Graduating this year? Expert tips for using LinkedIn to land your first job

Sooner or later throughout school, you have been most likely instructed to “make a LinkedIn” and “start networking” to land your first job. However did anybody truly train you ways? For current graduates getting into a troublesome job market, LinkedIn is extra important than ever as firms improve the usage of AI in hiring and ghost job listings proceed to floor.

Past being only a job board, LinkedIn permits you to develop your community, set up a private model and strengthen your functions. With 87% of recruiters using LinkedIn to supply and vet candidates, having an optimized profile as you enter the workforce is essential. I spoke with former recruiters and profession counselors to study what it takes to make your LinkedIn presence and expertise work for you.

The Profile

Your LinkedIn profile is the first impression you’ll make with potential employers. Having a powerful profile is important.

“LinkedIn is your opportunity to tell your story first,” says Laura Gassner Otting, profession coach and creator of Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn’t Feel Like It Should…and What to Do About It. “What do you want that story to look like?”

Begin with a robust headline, advises Tristan Layfield, Principal Profession Coach and Proprietor at Layfield Resume Consulting. This subject, positioned proper beneath your identify, ought to embody the job title you might be in search of and key expertise that recruiters might be looking for. For instance, use a headline like “Recent marketing graduate, aspiring data analyst skilled in Python and SQL.” By together with particular expertise and roles, you’re extra probably to seem in recruiter searches for these phrases.

In case you are uncertain how to phrase your profile, go searching for inspiration, says John Mullinix, head of development advertising at govt profession website Ladders. “Go to their LinkedIn, check it out, see how they have it worded, see what their career progression is,” he suggests.

In case you are unsure about your post-grad route, that’s okay. Layfield advises specializing in one {industry} for now and adjusting issues later. In your headline and abstract, give attention to expertise you need to apply in your first job.

“Even if you’re not 100% clear on the job or industry, we often know what we’re good at or what we want to do more of,” he notes.

Subsequent, as you fill the “About” and “Experience” sections with your earlier roles and pursuits, he advises protecting the social side of LinkedIn in thoughts. When hiring, he says, employers are asking themselves: “Would I want to work with this person?”

“People tend to get caught up on… LinkedIn being a professional social networking site,” he says. “They get caught up in the professional piece, but they forget the social piece.”

As you fill out your expertise descriptions, Layfield suggests using the ARV framework: Motion, Purpose and Worth. This implies clarifying the motion you took, why you took it and the worth it introduced to the corporate or shopper.

For “Value,” he emphasizes using particular, quantifiable outcomes. For instance, as an alternative of claiming you “led a team,” specify that you simply “led a team of seven, increasing efficiency by 25%.”

The abilities part is arguably crucial. Former tech recruiter and profession mentor Mahati Singh says recruiters typically make the most of LinkedIn Recruiter, filtering for key phrases when looking for entry-level candidates. For instance, in tech roles, they may filter for expertise comparable to “web development.” If these key phrases aren’t in your profile, you received’t present up in searches, no matter your expertise.

Then, Layfield recommends asking professors, classmates and former bosses for endorsements of your expertise. These endorsements, he explains, present “the social proof that you are what you say you are, that you do what you say you do.”

Construct your Community

A robust community is important in at this time’s job market, with a single LinkedIn job submit typically receiving hundreds of candidates. Constructing connections can open doorways, lead to referrals and offer you invaluable {industry} insights.

Layfield suggests beginning with alumni from wherever you might need gone for post-secondary schooling, whom you will discover by the “People” tab on the varsity’s LinkedIn web page. You possibly can message them on LinkedIn, or, in the event you desire e mail, use a device like Apollo to find their contact data. Many schools even have alumni directories that may assist you to determine good contacts.

One other method to construct your community is to search by firm, says govt coach Gassner Otting. Listing your dream firms, go to their LinkedIn pages and join with individuals in roles that curiosity you. From there, she suggests requesting informational interviews.

“Everybody has 15 minutes to have a conversation with a young kid who’s trying to figure it out,” she says. “You’re not going to be a pain. Those people got to where they are because somebody took time to spend 15 minutes with them.”

Throughout these interviews, she suggests, ask questions like: How did you get into this firm? Inform me a bit bit about among the issues that you simply remedy every day? What sorts of ability units and traits do you look for in candidates?

“What that does is it gives you [a] network, it gives you knowledge,” she explains. “It puts you in the way of opportunity.”

As soon as linked, deciding what to write within the message may be tough. Layfield recommends using the six level e mail methodology from the e-book “The 2-Hour Job Search” by Steve Dalton. Maintain the message beneath 100 phrases, start with a shared connection—like the identical college—and ask for perception, not a job.

“They know what this is about already,” he says. “Just make sure we request that advice and insight and instead of that job assistance.”

Lastly, he notes, ensure that your ask ends in a query mark slightly than a interval, and outline your request broadly after which narrowly. He cites this instance: “I’m Tristan, a fellow Michigan alum of class of 2024. Would you have 15 minutes to chat about Red Hat? I’m trying to learn more about product management in the North Carolina tech space.”

The message expresses a broad curiosity in product administration however narrows it to North Carolina. Layfield explains that this is a great technique as a result of even when Pink Hat isn’t hiring, the particular person could have insights concerning the native job panorama that might lead to different alternatives.

Lastly, Gassner Otting says, don’t hesitate to attain out and comply with up. She has seen many younger job seekers chorus from doing so due to worry of rejection. However reaching out demonstrates initiative, she says, which is a pretty high quality in a candidate.

Growing Visibility 

LinkedIn has a posting characteristic identical to different social media apps do. These posts may be a good way to share insights, accomplishments, and industry-relevant information that enhances your credibility. Mullinix recommends starting by resharing content material with your personal commentary.

Have “a balanced strategy,” he says. Embody “some original content, some original thoughts, some things that go against the grain.”

Layfield recommends partaking with posts by feedback. Commenting is a low-risk method to improve your profile visibility with out the strain of making authentic posts. Whenever you touch upon somebody’s submit, your profile turns into seen to everybody of their community, he explains. Simply keep in mind to maintain your feedback skilled, since this is LinkedIn.

“Just get started,” Mullinix advises. “As you work and [if] you’re consistent, the path for you will emerge.”

As recruiting season picks up, cultivating real connections, gaining {industry} insights and establishing a powerful private model might be essential. Use LinkedIn to showcase who you might be and what you would possibly deliver to an expert setting. Whereas the job search could really feel overwhelming, investing in your on-line presence and community now will repay for years. With a affected person and proactive method, you can be laying a stable basis for a profitable profession.