LinkedIn is one of the most powerful job search platforms on the internet and is a must-have for anyone serious about advancing their career or speeding up their job hunt. Here are six different ways to find a new job on LinkedIn.
1. Search LinkedIn Jobs
The first stop is the most obvious one. Browse the job board at LinkedIn Jobs to search for relevant positions in your area. Use the built-in filters like Date Posted, Experience Level, Under 10 Applicants, and others to help you hone your search.
You can also have LinkedIn automatically recommend jobs for you by filling out your Career Interests section. Specify job titles, cities, industries, and company sizes you’re most interested in and discreetly signal to recruiters that you’re available. You’ll receive notifications about roles that fit your selected criteria to make the search easier.
2. Optimize Your Profile for LinkedIn Search
87% of recruiters use LinkedIn as part of their process, according to Jobvite. Job seekers can get their attention by creating a LinkedIn profile optimized for LinkedIn search.
“We use a lot of LinkedIn Recruiter,” a tech recruiter told Jobscan. “That’s probably the main tool I use… I’m taking the hard skills that are listed in the job description and doing some sort of Boolean search with them.”
Ensure that the most common skills and proficiencies for your field are present in the profile sections most important to LinkedIn search, such as the headline, summary, and work experience headings. Fill out your entire LinkedIn profile to show that you’re serious about your work and increase your chances of being contacted.
If optimizing your LinkedIn profile is stressful or confusing – don’t worry. Jobscan’s LinkedIn Optimization tool generates an instant report of missing skills and other red flags that should be fixed to better attract recruiters in your specific field.
3. Search User Profiles
After optimizing your LinkedIn profile to bring recruiters to you, turn the tables by using LinkedIn’s search tool for yourself. This is how you find recruiters and hiring managers on LinkedIn.
Many recruiters and hiring managers will advertise their active searches in their headlines or other profile sections. By doing a people search for “recruiter” or “hiring” plus “your role”, you could find recruiters and managers actively recruiting in your field.
For example, this search for “hiring full stack” reveals several recruiters in my extended network that are actively recruiting software engineers. These recruiters will be more receptive to your outreach than others.
Use the built in filters or search operators to narrow down your search by location, keywords, or other criteria. If you are targeting a specific employer, filter LinkedIn’s people search by company to identify recruiters, key decision-makers, or people you know who can provide an in.
4. Search Newsfeed Posts
Click over from “People” to “Posts” to instead search newsfeed posts. This will often be hit or miss but will reveal posts by recruiters and company pages announcing their openings, and sometimes including jobs that aren’t on LinkedIn’s job board.
Toggle sorting between “Relevance” and “Latest” to reveal different content. Try different keywords (such as your city) or add search operators to your query to return a variety of results.
5. Network
Committing to the social networking aspects of LinkedIn is a sure way to create opportunities.
Expand your network as far as you’re comfortable so that you show up in more searches as a recruiter’s first-, second-, or third-degree connection. Add former colleagues, contacts, and industry peers to your network. Connect with people that might be willing to help you, always with a personalized message that is polite and communicates why connecting would be mutually beneficial.
Post newsfeed updates that demonstrate your expertise in your field. Increase your visibility by interacting with posts by industry peers. If you’re comfortable with it, consider appealing directly to your network in search of a job. Know who to follow on LinkedIn to pick up helpful tips and new opportunities.
6. Follow Up With Recruiters and Hiring Managers
Not every job application process is a winner, but that doesn’t mean all your efforts were wasted! You likely chatted with a recruiter or hiring manager serveral times over the course of your interview process. Even if you weren’t extended an offer, they clearly saw great potential in you and your skillset. Don’t let the connection fizzle out. Reach out to say thank you and let them know that you’d love to stay in touch and be considered for any future roles that might be a better fit. Maintaining contact after a great interview process can come back to help you later.
Even if LinkedIn is already your job search hub, digging a little deeper into its various features and filters can unearth unique opportunities. What other ways have you found to boost your job search on LinkedIn?
