The competition is steep, so you need to have a competitive advantage when it comes to recruiters or hiring managers noticing you. LinkedIn is the most popular professional networking platform that any job seeker should be taking advantage of. Even if you are not a fan of social media, the purpose and opportunities that LinkedIn provides for you are second to none.
Why tech professionals should be on LinkedIn
The advantage of having a LinkedIn profile is to be discoverable by others, and to discover other individuals like yourself. Being active and approachable on a platform like LinkedIn can provide career opportunities or lead you in a direction for your next role. The groups and connections you have on LinkedIn can be what gets a recruiter’s attention or even gets you an interview. The workforce and especially the tech Industry is constantly evolving and now that so many people are relying on technology, virtual networking and staffing firms, it is crucial that you have an online presence.
Many recruiters like myself or even hiring managers utilize LinkedIn to support hiring efforts. It has evolved to a job board and networking platform in one. Your network on LinkedIn is a community. A community that you should trust, which is why you will see people reach out to their community and ask if they know anyone that is a good fit for an opening. The phrase “it’s about who you know” is still relevant in today’s work force.
Make your profile stand out
There are thousands of tech professionals and specifically engineers online, so here are a few tips on creating your profile and getting noticed.
- Have a detailed technical description of your experience and a timeline of each position you have held. It’s essentially a compact version of your resume in your profile to give recruiters and other professionals insight on your background and how we can be a resource to each other.
- Be truthful with your preferences and only select options that matter to you. For example, do not select contract as an option if you are not serious about contract work. Your preferences can be misleading to recruiters and they could be attracting the wrong opportunities for you or they could do the opposite.
- Add a photo, headline and background image. These three are the first impression that everyone gets when they initially view your profile, so you want to make sure it looks professional and personalized.
If you don’t have recruiters or other technical professionals asking to connect with you, then you profile may need some work.
Connect and Network
Technology has proved that we can pretty much do anything, including virtual networking. Just like anything else, if you don’t put a little work into it and take advantage of the features that LinkedIn offers, you most likely will not see results. I encourage you to connect with other tech professionals whether it be engineers, recruiters or managers, the more connections you have the more opportunities will be presented to you. Once you have your profile updated you should start engaging with others by sharing and liking their post or even leaving comments. The more active you are, the more exposure you will gain which can lead to you joining a specialized group, attending a virtual event, or getting your next gig.
Here is my LinkedIn information (Brian Brancky) if you want to connect or learn more about how Triple Crown can be a resource to you.