5 MINUTE JOBSEEKER: 5 LinkedIn Tips for Employed Jobseekers

Tips

By Frances Chavesquestion-mark
You are currently employed but you think that it is time to move on. You have heard recruiters and companies are using LinkedIn to find qualified candidates for their open positions. So how do you use LinkedIn to get that new job without letting your boss or co-workers know you are looking?
There are over 180 million LinkedIn users worldwide.  Being on LinkedIn does not signal that you are looking for a job. Rather, today’s professionals use it to manage their personal brand, network with professional colleagues and stay current with their industry. (If anyone questions your presence on LinkedIn, quote me!)
Take five minutes a day to make LinkedIn work for you. Remember to use your personal computer NOT your work computer.
1)      If it’s not already there, make sure your profile is at 100% complete.
2)      Don’t connect with anyone you don’t want seeing your activity.
3)      Kat Griffen, founder of Corporette.com, recommends viewing other people’s profiles to see what connections they might have in companies where you might want to work.
4)      Join groups in your target industry to identify “hot topics,” get active and position yourself as an expert in your field.
5)      Limit who sees your activity:

  • Go to Settings, then Privacy. You can turn off your activity broadcasts, limit who can see your activity feed, and more.
  • Groups — you can change which joined groups are visible on your profile page by going to Settings, then Groups , then Groups Order and Display, then Member Setting.)

A few minutes on LinkedIn each day can reap real job-search benefits. According to Michael Overell, the first place hiring managers go to find qualified candidates is to internal sources. The second is LinkedIn.

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