Understanding Four Major Ways To Look for a Position

Printed Page 393-396

Understanding Four Major Ways To Look for a Position

Once you have done your planning, you can start to look for a position. There are four major ways to find a job.

Using LinkedIn’s Employment Features

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In 2013, 77 percent of employers used social media to recruit. Among those employers, 94 percent said they used LinkedIn (Society for Human Resource Management, 2013). The following five guidelines can help you take advantage of the employment features on the world’s most influential networking site for professionals.

  • Use the profile section fully. The profile section includes information from your résumé, but unlike a résumé, which needs to be concise and contains only words, the profile section can include any kind of digital file, such as presentation slides or videos. Describe your education and professional jobs in detail; remember that the keywords in your descriptions will enable potential employers to find you as they search for employees. If you add “skills” to your profile, others have an opportunity to “endorse” those skills, adding credibility to your profile.
  • Include a picture. A picture increases by sevenfold the chances that a reader will read your profile (Halzack, 2013).
  • Post updates. Post information about interesting articles you have read, conferences you are attending, and other professional activities. Be generous in praising co-workers and others you follow on the Internet. Mention your volunteer activities. Nicole Williams, a career expert at LinkedIn, writes that posting an update once a week makes you 10 times more likely to have your profile viewed by a hiring manager (Halzack, 2013).
  • Write unique invitation requests. You can ask one of your connections to introduce you to someone who is not one of your connections. In doing so, explain why you want to be introduced (“I plan to relocate to Bill’s city later this year and want to describe the services I offer”), give your connection the opportunity to say no gracefully (“Would you be willing to help me make this introduction? If not, I understand”), and thank your connection (“I really appreciate your taking the time to consider my request”).
  • Write unique invitations to connect. When you want to connect with another LinkedIn member, especially one whom you do not know well in person, avoid the template invitation, “I’d like to add you to my professional network.” Explain how you know the other person: “As a fellow Aggie who’s admired your company’s strategy for some time, I’d like to connect.”