20 great ways to find a job using LinkedIn

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

Looking for a job – Using LinkedIn will be your goldmine!

Thinking of using LinkedIn to find a job?

Well you should!

I have said this before and will say it again until the cows come home.

Using LinkedIn can put the power back into the hands of you the candidate and out of the hands of recruitment consultants – and can help better hiring decisions all round.

 

There are plenty of ways you can be proactive, rather than reactive in your job search.

Here are my 20 top LinkedIn job hunting tips, in no particular order.

1.  Get a decent profile. There is no point being half-hearted. You will miss out on opportunities if your profile does not have enough relevant information showcasing your strengths. This point is my big bandwagon point for Australian professionals and job seekers.

2.  Connect with people. Look up people from your past and find out where they work now. Use the connect email to invite people for coffee and find out what they are up to. Show some interest in them, and what you are looking for, job wise, will inevitably come up.

3.  Join groups of interest and participate in discussions. I know of one person who did little more than this. He was approached by a recruiter about a job, based on the thoroughness of a question he answered.

4.  Find a role model networker who is working in your desired area. Look to see which groups they belong to and join those.

5.  Start a group around your area of interest and expertise. Invite people who can add value to join. Welcome them to the group and ask them a question directly. You can build up your knowledge of their organisation, any problems they may be facing, and approach them with a solution in mind (you).

6.  Look to see who has viewed your profile, and add them to your network. If they are recruiters, see if they have jobs coming up in your area. As a carrot to see you, mention that you may have useful contacts for them.

7.  Look to see where people with your background are working and what their responsibilities are. That way if you want to approach a company directly about jobs, you are making an informed and targeted approach.

8.  Invite people out for coffee to find out what they do. This is a good tactic if you want to change careers. You can find out the good, bad and ugly about their jobs, and whether that might be an area of interest for you.

9.  Add value to your network. Be known as someone helpful. You often have to build trust with people before you can ask them for favours. If you see someone asking a question, then answer it. Be proactive and send them an email with a link.

10.  Update your status with recent information of use to your network. You’ll give people a reason to contact you if you do that.

11.  Link your LinkedIn profile to your personal emails.

12.  Make it easy for people to connect with you. State that you welcome contact in your profile summary.

13.  Put your LinkedIn link to your Facebook profile. I have seen jobs come through friends, and Facebook is one place people tell their friends if they’re looking for staff. You want to make it easy for people to check you out.

14.  Target people with big networks. That increases the pool of people you can search to make contact with if you are looking for jobs.

15.  Go along to social events that are organized via LinkedIn. Often group owners will do this. There is only so much you can achieve online. Trust is better built face to face.

16.  Ask a connection for an introduction. That’s kind of one of the big points of LinkedIn.

17.  Ask for recommendations. A strong recommendation from a former manager carries a lot of weight. This is one big area recruiters and employers focus on when they look at your profile.

18.  Find out what a job really requires. Job advertisements often have a lot of woolly wording. If you can, find a company insider to give you the insight into what the company is about, or even what the job requires. They may even pass on your resume, and save the company a recruitment fee.

19.  If you’re actively looking and public about it, join the job seekers groups on LinkedIn. You’ll find heaps of great tips.

20.  Join our LinkedIn@Lunchtime training, starting soon. We’ll help you launch on LinkedIn with a hit new profile. Or if you prefer more one on one attention, hire us to optimize your profile to help you come up when headhunters search. I can give you tailored training to network effectively and maximize your chances of being found by employers and headhunters.

K B

Karalyn is the Founder of InterviewIQ and chief champion for all her clients. Get personal coaching to make 2023 your most successful year yet. Check out our job search booster services here>>Give me smarter ways to find a job .

