It’s easy to invest a lot of time and effort into online networking. Literally hours of your day can be spent trolling through LinkedIn for contacts and fine-tuning your profile.
But, like everything life, this time spent comes with a cost. Is the time you are spending on LinkedIn worth it? How can you tell if this time spent is paying off? Is the return on your investment high or not up to par?
Here are 3 ways to tell:
1. Your “profile views” and your “search appearances” have increased.
When you view your own LinkedIn profile, the “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section on the right-hand side of your screen provides data on the people who have recently viewed your profile.
If you click on this section, the “How Many Times You Appeared in LinkedIn Searches” data is available. This set of data shows how often your profile is returned in a LinkedIn search made by someone else.
If both numbers are trending up, this means that your LinkedIn profile is circulating well. Congratulate yourself because you:
- Have built up enough connections, groups and activities
- Have selected appropriate keywords and they are doing their job for you.
2. Your profile views are from people in either your current industry or your target industry.
When your LinkedIn strategy is working, the people begin to view your profile are relevant to you – your industry and your career path. The number of potential connections who have no association to you and simply want to use your profile to build their 500+ count network will decrease.
The number of potential connections who share your same industry and/or career path will increase. In other words, your LinkedIn presence is not just reaching people – it’s reaching people who matter to your successful career progression.
3. People are looking for you on LinkedIn.
At some point, you’ll see the table start to turn on LinkedIn. Rather than you initiating all connections and interactions, you’ll become a looked-for online contact. People that you meet in person will ask to connect with you via LinkedIn. People who share connections will seek you out and ask to be in your network. Congratulate yourself again, because your profile has been written correctly to be stellar stand-in for you during the 24/7 networking event known as the Internet.
When people are reaching out to you, opportunities are not far behind. However, opportunities do not necessarily mean jobs. People could reach out for networking opportunities, referral requests and simply advice.
Additional Strategies
While your LinkedIn job search strategy may be in the elementary stages, here are some tips for advancing your search.
- Join LinkedIn groups. LinkedIn groups are meant to be an open forum for discussion. Join groups within your industry and local market to share valuable information and participate in discussion. By actively participating in discussion you will be able to present your knowledge and expand your network.
- Follow companies. Follow companies that you may be interested in working for. You will then be able to stay up-to-date on company news, open jobs, and skills and backgrounds of current employees.
- Add to your profile. LinkedIn now allows you to upload files and URL’s on your profile. Show off your work and expertise. By uploading projects, presentations, or even video, you are adding an additional element to your profile.
Networking takes time, and online networking is no different. Momentum needs time to build; it is not instantly created. So keep at it, and in the interim visit Job Store Staffing®. We understand online networking and have the resources you need to stand out from the crowd. Send in your résumé today, and let’s get started.