According to LinkedIn, 70% to 75% of jobs are never advertised. The figure is going to be even higher for senior roles with only 10% of executive level positions filled through advertisements on job portals.
A large proportion of senior folks land up with their dream role through networking & personal connects. It is wise to derive returns from the time spent on networking, building a professional network & a strong personal brand rather than focusing on endlessly applying for positions advertised on various job portals.
No doubt, old school face to face networking methods play an important role in building networks, however one cannot ignore online presence. LinkedIn is one of highly rated professional platforms with close to 600 million users as of Dec’2018. Further around 40% of its users are in upper/senior management (VP/Director/C-suites/Board of Management).
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that provides a base for building a professional network and personal branding, given that senior folks are really active & converge on the platform. However, lot of senior executives are unaware about the benefits of building a digital brand. They are not able to land with the right kind of opportunities through LinkedIn.
There are numerous reasons for not getting calls/shortlisted through LinkedIn. Sometimes it is potential employers & headhunters who do a poor & sub par research of matching job requirements with the ideal candidate. However, most of the time the candidate’s LinkedIn profile does not seem to be a potential fit due to lack of relevant information.
Here are some points which shall give boost to your digital executive brand :
- Your profile’s potential fit with your professional aspirations
Your profile should reflect a good match for the position you are targeting to apply. If you are targeting for senior roles, your profile should reflect the skill set, experience, leadership & strategic vision that are commensurate with the potential job requirements. Your comprehensive & optimized profile will attract potential employer’s attention.
Headline & summary plays an important role & potential employers & headhunters will do an initial evaluation by having a quick view of your profile. They are looking for a good match for the position they are scouting. Make sure that your experience, skill set, location, position & what you are exploring are easily visible & evident. Your headline should not necessarily include current/recent job title. Since LinkedIn allows maximum of 120 characters for headline, make sure that it is populated with your key strengths. Using right keywords & a perfect profile photo will enhance your chances of being shortlisted.
Similarly LinkedIn allows maximum of 2000 characters for the summary. Use them appropriately to showcase your career story, value you bring, & highlight your USP & benefits using optimized keywords. Articulate it in a crisp & clear.
LinkedIn is a perfect platform to showcase your broad range of skills, expertise, experience & key achievements. This means you should think beyond job description & include other non work related initiatives such as CSR activities, participation in seminars, speaker at different industry events, industry boards you sit, voluntary campaigning & pro bono consulting. Using related keywords will provide you a level playing field in getting match for potential opportunities.
- Keep your profile updated & engaging
Once you have built a comprehensive profile. Keep it updated & continue sharing valuable content through third party blogs, articles & relevant links to showcase your potential interests & increase the level of engagement from various interested stakeholders & industry leaders. Publishing your own blog on LinkedIn pulse will further help you boost your presence & position yourself as an industry expert.
- Laying your hands on LinkedIn algorithm
LinkedIn ranks your profile based on the quality of your profile, content you share/publish & your connection/network. It also considers level of engagement through likes & shares of your post/links/ blogs/articles.
- Subscribe to more groups
Become a part of groups related to your interest level. Improve your engagement & nurture your network by participating in various discussions. Showcase your interest level by liking, sharing or commenting on various posts. The more connections you have, the higher you would be rated & ranked over LinkedIn.
The Takeaway
LinkedIn is much more than online executive resume. It is an awesome tool to build your personal brand & networking tool that will ultimately help you in your job search initiatives.
In order to get your LinkedIn profile enhanced by an expert, hit the button below.
