This document provides an overview of how to effectively use LinkedIn for job searching and networking. It recommends developing a professional personal brand and profile, researching companies and connections, joining relevant groups, applying directly to jobs posted on LinkedIn, and expanding your network by connecting with second-degree connections at companies of interest to access hidden job opportunities. The key is treating LinkedIn like a lifelong project and networking tool, not expecting overnight results, and focusing on gradual, step-by-step progress in engaging with the platform.

1. Eric Pye
Career Advisor
CMA Alberta / CPA Alberta Joint Venture
Effective Job Search Techniques
JOB SEARCH AND NETWORK
WITH LINKEDIN

2. • Develop your personal “brand” (brand = reputation)
• Research:
• Corporate pages and groups
• Online networking:
• Keep updated on people you know, and make new
connections
Why should you use LinkedIn?

3. • 332 million users, 10 million in Canada (Nov. 2014)
• 40% users access LinkedIn daily (Jul. 2013)
• 47% LinkedIn visits via mobile (Q3, 2014)
• 4 million corporate pages (Q3, 2014)
• Most popular features: People You May Know, Groups
LinkedIn Facts

4. • LinkedIn is a PROFESSIONAL network
• LinkedIn ≠ Facebook (although they look similar)
• Careful about personal opinions – don’t “vent”
• Don’t expect to be headhunted, but…
• 19/20 of recruiters “vet” job candidates on LinkedIn
• LinkedIn ≠ Networking (it’s a networking TOOL)
Things to Remember

5. • Your Profile
• Home Page
• Connecting
• Groups
• Job Search
• Expanding your Network
Overview

6. Your Profile
BANNER: PROFESSIONAL PHOTO & TAILORED HEADLINE
Photo: Headshot in professional attire with plain background.
Profiles with photos get 11x more views.
Banner: Focus on positives. Highlight specialties, and avoid sad-
sack terms like “in transition” or “looking for new opportunities.”

7. Your Profile
SUMMARY: YOUR SPECIALTIES, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS
Summary: Your value proposition (or the problem you solve),
experience and training, and call to action.
Guidelines: 1st person (3rd person is creepy). Use plain English,
and key words for searchability and impact.

8. Your Profile
JOB DESCRIPTIONS: CURRENT JOB (DETAILED)
Comprehensive: 6-10 bullets with similar level of information as
your resume. Give a clear idea of where you’re at in your career,
and the kind of duties you’re comfortable with.

9. Your Profile
JOB DESCRIPTION: PAST JOBS (LESS DETAIL, RECOMMENDATIONS)
Bare Bones: Job title, employer, dates, recommendations.
Motivate Contact: Encourage others to connect and find out more
by keeping an element of mystery.

10. Your Profile
SKILLS: HIGHLIGHT ABILITIES
Get found: Skills are searchable. Include technical, soft and I.T.
Ranking: Endorsements from connections get you ranked higher.

11. Edit Your Profile
EASY TO ACCESS: JUST HOVER OVER ITEMS IN PROFILE PAGE

12. Edit Your Profile
CONTACT DETAILS HELP OTHERS REACH YOU
Privacy worries?: Create a LinkedIn-specific email that can be
changed if needed. Leave other contact info blank.

13. Edit Your Profile
PERSONALIZE YOUR LINKEDIN URL (PROFILE ADDRESS)
Make yourself easy to find: The standard URL ends with a string
of numbers. Personalize your LinkedIn address with some
combination of your name, and add this link to your resume.

14. Edit Your Profile
ADD SKILLS: SHOWCASE YOUR ABILITIES
Standards: When adding, choose from suggestions in drop-down.

15. Edit Your Profile
RE-ORDER SKILLS: PRIORITIZE YOUR ABILITIES
Highlight: Give priority to (and raise profile of) relevant skills.

16. Your Home Page
• A one-stop “hub” for communication
• Similar to the Facebook home page
• Updates from contacts
• Job opportunities (based on skills and work experience)
• See who’s looked at your profile, and suggestions for
people you may know

17. Your Home Page
HEADER: NAVIGATION, UPDATES, CREATE CONTENT

18. Your Home Page
WHO LOOKED AT YOUR PROFILE

19. Your Home Page
GET UPDATED: COMMUNICATION, CONNECTION REQUESTS, PYMK

20. Your Home Page
SEE PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW
How easy is it to find
people you know
without a picture?
Selected based on
common
connections, skills,
job titles.

21. Your Home Page
GET UPDATED: SHARED NEWS, SUGGESTED JOBS

22. Connecting
• Connect with past colleagues, classmates and teachers
• Connect after a networking meeting or course
• Connecting has several advantages:
• Access to your contact’s network
• Updates on your home page
• Endorsements and recommendations
• Up-to-date contact details

23. Connecting
FIND A BUSINESS CONTACT ON LINKEDIN
Search Bar: Input what/who you want. Results in drop-down.
Categories: Results under Connections, Organizations, Groups…
Profile photo: Helps people recognize they have the right person.

24. Connecting
CONNECT OR FOLLOW FROM YOUR CONTACT’S PROFILE PAGE
How you’ll connect: Follow influencers without connecting (you
receive updates on your home page). Connect with those you
wish to maintain 2-way communication.

