At the most recent Quarterly Event, we had a hands-on experience learning about our personal LinkedIn Profile and the many applications on our phone that we don’t have on our desktop. I want to take a minute to thank Bruce Bixler for leading the meeting, and Expedia for hosting.
Bruce started off the meeting by stating simple facts about how much our society uses the smartphone. “On average, users spend more than five hours a day on their smartphones and 60% access LinkedIn through their smartphone.” With the average user using their phone more than their desktop, it’s no wonder that the mobile version has more functionality.
Bruce showed us a few of these hidden gems on the phone. We learned how to Sync Contact and Calendars under Account Settings, how to mail someone directly, and how to get adds and connect with jobs that are relevant to our job search. My personal favorite was the Find Nearby application. This will connect you with everyone attending the meeting or event if their Find Nearby app is on. What a great way to network and connect with your fellow peers.
We then discussed how to get your resume to the top of the list when searching for new opportunities. These are a few things that Bruce suggested everyone on the hunt should do.
- Always have your status active for all to LinkedIn members to see.
- Grow your network and connections by simply liking, commenting and posting 4-5 times per week.
- Always list Skills. List skills in every job, redundancy
- Let recruiters know you’re open to opportunities. If you don’t want your current employer to see this, and they have a recruiter on LinkedIn, best to keep it off.
- Manage your privacy by choosing whether you want someone to see what you have been viewing. This can be a great tool if you’ve been researching the company you would like to work for and certain positions.
- Always lead with your email on your description. Only 1st-degree connections can see it and most recruiters only glance at your LinkedIn profile for 8 seconds.
I’d like to thank everyone who attended the meeting and braved the cold. There are so many functions on LinkedIn that can help shape your job search. Bruce identified many key applications and ideas. Thanks, again, Bruce for guiding us through the LinkedIn App. If you are interested in learning more about what was discussed, check out the slide deck here.