The transition from student to employee can be a difficult one – especially in this economy. As December graduation looms around the corner, it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, especially when everyone seems to point out to you “just how tough it is to land a job in today’s market.” Believe me, they got to me too.
But…the class of 2010 has something most all before us have not. We are social savvy and that chatterbox mentality just may land you a job.
The most powerful tool in that box is LinkedIn and they have recently added a few new features to keep an eye on, as they too may be the key to landing that first job out of school.
- Trends. When looking for a job, I constantly checked to see how many people were looking at my profile or searching for me from day to day (this shows up on the right sidebar on your homepage). This new feature allows you to see a graph of your page visits and appearances in search over time.Checking this frequently might help you correlate why people are looking at you. Did you post a status update, add a job description or make a recommendation last week? Look to see if it caused a spike. If so, this is something you may want to focus on in the future.
- Jobs you may be interested in: Once you have listed your interests, experience and have started to follow companies on the site, LinkedIn will begin to show you personalized job results. An easy way to keep up with changing openings. Also keep in mind that LinkedIn’s jobs section is powered by Indeed.com and will allow you to not only see job postings, but also show you who your contacts may know at that company to help you land a job.
- Career Explorer: This feature is perhaps the most robust and interesting of the three, especially if you are still at a loss for what you may want to do after tossing your cap. Simply list your major, degree and industry and LinkedIn will begin to show you matching job titles, job openings and salaries and promotions associated with that job. As you move along, you are able to see how your career may progress over time through this path. If you find that path isn’t suited for you, you can start and save another.
If you aren’t on LinkedIn yet, or aren’t an active member, become one. It could be the first step in defying the naysayers and landing that dream job.
This post is the first in a series of posts since reaching the six-months out of college milestone. It’s a tough world out there, but that doesn’t mean your dream job doesn’t exist, it’s just a matter of finding the right fit. If you have any suggestions or advice for those beginning a search, please share via the comments or email me at kdennihy[at]gmail.com
