How to Use LinkedIn When Unemployed?
The days of a resume only being enough to secure a job are long gone. 94% of recruiters for instance, capitalize on LinkedIn as a verification avenue to assess potential recruits. If it is a bigger job in the offing, you can be sure that the recruiter will not only consider LinkedIn, but also carefully analyze your entire online footprint to determine your suitability.
When unemployed, therefore, it is paramount to continue polishing your online image to elevate your professional appeal and LinkedIn, being the default social site for professionals, should be your main priority. It has brought the element of borderless digital interaction into the human resources industry, and it is one of the topmost platforms that connects employers to talent pools. If you are unemployed and you are wondering how to leverage this great tool to land your next gig, read on.
Build an excellent profile
Think of your LinkedIn profile as a representation of who you are and what you have to offer. It is what a hirer will use to determine if you are worthy not only of the job opportunity, but also of their time. Therefore, your profile must be unique and up to par.
This is better said than done, but the good thing is that there are a lot of online guides on how to build a killer profile. In fact, if you signup afresh to LinkedIn, you can take advantage of the site’s native guide to get an idea of how to go about it. Throughout this article, you will learn additional tips on how you can best format your profile to boost your chances of getting employed.
Do not make it obvious that you are unemployed
Those who are employed and looking for new opportunities have a higher probability of getting a job compared to those who are out in the cold. Therefore, it is crucial to format your profile in a way that intimates your intention of locating new opportunities, without pointing out that you are jobless.
Format your title to read something like “looking for a new opportunity in millennial content production” depending on your area of expertise. This way, your current state of unemployment ceases to be a factor.
Mask periods of joblessness
If you have been unemployed for long periods, you can make it less stark by how you format your experience section. Rather than use precise dates to indicate previous undertaken gigs, just state the years and you will successfully mask many months of unemployment.
Highlight volunteer work
A penchant for volunteering is important to the majority of recruiters. It states your willingness to support a bigger cause and to help others, regardless of remuneration. From a hirers perspective, it means that you will do your best to accomplish tasks that you believe in even when the pay is not reflective.
More than that, volunteering underscores your experience which is another big employment factor. If you are currently jobless, volunteer at a non-profit, a startup you believe in, do social work, etc., but by all means, do not entertain idleness.
Use a professional profile picture
Use a professional headshot as a profile picture. Avoid selfies, and fancy, casual pictures. Profiles with professional profile pictures get over 10 times more traffic. If you wish to be more unique, take the shot in your native work environment. It will give your claims of expertise more substance.
Use keywords
When it comes to jobs, LinkedIn is like a mini search engine which means that keywords matter. The right keywords will increase your visibility to recruiters. Thus, identify the search phrases recruiters are likely to use when looking for professionals in your niche and spread them naturally in your profile. Be careful not to overdo it.
Most marketable skills first
Only your first three skills will show, and only if a recruiter’s interest is piqued will he/she click on the show more button. In this light, research and find out the most marketable skills in your sector that hirers are interested in and state them first. As a result, you will be able to bait recruiters into sticking around your profile for longer.
Avoid buzzwords and show your personality
Assume a recruiter’s viewpoint and imagine scouring hundreds of profiles using the same buzzwords such as self-driven, able to work with minimal supervision, etc. Thus, be more creative with words to put across your value proposition in an interesting manner.
While at it, ensure that the recruiter will get a clear idea of your personality given your LinkedIn footprint – not only from your profile, but also from your updates, the groups you are active in and published content.
There is a lot more to expertly using LinkedIn to land your next gig than this article can cover. To this end, capitalize on the resources on bitgale.com and other authoritative sites to stay ahead of the curve. Above all, keep your profile updated.