LinkedIn: Your Recruiting Stronghold

LinkedIn: Your Recruiting Stronghold


Your entire operation pretty much relies on this professional network platform. It is your home base for everything recruiting. This is where you will primarily recruit from, make valuable contacts, and most likely find your future job. LinkedIn is a professional networking website, similar to Facebook except it is primarily used as an employment oriented online service to recruit and network with other like minded professionals. LinkedIn members also use the site to engage in discussions about work related topics and career opportunities with their companies. Most of the content discussed is related to matters surrounding the economy, the job market and the overall health of the marketplace. You will see how much it will encompass in your day to day work life once you create your profile and start networking!


A. Profile 

Having a solid LinkedIn profile is one way to increase your visibility and open up more opportunities for yourself. Your profile photo is the face of your personal brand and reputation as well. It needs to stand out in a professional way and be prominently expressed so people can recognize who they are speaking with. This is the first thing hiring managers see on your profile page and when they are searching for candidates so it must be a clear high resolution image first and foremost. Secondly, your photo must be professional so your clothing attire must represent what you're trying to express to the world, which is that you care about your success. Smile and have a clean cut presentation all around. Your photo should reflect someone who's well put together, comfortable in their own skin, friendly but should be taken seriously. It's important to relay a message of confidence and knowledge. If you don't take the time and necessary step to portray a good image then the hiring manager will just assume that if you don't really care about your personal appearance your job is probably the last thing you'll care about. After speaking with me in great detail about your profile photo, the final product should exude confidence in your ability to execute and get the job done. This is the image your profile must represent. A hiring manager may not see a college degree on your profile so it's of the utmost importance that everything else on your profile makes a diploma pale in comparison to the overall value you can bring to the table. 


B. Background Image

Along with your profile photo comes a background image, this image should reinforce who you are and visually support the written portions of your profile. It should also communicate your value, skills, and professional identity. LinkedIn is all about branding so with the right visual messaging you can create a lasting first impression. One image you can include is a clean and simple workspace background to give off a professional, disciplined and reserved presentation. Any image that represents career impact and elevation that goes beyond a basic job title is a huge plus. Using a solid colorful background can sometimes make you stand out from the crowd as long as it's done in an elegant way. Make sure that image you choose fits with their required dimensions and it's a high resolution image once uploaded. Your background image is your opportunity to create a positive first impression that matters. Images are often more powerful than words alone so take the time to select a thoughtful image you can reinforce with your personal brand. The image should convey what makes you unique and differentiate you from the sea of other professionals out there. After all words alone may not always be enough to capture the full picture of who you are and what you can offer to the world at large.

C. Resume

You need to make sure your resume reflects a person who pays attention to detail. Hiring managers do not want to see long gaps in resumes. It is key that your resume doesn't have any positions that you did not stay for long or would give your potential employer bad references for whatever reason. Stay cognizant of the fact that your competition has a great looking profile and a strong resume with a college degree. None of that matters as long as you can show your professionalism and your obvious creative effort displayed in full detail. The appearance you give off should be flawless so make sure you pay close attention to every detail when constructing your LinkedIn profile. Employment start dates to when you left your previous job should make sense and you should have a good valid reason why you left. Of course once you have a resume ready you will be able to include your SalaryShark Recruiting Course at the top. This will make you stand out in a big way because it shows the level of commitment on your end that not only did you enroll but you had the follow-thru to complete a serious course from start to finish. Never and I mean absolutely never put the words unemployed or unemployment on your resume. This is by far the kiss of death. Just because you were or still are does not mean it needs to be announced to the world. Nobody needs negative press and neither do you. There's a million reasons you can give a hiring manager if need be that sounds much better than "unemployed"; traveling the world, a short break to spend time with family, Some time for personal growth to figure out what your interests are, learning a new language or new career skills like Recruiting! Lastly, make sure your spelling is up to par, every word must be spelled correctly, double check your work and make sure everything is completely legible. Once you have a great high-quality resume, you may start submitting it to job boards like Indeed.com, ZipRecruiter.com, Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com. All these things done simultaneously and on a consistent basis will all increase your chances of landing a secure recruiting position as soon as possible. 


D. Network

An important thing to understand is that in the beginning you want to gain employment sooner rather than later. I'm not saying to take a job you might hate or the first thing you can get especially if it's not a good fit but you don't want to linger. A resume has a tendency to get stale and just because you take a position with a lower salary doesn't mean you can't keep applying to higher paying positions. Remember if you are already employed, you will be seen as more valuable and marketable in the marketplace and in turn recruiters will seek you out. This knowledge is vital as you must do everything in your power to get your foot in the door especially without a degree. Once you're in, you're golden. Unfortunately, a lot of people who are not employed are overlooked and not even considered. This is a horrible but truthful fact in the business world. It's important that you do not let this discourage you but allow it to make you more creative, stronger and wiser. Your profile should be treated as a tool and work of art that must be carefully designed and tailored to acquire any recruiting position you want in any company you desire. You must overperform on every level to land the position you want. This is why it's important to build up your network carefully and strategically. Don't bog down your profile with a bunch of connections that don't make any sense. At first connect with recruiters and hiring managers from those companies you wish to work for. Once you do that, look at the jobs section and type out the word Recruiter, with a specific location if you wish to work in an office or the words "Remote Recruiter" if you wish to work from home. Once you finish applying to every recruiting position imaginable, connect with the people who posted the job posters. If you want to go a step further, look up the person's contact email and phone number and leave a message on both devices letting them know you have applied to that position. This shows initiative, a big word when it comes to getting the job you actually want. Employers like to see that you are making an effort and trying harder than the other applicants to show that you really want the job and are willing to go above and beyond to attain it. Once you connect with recruiters and hiring managers it's time to connect with people who work at these companies. 


E. Referrals

The easiest and fastest way to land a job anywhere regardless of your qualifications is by getting a referral from the inside. Like everything else in life it's who you know not what you know. It's good to know both so luckily for you upon course completion, you will know me and know more about recruiting than most recruiters do in a lifetime. Once you are connected with employees currently employed at the companies you wish to work for, try hard to develop a relationship with these folks. Connect with them on their social media platforms, find things in common and start a dialogue without coming across as unprofessional or creepy. It is important to network with the right people. There is a big difference between the right people and everybody else. The right people will open doors and help elevate your career. In order to get a referral, this person must respect you and trust that you will be a positive reflection on them as they are risking their own job security by vouching for you. It's important that you make them look good if they pass along a referral. When growing your network, you must be diligent in growing it properly and making use of your news feed. You should comment on peoples posts and engage in conversation if you feel you can add something valuable, funny or relevant. You can also connect with others in the comment section that you feel can add value to your network and look for daily new posts of recruiters now hiring, which they always are. A recruiter's entire purpose is to hire new people so there will always be available job openings otherwise recruiters will cease to exist. All these methods of connecting should be used and taken seriously because all it takes is one small action to land a full time recruiting position. Be active on LinkedIn on a daily basis. This is a platform that you need to take seriously. Yes, a job may come from a resume you submit to a job board, but LinkedIn will be a huge part of your daily professional life before employment and soon after you are hired. Never forget that your network is your net worth so act accordingly.

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