These 3 LinkedIn tricks may unlock your job search
If you’re a job seeker this season (or any season, really), you’re probably spending time on LinkedIn.
How much time is up to you, and how useful is often questionable.
We’ve all been there, we’re scrolling on LinkedIn, feeling like we’re working on our search, when in fact, we’re finding our energy waning, frustration mounting, and a fair bit of jealousy disrupting our flow.
But we have to be on LinkedIn! So what to do!?!
I hear so often from my clients the dread they feel when they open the tool, look up and find 20 minutes passed and they didn’t get anything done of substance. Feels a heck of a lot like being in motion-research mode versus action-doing mode a la James Clear.
Come over here. I have you. LinkedIn can be a powerful tool - when we use it like one!
Here are three tricks to make sure LinkedIn is serving you in a way that feels good and dare I say, helpful?!
Consider the titles and details for where you want to be, not where you’ve been
Work those “low-grade” connections!
Optimize your LinkedIn time for you and your goals
Let’s dive in.
These tips will be helpful for any job seeker who’s on the job hunt, whether they’re looking to make a career transition or attempting a career pivot.
1. Consider the titles and details for where you want to be, not where you’ve been
Three stories to share on this one. *No names are real and details are redacted because mind your business.
I was working with Ben*, who had been working for a smaller organization and had a flashy senior title with tons of fantastic responsibility. They were the “Head” of their division.
Now, they were looking to transition into a new role at a larger organization and getting zero traction.
The problem? Their title was too senior for what they were looking for now.
Leveling is incredibly tricky at different organizations. But if you know the title you’re looking for, and your current role would make you look extremely overqualified (even though you’re not overqualified, you’re simply a big fish in a small pond!), consider retitling based on what you’re looking for.
This title can be updated in your bio, header, and even within the role you played most recently.
And Ben? They switched their title to Senior, and went from total crickets to 10 inbound messages from recruiters in 3 weeks!
Or there was Tyler*, who had an ambiguous title that didn’t reflect the massive scope they were managing at their organization. At first they were hesitant to claim an executive level title. So before they did that, we first took a look at other past employees from the company with the same title structure. Spoiler alert: they all had coopted Executive in their title!
Now that Tyler knew it was a common practice to utilize the title that best reflected the scope of work they were able to demonstrate their massive expertise.
They went ahead and claimed the Executive Title that was rightfully theirs and opened doors to right-sized opportunities!
Amaya’s issue what that she had a massive generalist experience and was looking to tell the right story about what she could offer to her next employer.
She took time to reflect on the different functions she was delivering and updated her header to include those areas that she had delivered on, and wanted to continue delivering on!
Now, her LinkedIn profile highlighted the expertise that she wanted to nourish and grow in her next opportunity!
At the end of the day, recruiters and employers are using filters and making snap judgements based on limited information. And that’s when they’re not utilizing AI tools that are even more restrictive!
So to help them understand you’re the right person for the role they’re looking to fill based on your expertise and desired space to grow - change your title!
But what would your employer say?!
That’s the first internal response Ben, Tyler and Amaya had. So first they took time to consider what that would look like if they asked their old boss.
For Ben, he instinctively knew his boss wouldn’t mind a downgrade in title - who cares!
For Tyler, it didn’t even matter since they could see what other employees had done!
For Amaya, she didn’t change her title, only her header - and some bullets and SEO keywords within her profile to help recruiters - so she didn’t mind. She decided that if she had to go further, she’d be comfortable doing that.
Bonus tip: turn off notifications and updates in LinkedIn to tell people you’ve updated your profile
2. Work those “low-grade” connections!
LinkedIn did a study that found your weak acquaintances are better at making referrals, introductions, etc. Wild right?
So instead of hunting for someone you know incredibly well, (I could talk for hours on this - and have! Shoot me a note if you want me to speak to your crew!) look for a weak connection and utilize it.
Some examples of “weak connections” that you may share with someone who has access to a person or role that you’d like to referred to or have an informational interview with?
Went to the same school: undergrad, grad, prep school, etc
Have a connection in common on LinkedIn
Worked at the same company - even if it wasn’t at the same time!
Have the same cultural background
Have a similar interest or group: i.e. a LinkedIn group, a fraternity, an online course
Live or have lived in the same cities/towns/countries
Follow the same LinkedIn influencers - omg like meeeeee
That’s just a few ideas! You’d be shocked what people are willing to do.
See it in action:
Jason* got an interview because they reached out an alum - they graduated 10 years apart from each other, yet the alum sent along the referral in minutes.
Alyson* reached out to an old sorority sister that they hadn’t spoken to in 15 years who made an introduction!
Micah* was offered a call with someone who had worked at the same consulting firm as them - but 20 years ago.
It’s because they want to help. They love love love to be asked. It makes them feel good that they can share and assist.
When you reach out, you’ll make it as respectful and targeted as possible. A good rule of thumb is to include:
the connection point
quick blurb about who you are and what you’re looking for
the request: a 15-minute call to learn about their journey? an introduction to someone? a connection to discuss culture-fit?!
optional to add a longer blurb, resume, or link to your LinkedIn/website/portfolio!
Then, come prepared with questions and ideas for what you want to learn.
Want 25 questions for the informational interview which includes my favorite question? You can snag it here!
And don’t forget to thank them, follow-up, and always offer to help them, too! Who knows, they may have a role that needs filling and you know the perfect person to intro them to.
3. Optimize your LinkedIn time for you and your goals
Have you found yourself on LinkedIn for an extended period of time with nothing to show for it?
Yep, you’re not alone. Whether you love LinkedIn, or hate-read past colleagues new job announcements - it’s a tumultuous experience to be a passive observer!
I had a client, Jacob* who would find himself on LinkedIn for hours at a time and become increasingly angry and fatigued.
So instead, we developed the ideal schedule based on what worked for him and his brain. It looked like this:
Before he went on LinkedIn, he had to set a timer and an intention for his time on the site. He would be clear:
I want to spend 20 minutes searching for as many roles as I can find.
I want 1 hour to find 5 roles, and then either do a cold application or find a referral who may be able to help.
I’m going to research in these 45 minutes 10 candidates who have similar backgrounds to me and review how they’re talking about their experience, what their journey has looked like, and what I can learn from them
He planned when LinkedIn time would be in his day. Because he loved doing deep research, he’d do LinkedIn first, then “reward” himself with deep research in his area of expertise.
In addition, he performed an energy audit to see what gave him good energy boosts to find LinkedIn readiness!
Georgina* had a highly specialized approach to what she wanted to do next in her work. Because of that, she rarely saw job postings, and was frustrated. For her, she decided to only collect job postings on Tuesdays and Thursday, and spend the rest of her days networking and coffee chatting with super connectors.
Alternatively, you can also forgo LinkedIn entirely if you’re in a competitive landscape.
Sam* found that the roles they wanted often had 500 applicants before they got there. So instead of opening LinkedIn, they performed a google search every morning for new Greenhouse (a common recruiting and hiring platform) roles listed under their search words that were newer and had fewer applicants. Then they were able to be in the first 100 before recruiters hit fatigue!
At the end of the day, LinkedIn has a chokehold on the professional networking space.
But that doesn’t mean it has to have a chokehold on you.
So take your time to think about how you’re presenting your capabilities, who you’re reaching out to, and how you’re spending your LinkedIn moments.
Still struggling with this kind of stuff, or trying to figure out what you even want to be when you grow up?
Reach out. I offer 1x1 coaching for executive leaders and seasoned career professionals to figure out what they want work to look like.