The old expression “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” still rings true in an Internet marketing! The “who” in “who you know” applies to social media connections. On February 17, 2015, we hosted a seminar on how to leverage the potential of social media to expand your network, and get hired. Design & Promote’s photography team even took professional head shots free of charge for attendees who were currently unemployed. Design & Promote is not hiring, but there are tons of other companies that would love to fill their open positions. 
Assuming you already have the skills you need to land a job, the barrier might be that you don’t have a strong LinkedIn profile. Let’s get started on improving your LinkedIn Profile!
Internet Marketing Tips: How LinkedIn Helps With Recruiting Candidates
Adweek recently reported that 92% of companies use platforms such as LinkedIn (93%), Facebook (66%) and Twitter (54%), for recruitment. Over 73% of recruiters said they have hired from social media, while 1/3 rejected applicants because of social media profiles. Only 36% admitted that they don’t use social media to recruit or hire at all. Since LinkedIn is the most popular site used by businesses, we will discuss some ways you can use LinkedIn to your advantage.
When companies find candidates, they will often view each candidates’ LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a massive database that can give insights about companies and employees. Also, companies post jobs on LinkedIn. Why not start your job search there?
Maximize Connections on Social Media
Social media network building is important, but career connections on LinkedIn are even more important. When you view a corporate page, look to see if you know an employee or someone on the management team. They may be in your circle of friends or acquaintances, a college alumni. They also might have other connections that they could introduce you to.
If you know this person, give them a LinkedIn endorsement or even write up a nice recommendation. You want to give them a genuine complement. They may look at your profile further and refer you to their colleagues in recruiting. Be careful, don’t just give anyone a LinkedIn recommendation, it’s best if you know them.
Add Keywords to Your LinkedIn Profile
A strong, successful profile helps you to stand out as a candidate is when you use the keywords recruiters are looking for. Include keywords in the headline below your name, in the experience sections, and skills section. This way potential employers will know your exact title and skillet. Examples: “Financial Advisor – Public Retirement Plans” or “Manager, Casting Division, Cleveland, OH.”
Description example:
“As a financial adviser at this company, I helped create and plan public retirement plans. With my expertise, I helped my department increase output of public retirement plans by 20x.”
Sell The Real You With Your Profile
Make your LinkedIn biography more engaging by mentioning passions, special skills, and accomplishments. The “Other” section is a great place for keyword-rich descriptions of awards and certifications. When describing yourself or former companies, stay away from passive voice and negative language. After you list your skills, aim to get “social proof”, or endorsements from former bosses and coworkers. This will boost your credibility with potential employers. Don’t forget to list your social media links and links to your blog or website. This is where interested employers might look for more information.
Aside from enhancing your profile with keyword-infused descriptions, some of LinkedIn’s other features can help you, too. You can join groups and take part in discussions or comment on blogs posted on LinkedIn. This can be a perfect place to describe work challenges and how you meet them or discuss how you give back to the community. LinkedIn can also lead you to local networking events.
Your LinkedIn profile should make employers think “I want this person on my team!”
To view the slides from our presentation go here: https://www.designandpromote.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Social-Media-For-Job-Hunters-Presentation.pdf