Get Linkedin to tap into the hidden jobmarket
Linkedin has become THE online career management tool for professionals with an estimated one third of the world’s accessible professionals having a Linkedin profile. You can tap into the hidden job market by developing and expanding your professional networks online. Your personal network of professionals can recommend you for job openings and connect you with potential employers based on your shared interests, memberships, specialisations, backgrounds and experience. Go to http://www.linkedin.com/ if you haven’t already created a profile and follow the tips below.
Set your goals –You need to market your accomplishment and outline your future aspirations. Use the headline under your name to reflect your career goals.
Seek peer recommendations – Employers value peer recommendations from trusted professionals.
Use key words - Recruiters will search based on key terms. Make sure that the language is achievement-oriented, specific and incorporates terms relevant to your field and expertise.
Inject some personality – it doesn’t have to be too formal. Give your profile some personality, write in the first person and share your interests and goals. Warning: manage your online brand – potential employers are not Facebook friends.
Seek out new contacts and groups – Don’t wait for an invitation, actively seek new connections with groups and individuals to raise your profile and expand your networks.
Use the LinkedIn tools – Consider embedding blogs, files (e.g. resume), presentations and integrate your profile with your Twitter account. Stay up-to-date with new features so that you take full advantage of new developments in this technology (e.g. skills feature under the ‘More’ tab and the new profile sections designed to highlight university achievements).
Follow companies – Search for companies that you are interested in to receive updates that might give you the edge when job seeking.
LinkedIn Job portal for students and graduates – If you haven’t been there then you could be missing out on your dream job or internship!
More on job seeking at http://www.deakin.edu.au/studentlife/careers/
Jo Wekwerth
Careers and Employment Officer
Deakin University
