The past year has been quite daunting for the working class across the country. As per a report by Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, an estimated 21 million salaried employees have lost their jobs by the end of August. There were 86 million salaried jobs in India during 2019-20. In August 2020, their count was down to 65 million.
Clearly, the working population became a major casualty of the COVID-19 induced economic slump. Add to it the freshly graduated students from various institutions across the country who struggled with rescinded offers and a significantly shrunk job market. Quite evidently, these are anxious times. However, the market is finally showing signs of a revival now. And while you might be apprehensive about a job change or job search, we are here to assure you that it is easier than you think. Provided you use the right tools for your search and networking, you can totally land a good job.
Brand Building Consultant and co-founder of Blendnlend, Ashi Singhal identifies LinkedIn as one such tool. As a Personal Branding Coach, Ashi insists that every working individual should have both an ID as well as a strong presence on the platform. In a conversation with POPxo, she helped us to decode & demystify LinkedIn for us.
How Important Is It To Have A LinkedIn Profile?
Ashi recommends that besides working professionals, but even students should have a LinkedIn profile. But just making a LinkedIn ID is not enough and she suggests that you work on your LinkedIn presence so as to create and find the best opportunities for you. She says, “I’d recommend students to not just have a LinkedIn profile but a decent LinkedIn presence. A LinkedIn profile shows what you talk about yourself.”
According to Ashi, your LinkedIn presence is the sum of all your activities like commenting, content creation, messaging, etc. It is important because it shows what other people talk about you which consequently adds to your credibility. “More effective and authentic that presence is, more is the credibility. And that credibility helps students to create and find opportunities,” she adds.
How To Make A Network on LinkedIn?
Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn serves a specific purpose i.e. professional networking, hiring, and job searching. Thus, it is very important to identify your target audience. Ashi explains, “Even if you are looking for a job, you have a target audience like HRs, founders, etc. Connect with them through personalised connection invites, messages, emails (if and when needed).”
That said, you don’t necessarily need to restrict yourself to just your primary target audience. A great network’s strength lies in its diversity and thus you can add people beyond your target audience as well.
How To Land At The Right Job Postings
Okay, so you have made a LinkedIn ID, a decent network, and a basic understanding of the platform. What’s next? Finding the perfect job of course. Well, you need to begin with the understanding that on LinkedIn, there are 2 major ways in which people post about job openings:
1) They put it out through posts
2) They post it through the LinkedIn jobs feature
Now that we are clear about that, here’s Ashi’s advice on what to do next: “In both cases, the LinkedIn search bar helps. By putting the right keywords, you can land on the right job postings. You can also cross-reference those job postings by checking the career section of the company’s website.”
Endorsements Vs Recommendations: What Should We Focus On?
While browsing through other people’s LinkedIn profiles, you must have stumbled upon recommendations and endorsements given to them by other people. Now, you can get senior professionals or colleagues that you know to do this for you. But what should you lay more focus on? Ashi has a clear answer: “Recommendations are more important than endorsements. Moreover, instead of focusing on getting endorsements for a particular skill on your profile, it’s always better to demonstrate those skills by sharing the valuable content around them.”
Further stressing the importance of recommendations, she explains, “LinkedIn recommendations help you to build credibility as they show other people’s viewpoints about you and your work. They show whether you can walk the talk. It’s easy to identify if those recommendations are genuine or not.” Thus, it is vital that you focus on getting quality recommendations from the ones with whom you have actually worked in one way or the other.
Tips For Targeted Job Searches
Now that you understood the basics of LinkedIn & all set to start your job search, here are some tips that you should keep in mind:
- Use the combination of LinkedIn + Google to find the right jobs. If you come across any job openings on Google, try to connect with the concerned person on LinkedIn. After connecting with them, you can ask for a referral. Referrals work quite well if you ask for them subtly and you have an effective LinkedIn presence.
- LinkedIn is all about networking. When you start taking it in this way, finding opportunities become easier.
- Many times, you CREATE an opportunity by mapping your skills with the other person’s requirements. Hence, never hesitate in exploring the options of creating a win-win situation for yourself and the other person.
- People believe more in what others talk about you rather than you talking about yourself. That’s why creating a credible community becomes vital. To do it, post relevant content, interact with others through comments and messages.
- Consistency is a major element of growth on LinkedIn. Invest time in understanding this platform’s dynamics and keep being active consistently.
- Don’t overwhelm yourself with the ideas like “I’m not a good writer”, “I’ve nothing much to show on my profile”, “I’m just an undergrad. Who will read my content?”. Always remember, what you bring to the table may not be unique. But HOW you bring it to the table, makes all the difference.
So fam, all set to land your dream job?
Featured Image Courtesy: Unsplash
