From the Battlefield to the Boardroom Podcast - Episode 33 - Leveraging LinkedIn in Your Job Search

With 500 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is the most powerful social network for building your personal brand and growing your network.

Nora Liles, a Recruiter at Orion Talent, joined this week's show to discuss the importance of LinkedIn and how to leverage the platform to find your next job opportunity, including how to let Recruiters know you are available, the top five tips for getting noticed, and what to avoid when using LinkedIn.

With 500 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is the most powerful social network for building your personal brand and growing your network. As a military job seeker, you might be new to LinkedIn, or maybe you need some insight on how to make the most of this social platform.

"LinkedIn has a really nice feature now to let Recruiters know you are actively looking for employment," Nora said. "To activate this feature, navigate to the Dashboard section on your profile, and under Career Interests, click the radio button "Let Recruiters know you're open.' You can even choose the types of opportunities that you'd like to be connected with," Nora explained. For active duty military members transitioning to a civilian career, this is a great tool that allows your profile to be higher on a search list, tells any companies that you are open to networking and interviewing, and is very critical in engaging with Recruiters, Nora stated.

Nora also outlined the five tips for getting noticed on LinkedIn, including first having an engaging headline. "A headline that highlights what matters to you, what you are looking for in a career, what you are passionate about, and emphasizing your transferable skills from the military will grab the attention of Recruiters and make them want to contact you," Nora explained.

Nora also advised on the importance of indicating that you are actively seeking employment and transitioning from active duty, whether through the Career Interests feature on the Dashboard, or through your headline. "If you are comfortable doing so, you can also provide your contact information, which will allow a Recruiter to connect with you faster," Nora added.

Make sure that all content is well-written, use spell check to avoid errors, and have a professional photo. "LinkedIn is a professional platform, and should be treated as such," Nora stated.

Lastly, Nora advised on the best practices to avoid when using LinkedIn, including posting any political content, volunteering personal information such as relationship status, children, etc., using military jargon, or even posting a photo of yourself in uniform. "By posting a photo of yourself in civilian clothes, this will show companies that you are ready to enter the civilian world," Nora stated.

Nora also warned against tailoring your profile to be specific to only one field, unless it is something that you are certain that you want to do. "Most transitioning military members don't know where they fit into the private sector, or which roles would make a good match. It's important to try to explore as many options as possible," Nora said. "The beauty of having military experience is the ability to adapt and switch roles easily, and you acquire so many skills in the military that can transfer into a variety of roles," Nora added.

Nora ended the episode with a reminder to keep LinkedIn professional, be respectful of other users and their opinions, and be open to connecting with Recruiters. "They are there to help you find an opportunity that will bring you closer to your career," she said.

Follow Orion to stay connected to job opportunities, insights, and advice for transitioning service men and women.