×

How To Utilise LinkedIn In Your Job Search

Why You Should Use LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is known as a professional social networking site. LinkedIn has now almost 740 million members in 200 countries and regions worldwide with over 55 million registered companies. It is a known tool recruiters use to find the right candidate for a job.

Each connection on LinkedIn can introduce you to an average of 400 new people. This makes LinkedIn a useful tool in your job search!  

As a recruitment agency, we know how important LinkedIn is for job searches. We also know what to look for in candidates’ profiles. That is why we have put together all the steps you can take to utilise your LinkedIn profile to find a job. As well as explaining what recruiters are looking for in LinkedIn profiles.  

Up To Date Profile

Did you make a LinkedIn profile months or even years ago and have not updated it since? Well, now it is time to log back in and update your profile! If you already have an up-to-date profile, well done to you!

The first important step in making sure your profile is up to date is having a professional and recent profile picture. You should select a high photo – resolution and avoid distracting backgrounds. If you can, try and show your personality through the picture. Get your smiles ready!

Adding and maintaining a good LinkedIn profile photo makes you 36 times more likely to receive a message. Also, LinkedIn profiles with a profile photo receive 21 times more views than those without a photo.

Another benefit to a profile photo is people recall images much easier than text. Having a profile picture can make you memorable to potential recruiters.

You can also add your skills to your LinkedIn profile. There are many to choose from so if you want recruiters to notice you, make sure to have your best skills attached to your profile.

Utilise Your Headline

When people search on LinkedIn, your name, photo and headline are the only items that show up.

Therefore, you should update your headline to what you do or what type of position you are looking for. It is also important to include that you are seeking a new role in your headline.

For example, a headline could be ‘Technical consultant actively seeking ServiceNow roles’. Headlines like the example, are clear and will grab the recruiter’s attention.

Highlight Recent Experience, Skills and Objectives

You want to include your recent experience so that anyone who views your page can easily read it. Especially when you are engaging with your connections and trying to land a job.  

You should highlight your top skills in your summary section. You can also be specific about your accomplishments. Keep it short as you have space in your experience section to expand on your skills. This summary section helps you stay memorable and makes you stand out to recruiters.

In addition, you should also include all your current skills and objectives. This is so recruiters can see if you are the perfect fit for their role. Having your most recent experience and skills shows that your profile is up to date.

Build Your Network

Your connections increase your access to other connections. So, keep building your network!

One way to build your network is by looking for Alumni from your college or University. You can reach out to people who have a range of job roles as you share a common interest.

You can also build your network by being involved in LinkedIn professional groups. Search to find a group that is relevant to the job roles you are seeking. Be active in these groups! Comment on posts and like them, you can also show off your skills when commenting on the posts.

LinkedIn is great for posting jobs. You can follow Recruitment agencies’ LinkedIn pages and see their latest jobs. LinkedIn also suggests companies that might have a suitable opening for you!

Spend time looking through the job postings on LinkedIn and see which jobs interest you. Also, have a look through ‘People Also Viewed’ as it can lead to interesting job postings that you might not have found.

LinkedIn also has lots of information on companies and the staff that work there, this can help you be well informed in your job search.

Posting

We know this blog is very information-heavy!

To summarise it all, be more active on LinkedIn, keep your account up-to-date, and be authentic. Post any updates you have about your career or any articles you have written or read.

Interact with groups and others on LinkedIn. Remember the more you post and engage with others, the more you will be noticed by potential recruiters!

Good luck on your job search and if you are interested in roles that involve ServiceNow, check out our job listings page! Or get into contact!

Is It Time To Leave Your Job?

Deciding to leave a job is a significant moment in your career.

Naturally, we all go through periods of having exciting projects on at work which make us fall in love with our roles again; and times when finding motivation is harder.

But if the thought of the end of the weekend and another week in work fills you with dread, this could be a sign that something is seriously wrong.

Either you’ve outgrown your ServiceNow role, your workplace has become toxic, or you realise that your passions lie elsewhere in a different position or with a new company with different values. There are some signs to look out for which indicate that it’s time to look for a new job.

Deciding on a career move can be a daunting thing, and that’s why many people try to ignore the warning signs that they should move on.

Today, we share the six undeniable signs it’s time to look for a new job (and how to find one).

You Dread Going to Work

Everybody gets the case of the Monday blues. However, if you do not look forward to going to work or anything work-related, it might be time to quit.

Have you found yourself stopping off for a coffee to delay getting into the office; have you started taking the longer route to work; does the thought of work in the morning keep you from sleeping at night?

Of course, many more of us are working from home now, and so the physical act of going to work might soon become a thing of the past in many roles.

But this feeling of dread can become present in morning Zoom meetings, when you’re on a conference call or any time work-related messages pop-up on your screen.

A sense of dread when you think about your job is not normal – if this is happening to you, it’s time to make a change.

There will be a job in the market that will excite you! It’s time to find that role rather than dreading going to work in your existing job.

There Is No Advancement

Have you been at the same company working the same position since you first got the job? If there seems to be no advancement for your career in your current job role, it is time to start looking elsewhere.

