In recent years, the impact of LinkedIn has massively increased. It is now the first calling point for many professionals who wish connect with peers and influencers in their sector, and for hiring managers looking for potential additions to their teams.
This is especially true in the projects and change management industry, where short term contracts mean that professionals are always keeping an eye out for their next challenge. Is your LinkedIn profile optimised to compete with your peers?
"With over half of employers saying that they review candidates’ CVs prior to conducting an interview, now is the time for projects professionals to ensure that they are social media savvy," comments Ben Litvinoff, Associate Director at Robert Walters.
How should I use LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a useful tool for jobseekers who can review a wide range of opportunities in the market and maximise the impact of their professional profile, which acts as an online CV for potential employers to review.
Maintaining a good level of interaction on your LinkedIn account is particularly important for projects and change professionals, as the majority of peers will be actively using the social network. It’s worth joining industry groups and connecting with colleagues and other influential figures in the market.
How can I improve my LinkedIn presence?
1. Ensure you have a complete profile
While this may seem obvious, it is easy to forget as there are different sections to fill out in order for it to register as a ‘complete’ profile. You need to stand out from the crowd in order to impress potential hiring managers, and this means completing all sections with useful and relevant information. LinkedIn monitors your progress and will award you with ‘All-Star’ status when your profile is complete.
According to LinkedIn, users with 100% profile completeness are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities. This means completing:
- Your industry and location
- Current position with description
- Your education history
- Minimum of 3 skills
- A profile photo
- At least 50 connections
2. Optimise your profile contents for search
With over half of employers saying that they review candidates’ CVs prior to conducting an interview, now is the time for projects professionals to ensure that they are social media savvy.
Both search engines and LinkedIn's search function use keywords to find and display relevant results. It is important that your profile makes it clear what area of projects and change that you specialise in and contains the words and phrases that employers may use when searching.
It is worth using phrases such as 'LEAN SIX SIGMA BLACK BELT' or 'AGILE CERTIFIED PRACTITIONER'.
3. Engage with peers and industry leaders, and join discussion groups
LinkedIn is a great tool for connecting with projects peers that you have studied with or met over the course of your career. Consider commenting on their posts if you have something interesting to add, and join discussion groups relevant to the sector you practice in. By demonstrating expertise and joining conversations to get on as many radars as possible, you never know what opportunities it could lead to.
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