We are going to talk about polishing your LinkedIn and preparing to search for jobs. Canada trends by Linkedin reported that the number one reason people change jobs is career opportunity. Over 75% of people who recently changed jobs use LinkedIn to inform their career decision. LinkedIn is used by recruiters and is one of the top places people find jobs. If you don't already have a LinkedIn, I'd encourage you to get one. If you already have one, I'd encourage you to beef up your profile and think about yourself as a brand. You need a positioning statement and you need a communications strategy. I did not include a four-year reference slide because you can easily google LinkedIn tips and countless articles will appear. I'm going to go over some basics, but then also talk to you about how you can use LinkedIn in to begin networking. Even if you are new to the profession, I'm going to offer you some perspective to help you think about how potential employers view your LinkedIn profile. So first, you need to fill out your entire profile that includes a photo of yourself. You should think of LinkedIn as your professional branding. It's an opportunity for you to communicate the brand benefits to the consumer. In this case, you are communicating your skill set to potential employers. You should include all of the details that LinkedIn in requests. I also encourage you to write an about section. I like to think of this as a brand positioning statement or what makes me the best or different from other candidates. It's an opportunity for you to show off your wordsmithing abilities, but also to write your brand story. This should be a concise yet thorough section. It's also a good idea to tell potential employers what you are looking for. Even if you are not currently looking, recruiters are constantly scouring LinkedIn for employees to poach or to recruit. So I would use the about section to sell your skills and qualifications. Think of it as a written elevator speech, what is your brand about? More so, why should I care? Remember everything is mutually beneficial and employment should be no different. Next, your linked in should include all of your resume details. It's important that you are strategic in how you present yourself. This is why I think it is such a good idea to read job descriptions, reading job descriptions helps you understand what potential employers are looking for and what the industry is looking for. Reading job descriptions helps you understand what potential employers are looking for and what the industry is looking for. Meanwhile, you can use this intel to frame your own brand the way you talk about your experiences, the way you present your experiences, what you highlight, it all up to you, and the story you are wanting to communicate about your brand. I think LinkedIn is a good place to go beyond your resume in detail. Lastly, LinkedIn is a professional social network. What does that mean? It means that LinkedIn is used for virtual networking for making connections but it's not like Facebook where you can just add a friend. No, instead you need to put in the work just like with face-to-face networking. Again, it's a mutually beneficial relationship so it cannot be all about you. Be strategic with who you are networking with. If you have always wanted a job in the North Face Communication Department, you can use Linkedin to make connections with the communication team already in place. Everyone likes to hire someone they know a tried and true higher. Linkedin offers you that option to network and to build those relationships. So when you ask to connect, make sure you include a note, remind that connection, who you are or what you are about, or even more, what do you want? Sometimes you don't have anything to offer, but that's okay, try, you can send a relevant article or give props for a recent article where the company was mentioned, find a way to be helpful, find a way to be memorable in a way that reflects your brand positioning. I wanted to separate this out, draw your attention to this idea of being mutually beneficial. I know I keep harping on it and you probably get it, but just a reminder employers are hiring to fill the company's needs, employers want to hire someone who has the smallest learning curve and who is seen as a fit with the company. Thus it's your job to think about how you fit in and what you bring to the table. Employers want to know how you will make their life easier. That is the stuff you should be highlighting on your resume and in your linked in profile. It's good to have professional development goals for yourself but that comes later once you land an interview. You should have a strategy for job searching and LinkedIn can help you to achieve some networking goals. I like to fully investigate a company and who all works there before I even apply, I'd like to see who works at the company, what the average tenure is, see if people are promoted within. I like to look at job titles, try to get to know the structure and hierarchy of a company. Once I have some behind-the-scenes knowledge on the company and its workforce, then I try to think strategically about networking. Let's say that I want to work at Chipotle, this is a company with a communication department. I would investigate Chipotle just as I described earlier. Let's say Chipotle is hiring a communication coordinator, will that term coordinator is usually an entry-level position title. So you'll want to identify a communication manager or someone in Human Resources so you can get some insider knowledge about the position while also making your name known. I think networking is most useful to do when you are not looking for a job. Take time and care to build strategic relationships that will help you reach your long-term career goals. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your professional brand B. It takes a lot of intentional planning and consistency, but it will pay off in the end.