{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

bramwerkt December 9, 2010 at 12:03 pm

RT @InterviewIQ: #LinkedIn #LI 20 great ways to use LinkedIn for your job hunt http://interviewiq.com.au/linkedin-jobs

aldo_fg December 9, 2010 at 1:07 pm

RT @InterviewIQ: #LinkedIn #LI 20 great ways to use LinkedIn for your job hunt http://interviewiq.com.au/linkedin-jobs

InterviewIQ December 9, 2010 at 12:01 pm

#LinkedIn #LI 20 great ways to use LinkedIn for your job hunt http://interviewiq.com.au/linkedin-jobs

Jason Ball December 11, 2010 at 8:49 pm

Great advice, good article as usual Karalyn.

I wholly recommend the interaction part, the proactive part.

From personal experience I can tell anyone hesitating putting the effort in to engaging with people directly, that it is the single most effective use of ‘online’ and social networks, for job search, business or whatever.

Forget that you’re looking at an online profile, remember all these ‘social networks’ are just information and communication sources and tools. Contact and engage with people, as people.

Certainly do all the standard things to be found, recognized and approached…. but these things are reactive, and rely on other people taking action.

Reach out to people in a low key, proactive approach and build a relationship with them. Personalize it (read about them & mention something about why their profile caught your interest), and make it as ‘real’ as it would be if you were walking up to them at a business or networking event, and grow your network exponentially.

Next, remember at any one time, it’s the people who know the people you know, that are the ones most likely to be the people who can help you. So spend 80% of your time networking trying to understand who the other person is and how you can help them, but don’t forget to be very clear indeed, about how they can help you, and be very specific! (“I am looking to meet anyone in the XYZ field you know”, “I’m hoping to get an introduction to Mr. Smith at ABC firm” for example)

Go for it. It’s far too easy to sit in front of a computer with Social Networking, and do very little real connection with people. “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me” should be Rule 1: of Social Networking!

Jason
@GoodPeopleJapan

Karalyn December 12, 2010 at 4:00 am

Such great tips, Jason. Thank you. For anyone in Japan, make sure you make contact with Jason. He’s a connector on LinkedIn and in real life!

EvanBelford December 18, 2010 at 1:29 am

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InterviewIQ December 18, 2010 at 1:15 am

#LI #LinkedIn 20 new ways to find a job on LinkedIn http://interviewiq.com.au/linkedin-jobs

InterviewIQ February 7, 2011 at 12:10 pm

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adilsyed February 7, 2011 at 12:34 pm

RT @InterviewIQ: #LI #LinkedIn 20 new ways to find a job on LinkedIn http://interviewiq.com.au/linkedin-jobs

Peggy Beschnitt (@peggy_oracle) August 13, 2012 at 12:20 am

How to find a job using LinkedIn – 20 great ways! http://t.co/by2DGsQY #jobsearch #LinkedIn

Karalyn Brown (@InterviewIQ) (@InterviewIQ) (@InterviewIQ) August 17, 2012 at 10:00 pm

How to find a job using LinkedIn – 20 great ways! http://t.co/JANWU6IV

Ron Lucerne-Knight August 23, 2012 at 4:10 pm

Thanks Karalyn

You made me think laterally. Good advice.

cheers

Ron

michelle hackett August 24, 2012 at 12:28 pm

I am seeking a job in the accounting field or an administrative

admin August 24, 2012 at 3:21 pm

You’re very welcome Ron. glad I could be of help.

Reva Levenstein September 4, 2012 at 11:18 am

Excellent article, definitely will retweet….thank you very much.

Reva

instapitch (@instapitchinc) September 4, 2012 at 11:39 am

20 Great Ways to Find a Job Using LinkedIn http://t.co/AjU7PRY1 #instapitch

The RiseSmart Team (@RiseSmart) September 4, 2012 at 3:55 pm

How to find a job using LinkedIn – 20 great ways! http://t.co/r2T5C8Y2 http://t.co/vbJ7YLmt

The RiseSmart Team (@RiseSmart) September 4, 2012 at 3:55 pm

How to find a job using LinkedIn – 20 great ways! http://t.co/r2T5C8Y2

AudreyBodman (Bryce) (@Telephonecoach) October 2, 2012 at 6:05 am

How to find a job using #LinkedIn – 20 great ways! – http://t.co/tpvpi58b #employment #UK #W2W

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