LinkedIn profile is key to success

Companies increasingly looking at social media site before resumés

In an increasingly competitive job market, recruiters and job seekers are turning to LinkedIn, the new job-hunting tool that’s fast replacing traditional resumés as the fastest route to getting hired.

“We’re trying to encourage people to boost their profiles to help with their job search,” said Kathleen Kahlon, a spokeswoman for LinkedIn Canada. “We wouldn’t even call it an online resumé anymore, it’s almost more essential than a resumé.

“If you’re applying for a job, an employer will look at your LinkedIn profile,” she said.

For Dorothy Keenan, a Vancouver career counsellor with her own company Future Works (fwt.bc.ca), creating a compelling LinkedIn profile is key for her clients. That’s because, while job hunters still need resumés, LinkedIn is often the entrée to a meeting or interview.

A resumé may list education and experience; LinkedIn is about building a professional brand — and the brand is you.

“It’s super powerful for job seekers,” said Keenan. “From the perspective of someone looking for work, I call it a Rolodex on steroids.”

According to a 2014 Social Recruiting Survey by the recruiting software company Jobvite, 96 per cent of recruiters use LinkedIn to fill jobs. LinkedIn, which has 10 million members in Canada and 347 million worldwide, says more than 30,000 companies around the world use the business networking site to recruit.

“I refer people to jobs that pop up on LinkedIn all the time,” said Sean Elbe, technology sector development manager for the Vancouver Economic Commission. “We feel the modern form of recruitment is social, which LinkedIn is a part of.”

Keenan said companies are flooded with resumés and often applicants find theirs aren’t even noticed. But LinkedIn provides a way to showcase skills and connect with potential employers.

“Sometimes it’s like putting your resumé in a big black hole — you apply for a job, send it to an email address and you never hear another word,” she said. “LinkedIn can open doors for you.”

It has opened doors for a number of Keenan’s clients, sometimes for jobs that weren’t even advertised.

One client, who was looking for a job in the biotech sector, connected on LinkedIn with someone he hadn’t heard from in 10 years. It turned out the newly reestablished contact had a company that had just been awarded a contract and the client’s skills fit their sudden need for a new employee.

Another client was looking around on LinkedIn for companies that did the type of big data work that he was interested in. Since the business social networking site can show who is looking at profiles, the company saw that he was looking, checked his profile, liked his skills and approached him with an interview offer.

Keenan said a client who was looking for work in human resources was approached by a recruiter from Toronto who saw her newly redone LinkedIn profile. The recruiter was hiring for a Vancouver company and Keenan’s client got the job.

“If you’re a job seeker and you’re actively looking, you want to promote skills and specialties that fit with the jobs you’re looking for,” said Keenan. “Your tag line is critical, recruiters will find it.

“Don’t put in ‘unemployed student and desperate’ in your tag line; that’s not going to get you a job.”

You don’t have to wait for recruiters to find you on LinkedIn. It also has job postings and will offer up suggestions for postings that fit your skills.

Keenan said it’s important to have at least 70 connections and joining groups geared to your professional interests keeps you updated both on what’s going on and potential opportunities.