By Gordon K. Sattro
We are always conscious of how we look and how we present ourselves when we are looking for a new job. When searching, we carefully select the jobs we apply to, we press and prepare our interview attire, and we constantly rehearse our answers to interview questions. All of this is crucial to landing your next job, but there is something else of equal importance that is constantly overlooked by the job seeker: their online web presence. This is exactly why Legal Authority now offers LinkedIn® optimization.
This new service came after much reflection on the job market and, with the help of the Employment Research Institute, we now have the Legal Authority LinkedIn Optimization program. LinkedIn® Optimization is a growing industry where some companies charge $1000 or more to “optimize” your LinkedIn® profile. As we are concerned with getting the best results for our candidates we decided to break-in to this new market as well. However, in contrast to other companies that provide this service, we opted to provide this service, free of charge, to all of our past clients and to all of our future candidates at no additional charge.
Now comes the real question on everyone’s mind. Why?
Why is it important that your LinkedIn® is optimized? Well, there are a few reasons:
- Controlling Google’s ® Search Results
Potential employers are “googling” (yes, it is now a verb) their potential interviewees now more than ever.Prior to receiving a call to come in for an interview, potential employers are seeking to gain as much information about a candidate as possible. The best source of this is via Google® so the question is:What comes up when your name is searched?If you have a LinkedIn® account, your profile will be among the first results. This makes it all the more important to optimize your LinkedIn Profile to make certain that your first result online is the one you want.
- Recruiters areon LinkedIn
With fees upwards of $720 per month, recruiters are paying a considerable amount of money to find the right candidate online. This means that if you do not have an optimized LinkedIn® profile you will not be viewed by a legal recruiter. Your LinkedIn® profile is the first and ONLY impression you will have with a majority these recruiters, meaning that the best opportunity could pass right by you if you have not optimized your profile.
- Strengthening Networking Connections
When you are out networking at mixers, CLE events, or alumni dinners you receive a lot of business cards. Following-up is always important, and for those key networking connections you need to build a strong relationship. The first step in doing so is by connecting via LinkedIn®. As a source of managing connections and maintaining constant contact with those you once met, there is no better source online than LinkedIn®.
- Marketing Yourself
We preach this so often that many take this as a given, but marketing yourself is something you must do constantly. The key to securing a job is all about your marketing approach. If you are marketing yourself as the person you want to be, you will see a notable increase in interviews and opportunities for new employment. With LinkedIn®, you can summarize your career and aspirations in a way that no other source online allows you to. The key to marketing is the narrative that you put forth.If you control that narrative then you control the conversation. Optimizing your LinkedIn® puts you in control.
If you have not taken the time to set-up your own LinkedIn® profile, or if you have been neglecting the one you have, you need to make 2014 the year you optimize your profile. As I say on my LinkedIn® profile, “Understanding translates into fewer missteps, and missteps cost a fortune.” Ask yourself how many missteps you have taken with your marketing approach and what you can do this year to change it.
If there is one thing that I would hope you take away from this article, it is the importance of establishing and maintaining a LinkedIn®profile. Come back next week for a few tips on how to optimize your profile for your job search. Until then, happy hunting!
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