Most people will have a promotion or a change of job title within 4 years of working in their job. You want to commit your time and energy to a company that will support the growth of your career. If this is not the case, and you feel stuck in your career, you should look elsewhere.  

You Are Not Learning

Your job should challenge you and improve on your core skills. As well as providing you with the opportunity to learn new ones.

There should be opportunities where you are learning, for example, signing up for a course or asking to be involved in new tasks or projects.

If these opportunities do not exist in your current job, it is a sign that the company is not serious about investing or nurturing your career development.

You Fell Disconnected From Your Role

High employee engagement is a characteristic of all excellent employers.

Great ServiceNow employers will ensure that you have the right amount of work to do; that you’re not overworked or frequently find yourself with few tasks and unsure what you should be doing.

You should feel a passion and drive for your role, and a connection to your team and your employer which makes you want to give your best to the job – it was probably there when you applied for this position.

But over time, inadequate management can lead to employees feeling disconnected and then eventually stop caring. It is hard to find enthusiasm for your role when you have become disconnected. Will you ever trust that your employer truly cares about you even if things change in the short-term?

You are procrastinating

It is normal to procrastinate when working. We are not productivity machines!

However, if you find yourself procrastinating most of the day it means you do not find your job engaging. In this case, you need to consider whether your job is a good fit for you.

You are Taking Extra Sick Days

Taking extra sick days, or taking holidays simply to get away from your job is a sign that something is wrong.

It is estimated that 12.7% of all sick days are taken due to mental health problems, which can often be attributed to your current role in the first place.

If your mental health is being affected due to your job, first speak to your manager. They have a duty of care to you to ensure that your position is not causing you harm. Sadly, if the problems are out of your manager’s control, and they continue, it might be time to look for an employer who has an excellent wellbeing reputation.

Negative Work Environment

A negative work environment is toxic.

Having a great relationship with your boss and your colleagues is never a given in any role. It’s always a nice added bonus when you find a role you love, and you get on with your team.

But negative relationships with the people you work with every day can quickly become draining, and they can turn a once dream job into a nightmare situation. If your co- workers are constantly complaining and your boss is unhappy or unfair in the treatment of workers, it is hard to be happy. A pessimistic atmosphere can also kill your passion for your job.

There should always be avenues you can explore before it gets as serious as leaving for a different company, but sometimes that’s what it takes.

Toxic workplaces are sadly more common than you might think. Although your job might look great on paper, if your boss regularly puts you down, and the atmosphere in the workplace is continually negative and is holding you back from success in your job role and your whole career, it’s time to find a company where you not only feel fulfilled but also happy.

You are being recruited

Are recruiters reaching out to you with job offers?

Offers that include room for advancement and a better work environment? It may be time to explore these new job opportunities and start applying.

You’re Being Underpaid

48% of employees feel that they are underpaid for the work they do – does this sound familiar?

When you start a job, the expectations might have been clear. What commonly happens in ServiceNow workplaces is that over time, and as you become more experienced within the organisation, you are tasked with more and more duties.

And your remuneration rarely increases with the amount of extra work you are now expected to do.

It might be a simple case of your manager not realising how much extra outside of your role you are taking on – but this again is poor management on their part.

Suppose you are increasingly given extra tasks or are performing managerial duties and your employer tells you that you are not going to be paid any extra for it. In that case, this is a sign that your employer is taking advantage of you.

Not all ServiceNow employers behave like this – now should be the time to find one who doesn’t.

Suffering Health and Personal Life

Job stress and dissatisfaction can lead to insomnia or depression. That is why it is important not to sacrifice your health for a job. If you are miserable when you come home due to your job, you should start looking for a new job.

You Feel Undervalued

Aside from being paid a fair wage for the work you do, it is also important that you feel emotionally valued and supported by your manager and your colleagues.

Signs that you are being undervalued by your current employer include:

  • your work is overlooked
  • your performance and pay reviews are continually pushed back
  • you’re not trusted to have autonomy in your role
  • those around you are promoted, and you get left behind

Being undervalued can be a sign that your current employer is not going to support you in your career and that things are unlikely to change. Unless the entire company has a management shake-up – but you don’t have to wait for this to happen.

Next Steps and Advice

Many people stay in roles that are making them severely unhappy and impacting on their mental health because they believe there is no other option for them.

The truth is there are always other options; you just might not know where to find them – and that’s where we come in.

Speak to a dedicated recruitment company they will be able to offer advice and options. They can put you in touch with new potential employers and organise interviews for you. It is good to have another job lined up before quitting unless you want a break between jobs.

Our advice is not to burn bridges at your current job. Do not vent to them about the reasons you are leaving or show your anger. You should simply state you are leaving to seek new opportunities.

If you are looking for new opportunities in ServiceNow, visit our job listing page or get into contact! What are you waiting for?

Let's get started

Talk to one of our consultants todays, if you're looking to register a vacancy and apply for a role.

Upload your CV

Submit CV

Name(Required)
Max. file size: 2 GB.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.