To add to my most recent post (5 things to think about when building a resume), after you have updated your resume to the point where you feel confident about it’s ability to tell your professional story, it’s time to start thinking about what sources you are going to use to find that perfect job. Like most, you can scour every major job website (monster, job bank, Workopolis, etc.) to find that job, or you can let LinkedIn help you find the best job based on the experience you have published on your profile.
As you continue to update and build your professional profile on LinkedIn, in the background they are starting to match your experience with available jobs in the market (near you), so you don’t need to spend all of your time reading job descriptions that might not match your skill set. By now, you have realized that searching for a new job is almost a full-time job in itself, and being able to find more jobs that fit your experience can dramatically increase your productivity during your job hunt.
Here a few steps to help you get better job suggestions on LinkedIn:
- Finish your profile (get it to 100% completeness).
- Set your profile so that you are accepting job offers and enable others to message you directly without being contacted as contacts.
- Check your job tab daily (or set a cal reminder to check at the same time everyday) or subscribe to daily email alerts for all new postings.
- Upload your resume to your profile, this way you can simply click the “apply now” button on the job you are interested in (it will allow you to use the most recent resume uploaded).
- If you are set on one particular position, take the time to learn as much about the company as possible, identify who the decision makers are, and try to connect with them before submitting your resume.
Of course, there are always other job websites, but for now LinkedIn is one of the only sites that recommends positions based on your experience.