CAREER PURSUIT

Don’t just connect with everyone you see − make them worthwhile connections. And if you do want to connect with people, always add a message, for example: “I saw your comment on that article. I thought you made an interesting point and would like to connect with you.” Connect with your colleagues – you know quiet Tracy in accounts? Well it turns out that she reads A LOT and is a wealth of hidden interesting information on your industry. So not only have you read some really interesting articles, you now have something to chat with her about when you see her in the office. I’m looking for a job … You’re in the right place – LinkedIn was initially designed as a platform to connect employers to potential employees. In fact, 35 . 5 million worldwide having been hired by a person they connected with on the site ² . You should also be using it for all the reasons that someone already in work would (described above) as well as a place to research potential employers – follow companies that you would love to work for and keep up-to-date on what they are up to. You can search jobs by category and area, or you can go to specific company pages and look at their jobs. You can also set up alerts so that you are notified when a company you would love to work for posts a new job. Your main priority, however, before you even begin searching for jobs, is to make sure your profile is up- to-date and will make you stand out from the crowd; your profile page is your advert to potential recruiters, so spend time on making it easy to read and make sure all the information is up-to-date and relevant. 10 C A R E E R P U R S U I T 2 0 2 0 Update your ‘Job Preferences’ with the job titles you are looking for, the area, etc. This section can be set to be ‘Visible by recruiters’ or ‘Visible by everyone’. If you are currently employed then ‘Visible by recruiters’ is a useful way of not alerting your boss to the fact you are looking to move on! LinkedIn have just introduced a new feature so that you can set your preferences to ‘Visible by everyone’ and this will add a green # opentowork frame around your profile picture. Make sure your skills section is relevant. Potential recruiters can search by skills, so make sure you choose the ones most relevant to the jobs that you are looking for. Set up alerts for your job search so they get emailed to your inbox (you can set up multiple alerts for different job titles, areas, etc.). You can search for remote jobs only (woop woop!), but don’t let that put you off applying for jobs that don’t list it if that is what you want – get the job first, then discuss flexible working arrangements. Don’t be afraid to be honest – especially if you are currently out of work. You will be surprised how many people you are connected to are willing to make introductions or let you know about opportunities. Ask people who have worked with you to leave you a recommendation (and offer to do the same in return). We all know no one is going to say bad things about each other in such an open forum, but often colleagues will point out strengths you may not have thought of or even realised you had! TOP TIPS IF YOU ARE JOB SEEKING. ·