How you can take advantage of this professional networking platform:
I READ AN ARTICLE recently about how hard it is for people to get work in the current economic environment, but when I looked up the people mentioned in the article, guess how many had a LinkedIn profile? Only the journalist who wrote the article. Creating a good online presence and professional brand is essential, particularly when you are searching for a job or researching opportunities. Assuming you already have a LinkedIn profile, here’s what you need to do to get it working for you.
1) Make the contact details easy to find on your home page. If you’re not sure what I mean, take a look at my profile www.linkedin.com/in/petertaliangis. There’s nothing worse than visiting someone’s profile and not being able to get in touch with them.
2) Ensure your profile and your summary reflect the work you are looking for and the skills you have. Fill up your skills section, your courses and your education – detail is everything on LinkedIn.
3) Follow relevant companies to learn about their products and most importantly, look at their employees to see who you know and who can introduce you to someone. Offering to buy people a cup of coffee, as
well as making yourself available for internships and work experience, can also help you gain a better insight into the company.
4) Join relevant local groups. If you are in Perth, join groups that relate
to Perth, unless you have plans to move globally for work. Join groups that relate to your industry, and search out and connect with relevant locals that might be able to offer you an opportunity, an introduction, or an internship.
5) Don’t be afraid to ask for help by reaching out to professionals in your
industry, or even people that know relevant people. I have helped people from non-English speaking backgrounds get jobs in Perth using these techniques. It can take time, but it’s more effective
than sending out countless resumes that never get read.
Written by Peter Taliangis