LinkedIn is a great tool for finding a job. Provided you know how to use it. Before going in search of an offer or letting your network know that you are looking for a new job, it is essential to make yourself visible to recruiters. This requires a complete profile, where the user highlights his experiences, assets and skills.
According to LinkedIn, putting at least five skills multiplies by 27 the chances of being spotted. Especially since 40% of companies use the skills filter to identify candidates. The profile picture should not be overlooked. It is she who will give the first impression to the recruiter and she must be good. “Before looking, you have to meet the conditions to be found: the first is a well-informed and clear professional title. We will be more easily found with it”, underlines Grégory Mancel, LinkedIn trainer in companies.
For students, there are necessarily fewer experiences. “You should not hesitate to highlight volunteering or other experiences such as case studies carried out as part of your studies”, recommends Esther Ohayon, communication director and career expert at LinkedIn France.
Produce useful content
In addition to the content of the profile, the posts that we will produce will have an impact on the way of being perceived by recruiters. “It’s important to create content on your profile. If in addition to the optimized profile, you create content in the area in which you want to work, recruiters will be interested in it,” says Christopher Piton, executive trainer on LinkedIn. He advises in particular to “document his journey and what we have learned. The idea is to share his adventure as a ‘person looking for a job'”.
To signify that you are looking for a job, the “open to work” badge can be a solution to show yourself off to recruiters. However, be careful with its use, which can be a double-edged sword. “The open to work badge is a visual marker. Some say it’s good for students, but for someone with 20 years of experience, it’s putting themselves in the position of an applicant,” says Grégory Mancel. It is rather recommended to make this badge visible only to recruiters. “By activating it, you double the probability of being contacted by a recruiter”, assures Esther Ohayon.
The American platform is also a good source of job offers, which are referenced according to increasingly precise criteria. To better select them, Esther Ohayon, advises to “refine your searches with filters such as telework or hybrid work. You can also find out who is recruiting in your network”. Do not neglect the network of former students of his school either. “You have a ‘former students’ space which allows you to discover the fields of activity in which former students work in order to contact them to find out more about career opportunities in the sector in which they evolve”, adds Esther Ohayon.
Upstream work
When you target a particular area, a lot of prospecting work begins. By targeting a company, we identify its employees and more particularly the recruiters. “If you have identified a particular company, it is very important to be very present in their ecosystem, comment and react to the publications of recruiters or staff. The idea in parallel with that: send invitations and start a conversation” .
Grégory Mancel abounds: “The sinews of war is the conversation. A candidate who has asked questions upstream will capitalize on the day of the interview”. According to him, “the recruiter’s problem today is that he will see ten candidates pass in front of him. If he has already discussed with one of them on LinkedIn, it can save him a lot of time. . Candidates need to be encouraged to engage in conversation and ask questions.” These are all steps that increase the chances of success. Eight people are indeed recruited every minute via LinkedIn, while every second a hundred members apply for a job offer on the platform.