In the current unprecedented climate we’re finding ourselves in, the rate of unemployment in Australia has risen exponentially, with the number of people out of work predicted to hit 1.4 million in the second quarter of 2020, the highest number in 30 years.
While some people are being kept in work thanks to the Government’s $130bn JobKeeper stimulus package, for those finding themselves with many extra hours during the day, the end of the lockdown period is a long way off in the distance.
Once the lockdown is lifted and the pandemic subsides (whenever that may be) there will undoubtedly be a fight for jobs, with many people wanting to get back into the workplace to not only start earning some money again, but to alleviate the boredom that will inevitably be induced by the quarantining measures.
LinkedIn is one of the most recognised social media platforms, targeted squarely at professional working people, and in Australia, around eight million people have an active account. That means recruiters and employers have an incredibly large pool of prospective employees to choose from when hiring for jobs, so to get yourself noticed, it may be time for you to revisit your page and give it an update.
We spoke to Joe Ryan, a Partner at Australian consultancy company 4Twenty, to find out the changes he would urge people to make to their profiles to give them an edge when looking for a new job.
Joe starts by telling us,
“LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful platform for us as recruiters, it’s like our Bible. And now with digitalisation, it’s everyone’s CV too.”
“It’s important that everyone on keeps their profile up to date and it has to mirror the hard copy of your CV as well.”
So as a quick side note, if you haven’t got a physical copy of your CV in a word document, that should be the first update you make.
“If someone comes through to our website to apply for a job, or they reach us through a platform such as Seek, not only do I look at the CV they attach to their application, but I look at their LinkedIn profile as well, to put a face to the application.”
When asked exactly what it is he looks for in a profile, Joe tells us,
“It needs to be up to date and with a recent, professional picture of yourself, and one where you’re smiling to make yourself look approachable.”
“Not only is your picture important, but what you write needs to read professionally and coherently, free from spelling and grammatical errors.”
LinkedIn offers a number of tools to help add weight to your profile, such as recommendations. These are statements written by other members that endorse you on your abilities to carry out the tasks your job requires. Recruiters can see them and help generate an idea as to the kind of worker you are.
Joe is an especially big fan of them,
“Recommendations are an important part of your profile too, and I always ask a candidate to write one for me once I’ve successfully placed them in a role. It only has to be a few words to say thanks, but it adds more authority to a profile.”
It doesn’t end there for your profile however as there are still plenty of other boxes you can fill with additional information,
“Not only do you want to list your previous work experience, but you should build your profile out by adding other interests, extracurricular activities and achievements to make it look as interesting as possible.”
“What I would also encourage people to do is to join as many networks, communities and groups that are related to the industry they’re working in as possible.”
“You can use them to build relationships with like-minded individuals and start conversations to grow your network and add credibility to your profile.”
So now you’ve heard from the experts – the ones who view your profile whenever you apply for a job – it’s time you used the extra hours afforded to you to make the necessary changes, to ensure you can stand out from the crowd once the pandemic storm subsides.