkedIn is a crucial tool for any job search, including within AtWork
One of the most powerful social media arrows in your job-search quiver is LinkedIn.
It’s estimated that the vast majority of people in the job pool of any given area have a LinkedIn profile. It can help you connect with contacts, network and keep an eye out for job opportunities in a range of fields.
LinkedIn can be a crucial component in your job search, even if you are using a temporary or temp-to-hire staffing agency like AtWork. So keep your presence sober and professional. Save your beer pong photos for Facebook (and even that might not be advisable while looking for a job).
Here are five ways to sharpen your LinkedIn profile and make your page really pop:
1. Join groups: Make sure you are in groups that may be applicable to your career goals and job search. Alumni or professional groups are always winners.
2. Keep it updated: Make sure your job profile is up to date, and include past jobs so it’s a complete record of your employment over the past decade or so. Make sure your education profile is complete, as well as any resume you may share on the site.
3. Maintain portfolios: LinkedIn is a great place to highlight your best work for recruiters. Display ample work samples.
4. Get endorsements: It can be hard to ask, but make sure you have as many endorsements as you can muster. Don’t worry – it’s easier to ask for props when it’s a two-way street. If someone endorses you, endorse them, too.
5. Update your photo: We all get older. Don’t think you are going to fool anyone with that action shot of you shooting hoops 20 years ago.
In keeping with that last recommendation, be sure and keep it real. Embellishment of your resume or exaggeration of your skills is a big no-no. No. 1, it’s simply dishonest. No. 2, somebody who knows your real background might call you out. That’s an embarrassment that could also cause you a shot at a job.
