Peter Jones, founder and CEO of specialist recruitment agency Foyne Jones, says don’t forget the power of LinkedIn for your job search and next career move.

This month I want to encourage everyone in the industry to realise that regardless of job title or career aspirations – if you have a LinkedIn profile, you can put yourself in the driving seat.

So the next opportunity comes to you, in your job search, instead of ‘waiting for the right job to come along’.

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What am I talking about? Well, every recruiter and head-hunter worth their salt uses LinkedIn as a valuable tool for researching and approaching new candidates.

Now, this professional social media platform has nearly 740 million users.

Build a brand

For those of us who can remember life before the internet when we poured blood, sweat and tears into making job applications using the best A4 paper and envelopes we could afford, the idea of creating your own brand and content might have sounded a tad self-important.

I get it. I love connecting with people and I love my job, but I know that taking a risk and putting yourself out there when you try something new is daunting.

Ironically, we’re all terrified – as fear of public speaking is one of the world’s most common phobias, but it’s up to you to change convention and take a chance on you.But don’t hide your brilliance.

The KBB industry needs your talents as we rebuild together and although you might take some aspects of your skills, talents and personality for granted, they are hugely valuable so don’t deny them in business.

I truly believe we all bring something to the party and life is too short to play safe.

Be brave, bold and proactive and see your LinkedIn profile as your digital co-pilot in your job search.

Plan your content

It can be a living, interactive showcase of your skills and expertise, as well as give you valuable insights in to your industry and a space to network and connect with likeminded people.

It really can be great fun, extremely rewarding and will open you up to all kinds of new opportunities and resources.

Remember, social media platforms thrive on new content and so my advice is to have a clear plan in place on how to promote yourself, making sure your presence is known through considered posts, comments and new connections on a regular basis.

Seek and show specialism

If you have a specific specialism, make sure to follow industry hashtags and notice what is trending so you can engage with the content by commenting or reacting with a simple ‘like’.

Additionally, you can use this research to inspire your own content, giving you the opportunity to offer individual opinion and the ability to reply to any direct messages or comments personally.

In terms of volume, I suggest no more than three posts per week initially. But in order to gain the most interest make sure to change up the format of your content and consider not only text, but also video, images and documentation.

If implemented, you will start to notice an acceleration in profile views and so LinkedIn Analytics is an area of your profile that you should be systematically monitoring each month.

You can also look at what content is getting the most engagement and establish a formula that works for you by creating a weekly plan of what to use, when to post it and how?

If you ‘keep it simple’ by scheduling a daily, weekly and monthly focus on LinkedIn, you will be engaging with real-time content, in your target market or industry niche, at the same time as raising your profile in an organic way.

Don’t hide away, it’s your time to shine!

Read Peter’s Jones article and watch his video on creating the perfect CV.