Our nation’s veterans do incredible things to ensure the safety of our country and our way of life, so it is only fair that they get to succeed in their professional lives after they leave the service. The good news is that there are many tools and tactics that veterans can use to network and find a job that suits their skills, and LinkedIn is one of them. There is a good reason why many people use LinkedIn to meet people and find jobs, and today, we will tell you about the perks and how you can take advantage in order to find your dream job.
Why Use LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is the place where professionals go to make meaningful relationships and land jobs that they can’t always find through traditional means. Currently, there are 300 million members on the site, and it is used by over 90% of recruiters. This places LinkedIn above other social media sites for job searching.
The folks at LinkedIn care so much about the veterans who serve our country that they offer exclusive programs that can help you reach your goals. Among them is the opportunity to get a free premium subscription, which offers more visibility and the chance to take thousands of courses on a large variety of subjects that could help you in your current or future job. There are even courses specific to learning how to make the transition from military to civilian employment.
The best part is that LinkedIn is incredibly easy to navigate and use, even during short spurts on your tablet or cell phone. Once you create your profile, upload your resume, and provide details about the specific types of careers you like, you will get daily or weekly emails loaded with available jobs that you can apply to with a few clicks.
Create a Complete Profile
In order to be successful on LinkedIn, you need to create a complete profile. There is where you talk about yourself, your skills, your goals, and what you hope to achieve for your career. By adding keywords and phrases, companies, recruiters, and other users can search for you, and it could lead to a new professional relationship or job.
You should start by adding a professional photo of yourself. You can take this in professional attire or your military outfit if you believe that will help your particular career goals. Whatever you do, make sure that you look your best so that when people come to your profile, they can see that you mean business.
Next, you need to complete all sections of your LinkedIn profile. Essentially, your profile is like your resume. You add your past experience, skills, and desired position. You can also add referrals from other employers.
Along with your headshot, the other essential section that you need to fill out on your profile is your headline and personal statement. This should be short and sweet, but the idea is that if a recruiter only reads this one sentence about you, they should be intrigued enough to want to keep reading. Your headline could include a prominent skill, certification, or accomplishment relevant to your desired position.
For the rest of your profile, you will add your job history, skills, and referrals. Remember that you will only get out of this what you put in, so take your time here. If you have a lot of past experience, then you may want to pair your profile with a professional website that shows off your achievements and positive reviews of your past services. You can then add a link to this website to your profile. If you don’t know how to make a website, then consider web design classes, where you can learn how to create a site from scratch and add text, graphics, and other interactive elements. Then, you can also add your web design skills to your LinkedIn profile.
Join Groups
The other great thing about LinkedIn is that it allows you the opportunity to join groups where you and other like-minded individuals can talk about your goals or refer each other to potential jobs. In addition to helping you to find industry contacts, connecting with a positive group online is also good for your self-esteem and mental health. When you are with people who want to build you up and help you succeed, it can be incredibly fulfilling. Plus, if you become friends with these individuals, then you could meet outside of work and talk about other topics outside of the job hunt, like your military service.
There are many different groups that you can join. While there are groups related to your particular job or industry, there are also groups specifically made for veterans, including the Veteran Mentor Network and others. You can search for more groups in the top left corner of LinkedIn. When you find one that catches your eye, follow the group or register, and you could find a whole new support group.
When you do join a group, the first thing that you should do is introduce yourself and explain why you want to connect. This paragraph could include your experience in the military, the work you did, and what you hope to achieve by joining the group. You can do the same thing when you find individual people that you want to connect with on the platform. Explain what you are all about and then ask to connect. You never know what could come out of this new relationship.
As you can see, there are many perks of joining LinkedIn, especially for veterans who are looking to make the next big step in their careers. Consider the tips discussed here, and you can find the job that you desire.
