It’s 87 percent of your job search
According to The Jobvite Recruiter Nation, only 4 percent of recruiters don’t use social media in the recruiting process. Interestingly, Facebook is not the number one site that is searched. LinkedIn has that distinction, at 87 percent of recruiters looking a recruit’s profile when hiring. Don’t ignore your LinkedIn account, especially if you’re trying to get a job.
In a recent interview on Bloomberg Jeffrey Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, said that LinkedIn is increasing its focus on active job seekers. To do that, they’ve released an app specifically targeting job seekers. LinkedIn is changing its strategy to meet the demands of professionals.
What if you don’t need a job?
You might be perfectly happy in your position, but who’s to say you’ll still be in that position next week, next month, or next year? There are a lot of reasons you might be suddenly forced to change directions in your career. LinkedIn is the place to maintain professional relationships and keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. You may not need a job, but when you’re ready to look for one, having a presence on LinkedIn could be what gets you noticed.
Is LinkedIn passé?
If Facebook is the football star of social media, with Twitter as its prom queen girlfriend, then LinkedIn is the science nerd without a homecoming date. If you hate the desktop platform of LinkedIn, you’re not alone. It’s clunky and cluttered, and you just kind of wonder who in the heck designed it. According to Weiner, they have overhauled the desktop platform, but I’m not seeing it yet. I have seen some posts from friends about new things that LinkedIn is trying, and it does seem promising.
Although, I will say that the smartphone app is much better than it used to be. Whether you use an Android or iOS smartphone, the LinkedIn app has been updated to be more user friendly and efficient. Try it out. It’s much more streamlined than the desktop platform.
Give it another shot
We at The American Genius have been telling you that LinkedIn is not on its way out for quite some time. It’s added video content, and it’s a great place for news junkies. Don’t be left behind in the main professional network. Make connections, but be choosy. You don’t have to accept every connection that contacts you. (That works both ways, by the way.) If you do reach out to someone, send a personal note about why you want to connect. Share your expertise on LinkedIn. You may find it better than you remember.
