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Building Your LinkedIn Network – How to Build Your Career

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LinkedIn: it’s an unavoidable part of your professional life in 2020. With 575 million members and countless opportunities, you can’t afford to stay away, even if the notifications do become a bit much after a while.

Are you new to LinkedIn and wondering how to use it to your advantage? You already have what you need to get started. Here’s how to build your career using LinkedIn.

Create a Full, Engaging Profile

Your first stop is your profile. Your profile is public (unless you decide otherwise), and it’s easy for potential contacts and recruiters to find you both through LinkedIn and on Google.

Putting together a full, engaging profile is the number one hack for making the most from LinkedIn. You have a headline, summary, work history, and image to work with, which you can use to show off.

Do spend time building out your profile to create as complete a picture as possible for visitors. And if you are job hunting and want to be extra visible, use keywords related to your job title (or hopeful job title) to help stand out from the crowd. If you’re looking for a job as a Network Engineer, you might sprinkle in keywords like Network Communications Engineer or networking experience.

It’s a chance for you to tell your story in your own words — so make it a good one!

Join LinkedIn Groups

While you might use LinkedIn to search for jobs, there’s a whole world on the site that’s waiting for you. LinkedIn groups are a great place to start.

Join groups related to your industry, role, and career goals. But don’t stop there: participate in the group. Comment on posts. Share your thoughts. And don’t be afraid to send a direct message to get conversations going.

While LinkedIn groups are a great place to get talking, remember that you’re still in a professional environment. Act the same way you might at a networking event or conference and remember how you might portray your organization through your posts.

Accept More Requests than You Deny

“You have a new request.” You’ll get these emails more frequently than you might realize, and more often than not, and you might wonder whether to accept.

Only you can decide how and when to grow your network. But don’t be so hasty in hitting the decline button. New connections can lead to professional awareness, referrals, or even friendship.

So before you make a decision, check out the sender. They could be your next big opportunity.

Are you on the hunt for your next big opportunity? RightStone is placing qualified consultants like you with excellent employers. Get in touch to learn about the RightStone 360 process and see a list of current jobs.

Back in the Game – Relaunch Your IT Career in a COVID-19 World

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Whether you’re employed or looking to get back in the game, the current job landscape is full of uncertainty. Everything from where to how we work has been impacted by the last six months. But the uncertainty doesn’t mean that it’s not a good time to relaunch your career.

Here are a few tips for getting back in the game in a COVID-19 (and hopefully the soon-to-be-post-COVID-19 world).

Use Self-Analysis to Start

Everything around you has changed, and if you’re like most, some of your circumstances changed, too. So, now is a good time to check-in and re-establish what you’re looking for.

  • Are you able to return to your past roles?
  • Do you want to return to past roles?
  • What do you value from work now?
  • Do you need a flexible part-time option?
  • What would you compromise to get the right working conditions?
  • What supports do you need to transition back to full-time work? Do you have them?
  • Are you looking to transition to a new role or career?

Keep Networking

Who you know is going to be just as important as what you know when you re-enter the job market. But networking isn’t just about getting your foot in the door of a new opportunity. It’s also a chance to strategize.

By keeping up with the people in your network, you’ll know what’s happening in IT. You’ll hear more about the better places to work, what to expect from salary negotiations — and of course, about vacant positions.

Networking also includes reading. So, dive into industry and trade media to keep up with dier trends. Then, when you walk into your first interview back, it will sound a lot more like you never left.

Tailor Your Application and Transferable Skills

Today is not the time to send out 100 copies of the same resume. There’s a combination of huge pools of talent and far fewer opportunities to stand out in the process thanks to virtual recruiting.

As you apply for jobs that interest you, take the time to tailor your application to the role. Don’t worry if you aren’t a carbon copy of the job description. You can use transferable skills to make your application stand out.

Take the time to think about your skills and strengths and wield them to show recruiters what a strong candidate you are.

Consider Contract Freelance in the Meantime

Being stuck at home doesn’t mean you can’t re-skill and up-skill. Freelancing and remote learning are a great way to get this done. You can not only pick up new skills but put them to practice.

Plus, both options give you a chance to practice the skills needed for remote contract work, which was already growing before the pandemic.

 

Are you ready to get back out there and wondering if this is a good time to re-enter IT? RightStone is placing candidates like you right now. Get in touch to learn more about our current listings and how we pair the right client and candidate.