1. Put Yourself Out There
Assuming you already have a presence on LinkedIn, there are a few simple ways to use the platform to make yourself easy for hiring managers and recruiters to find you.
- Add examples of your work (i.e., presentations, articles, projects, videos) that show off your talent.
- Ask colleagues, former co-workers, and clients for recommendations
- Write and share interesting blog posts on your topics of expertise, which—if you have a point of view and strong writing skills—will get read, shared, and liked.
- Optimize your profile for keywords so that you’ll come up in search results.
2. Build a Social Media Following
Are there specific brands and companies you’re interested in working for? If so, follow them on social media channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Share their news with your own circle so they can see that you’re helping to spread the word about what they’re doing. If it’s a small company, there’s a good chance the social media manager will notice and follow you back. As per research, 52% of hiring managers are checking candidates’ social media presence before reaching out. So, be smart and use this as an opportunity to make yourself look smart and up on the latest trends relevant to your industry.
3. Connect and Reconnect, Constantly
Let’s not even call it “networking” because that has the word “work” in it and, really, building relationships with people shouldn’t be work at all. It should be fun. It should also be done all of the time not just when you need something like a new job (or someone to cat-sit for you when on vacation). If you lightly stay in touch with friends, colleagues, former co-workers, and others in your circle throughout the year, they’re more likely to reach out to you when they hear about a cool job opportunity especially at their own company, since bringing in good talent will make them look good (and probably score them a referral bonus if you get hired).
4. Find Recommendation
Speaking of which, often it really is all about who you know. A recent survey by LinkedIn found that 16% of employees were already connected to a person at the company before getting hired there, so having an ally inside the organization is a big advantage. Also, if you know someone or someone who knows someone at a place where you really want to work, let him know you’re interested and it may raise your chances of being approached when a relevant position becomes available. If you don’t know any employees, think about whether you have connections with others associated with the company, like a consultant, vendor, or client, who can help put in a good word for you.
5. Be Your Own Best Agent
Promoting yourself is not entirely comfortable for most people—mostly because it feels a lot like bragging. But staying top of mind and reinforcing your value is a great way to get noticed—and ultimately poached. Google yourself and see what comes up. That’s what a recruiter, competitor or HR person will see when he or she searches you. If your LinkedIn profile pop up first (and you have a custom URL), nothing can be more awesome than this.
