Linking in
LinkedIn may be the weird uncle of social networking, but it might be worth your time to invest in a profile overhaul. (By worth your time, I mean it could literally make you more money.)
Leisure Jobs developed a LinkedIn Cheat sheet (though it’s pretty long for a cheat sheet) that tells you exactly how to develop your profile to get more eyes and more professional attention. Here are three perfectly good reasons why you should.
1. It’s the site for grownups
LinkedIn is the only social networking site that attracts more 30-50 year olds than the rest according to a Pew Research Study.
These are the bosses, the recruiters, the professionals who can elevate you to new heights in your career.
Additionally, 46% of internet using adults who have a bachelors degree or higher are on LinkedIn. That’s a huge percentage of the working population that you could have access to just by building a profile.
2. Get found
According to Leisure Jobs, Only 51% of LinkedIn users have a complete profile, and yet the site prioritizes completed profiles in it’s search algorithm.
In fact, it only shows profiles in it’s search results that are 100% complete.
That means you could be the perfect Juggling Argentinean Jedi for that six figure job, but you would never be found because you haven’t uploaded a picture of yourself yet. According to the social media site, just completing your profile will make it forty times more likely to be contacted with career opportunities. So why not?
3. Let Jobs find you
According to a study by JobVite, in their annual recruiter national survey, 87% of Recruiters use the site to find job candidates. That’s 32% more than recruiters who use Facebook or any other social media to find job candidates (but that’s still a good reason to make sure your Facebook profile pic doesn’t show off your navel too.)
A professional online presence is key to making your job search easier.
If you maintain an active and updated LinkedIn profile, you may not have to spend hours browsing job sites to find your next career move.
What can it hurt
Diving into LinkedIn is one of the best ways to improve your career opportunities and show prospective employers that you mean business. Spending an hour on your LinkedIn profile today with Leisure Jobs’ cheat sheet could mean a lifetime of better paying jobs. Fingers crossed.
Note from the Editor: The “Cheat Sheet” linked to above is *slightly* out of date, not taking into account the new layout, but the advice for cleaning it up is still solid.
