Most social media-savvy hiring managers start their employee search using LinkedIn.
Having a strong professional presence on LinkedIn can help employers find you before you even start searching. Of the 92 percent of hiring managers using social media to recruit, 86 percent start their searches on LinkedIn, according to Mashable.com.
Start off by joining the DU Alumni LinkedIn Group!
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn—built specifically for business and networking—lets users to create an online resume highlighting experience, education, skills, interests, and even blog and Twitter posts. The site also allows users to:
- Post or search for jobs.
- Join groups to network with other professionals or learn more about a career.
- Keep track of business connections online.
- Sign up to get email updates about relevant new jobs.
- Find contacts in all areas of business, industry and geographic location with whom you share commonalities of friends and family, school affiliation, companies you have worked or interned for and interest groups you belong to.
Getting started
To get the most out of LinkedIn:
- Fill out your profile as completely as possible with relevant experience, education, skills and interests.
- Upload a smiling, professional photograph.
- Join relevant professional groups, and read the posts in those groups often to get a feel for current issues and hot topics.
- Find and request connections with all of your professional contacts.
- Follow employers for whom you're interested in working.
- Research professionals in your field, making note of how they started their careers, and what skills and experience they have in common.
- Request recommendations to highlight your skills and personality.
- Focus on QUALITY not QUANTITY of networking contacts.
LinkedIn resources
For a more in-depth look at how to use LinkedIn to build your career, explore the resources below:
- Lurk First (and Four More Tips on Beginners Getting the Most out of LinkedIn Groups)
- Be a Gutsy Grad: LinkedIn Tips for the Class of 2012
- Get Started with LinkedIn
- 4 Small Things That Will Kill Your Chances