Searching for a job on LinkedIn: How to do this right in 3 steps

New year, end of year, end of quarter... these are just some of the special points in time when people pause and make decisions about their next career move. Crossroads of decision.

In the recent year, the crossroads of decision have multiplied. Businesses have shut down, business models were changed and people reconsidered their next career move, whether intentionally or reluctantly.

Since its inception and to this today, LinkedIn has been a platform that brings people together: employers meet employees; job seekers meet companies; and the self-employed and business owners meet potential customers.

For job seekers, LinkedIn offers a number of tools that indicate to potential employers the availability of a user for a new job, including:

•      Adding the green #OpenToWork badge to the profile picture

•      Labeling users who are "Open to finding a new job" for the recruiters’ convenience

•      Job search through the Jobs tab

•      Creating alerts for new jobs based on saved search queries (see article on the topic of "Saved Search": https://bit.ly/39aga4C)

•      Recommendations of other users through profile sharing

•      Posts in which the candidate presents themself (or better yet, recommendations on their qualities by others)

All of these tools are great and effective. But they’re just the basics. What else...? What else can be done on LinkedIn during the job search process?

The answer is to take each of these tools one step further, and leverage the true power of LinkedIn: the combination of networking and content sharing.

 How can this be done in practice in 3 stages?

 Stage 1 – Let’s start with networking

At this stage, the focus is on expanding your network of connections. These relationships will serve your career goals and help you find your next job:

1.    Map out the organizations you wish to focus on as your potential next workplace. This can be done by using search and filter words by companies. Next, start following the company pages of these organizations. Bear with me, I'll get back to that...

2.    Map out relevant groups in your area of expertise. This can be done by using search and filter words by groups. Next, submit a request to join. Bear with me here too, promise to get back to this too...

3.    Expand your network of connections by connecting with relevant figures from the organizations you mapped out in Stage 1: relevant managers and senior decision makers, as well as the recruitment team.

4.    Expand your network of connections by connecting with relevant employees from the target organizations and members of the same professional groups that you mapped out in Stage 1.

5.    Connect with influencers and key figures in the industry you belong to or are targeting: community managers or leaders, journalists, bloggers, analysts, professors from academia or professional training institutions, etc.

 Stage 2 – Let’s move on to content sharing

At this stage you will showcase your expertise and professional know-how by consuming, creating and sharing content:

 1.    Follow the news and updates on the company pages you are following. Visit these company pages proactively and in the Posts category you can read about the "hottest" topics in the company’s life. The more engaged you are with these contents (likes, comments, shares) the more often the LinkedIn algorithm will display them in your feed.

2.    Keep up to date with professional discussions held in the groups you have joined. Joining existing discussions by leaving intelligent comments and creating new discussions are great ways to express your unique experience, expertise and knowhow (see article on "Intelligent Comments": https://bit.ly/3sTD7ko)

3.    Create your own original posts and articles on the professional topics you are aiming for. For example, if you’re seeking an account manager position in a pharmaceutical company, an accurate post would be one that discusses trends in the field of vaccine development following the Covid-19 pandemic. Another example: If you seek a development project manager position at a high-tech company, an accurate post could be about common mistakes in the application of the Agile methodology. Did you attend a webinar in your area of expertise? Excellent! Now, write a post summarizing your key insights and share it with your (updated) network of connections.

4.    Found an interesting article on innovations in your industry? Exciting news about one of your target companies? Recent research on market trends? Share the post, give credit to the creators of the original post and add your own personal and professional take.

 Stage 3 - The Winning Combination!

At this stage you leverage your updated network of connections (Stage 1) with the targeted content you are sharing (Stage 2):

1.    Did you stumble upon a post or article by one of the target connections you added in Stage 1? (coincidentally or not...) - This is a great opportunity to share your professional opinion.

2.    Did you stumble upon a story of one of the target connections you added in Stage 1? - Watch the story (the user who posted the story knows who viewed it) to boost your prominence and, if relevant, also leave a comment.

3.     And what about sending a direct message? I advise extra caution and sensitivity. Some may view this as an invasive move and it might be counterproductive. If you decide to go for such a move, I recommend that you first establish Stage 2, and once you reach out directly and introducing yourself, offer value to the recipient (for example, share interesting and relevant content).

 Food for thought! The better you integrate Stage 1 with Stage 2, the more effective Stage 3 will be. Moreover, by sharing your content (including comments, stories and shares), your profile picture and name will appear more frequently in the feed of your target connections. By increasing awareness and recognizability, you can gain a competitive edge in the race for the coveted position.

Bottom Line

Finding a new job is a complex, challenging and frustrating process. An integrative use of LinkedIn, including exploiting the platform’s built-in tools while implementing the 3-stage plan I presented above, can streamline the process and improve your chances of getting the coveted job offer!