25. Connecting
THE CONNECTION WINDOW & DEFAULT MESSAGE
This is the default
connection request
message.
YOU won’t want
spam requests from
strangers.
So don’t “spam”
others.

26. Connecting
TAILOR YOUR CONNECTION REQUEST
A better way to
connect: Give
context to your
connection and
be specific with
your “ask.”

27. Connecting
• CAUTION!
• This is IMPORTANT…
• Be careful about connecting using your smartphone
• The LinkedIn mobile app now allows you to personalize
your connection request, BUT it’s not the default setting
(and it only works for 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections).
• To personalize, first go to the person’s profile page and…

28. Connecting
• Android:

29. Connecting
• iPhone:

30. Groups
• Build and maintain your reputation:
• Ask questions and learn from other group members
• Share info and articles, get known as credible source
• Find out about professional networking events
• Connect with other group members

31. Groups
FIND GROUPS IN THE “INTERESTS” MENU

32. Groups
JOIN GROUPS RELATED TO YOUR INTERESTS

33. Groups
POSTS FROM GROUP MEMBERS APPEAR ON YOUR HOME PAGE
See the original on the Group Page: Click the title to open the
original post and get more details.

34. Groups
ORIGINAL POST ON GROUP PAGE
Posts often
include links to
external content
(articles, info-
graphics, etc.)
There are multiple
options for
interacting with
the poster.

35. Groups
INTERACTING WITH GROUP MEMBERS
Options: Like or comment on the post, follow an individual
member, or REPLY PRIVATELY WITHOUT BEING CONNECTED!

36. Groups
ANOTHER WAY TO MESSAGE GROUP MEMBERS
On the group homepage, select Members list from the menu.
Note: Up to 15 messages per month to members outside your
network (all groups). Must be a group member for 4+ days.

37. Groups
ANOTHER WAY TO MESSAGE GROUP MEMBERS
Scroll or search
for contact.
Then, select
“Send Message.”

38. Groups
ANOTHER WAY TO MESSAGE GROUP MEMBERS
Complete your message as you would to a connection.

39. Job Search
• Job searching on LinkedIn is convenient:
• Find jobs and research companies
• Connect with recruiters
• Apply for jobs directly

40. Job Search
ENTER A JOB TITLE OR TOPIC IN THE SEARCH BAR

41. Job Search
USE FILTERING OPTIONS, AND CLICK LINKS FOR DETAILS

42. Job Search
DETAILED JOB POST, RECRUITER DETAILS, APPLY DIRECTLY
Cool Features: Apply for the job directly through LinkedIn, see
who the recruiter is, and potentially connect with him/her.

43. Job Search
SEE HOW YOU’RE CONNECTED ON THE RECRUITER’S PROFILE
Click through to
the recruiter’s
profile.
See how you’re
connected.
Ask your contact
for an introduction
before you apply.

44. Job Search
APPLY DIRECTLY, UPLOAD RESUME & COVER LETTER

45. Expanding your Network
• Coffee meetings (informational interviews) are important for
research, and for developing a strong reputation
• The majority of jobs available today haven’t been advertised
• Networking exposes you to the hidden job market:
• Impress with your attitude and creativity
• Get notified by contacts when new positions are posted
• Get referred/introduced by your contacts
• Overcome unspoken concerns (employment gaps, age,
language, lack of experience) and bypass ATS

46. Expanding your Network
• You need to meet and impress the people who influence
recruiting decisions
• LinkedIn can help:
• Find out who works in roles that interest you
• Learn how you’re connected to those people
• Leverage your contacts by asking for introductions
• Use coffee meetings to learn more about the organization
and department, and the best way to get hired

47. Expanding your Network
START WITH A COMPANY YOU WANT TO WORK FOR

48. Expanding your Network
RESEARCH ON THE CORPORATE PAGE

49. Expanding your Network
FIND OUT HOW YOU’RE CONNECTED TO THE COMPANY
1st degree: You know someone. Meet them!
2nd degree: Someone you know knows them. Click the number to
discover who can help you, and how you can get introduced!

50. Expanding your Network
CHECK YOUR 2ND-DEGREE CONNECTIONS
Filter by
location.
Search for
related job
titles and
departments.

51. Expanding your Network
FIND OUT WHO CAN INTRODUCE YOU
When you discover someone worth speaking to, see who your
shared connections are, and who can best introduce you.

52. Expanding your Network
Hi Kathy, I saw on LinkedIn that you know Sunil Mahashabde
at Suncor. I’m wondering if you would introduce me. I’d like to
learn a bit about Suncor and their recruiting department. If you
can make an introduction, please let Sunil know that I’ll only
need about 15-20 minutes of his time. I’m happy to meet
anywhere convenient for him, and coffee’s on me. Looking
forward to hearing back from you. Regards, Eric
ASK YOUR CONTACT FOR AN INTRODUCTION
Make it easy to say “yes”: Be clear about your purpose. Don’t
ask for too much. Most of all, don’t mention wanting to get a job
from the meeting (focus on information and learning). Then wait
for your contact to get back to you with email or phone details.

53. • Your Profile: Positive, detailed, but not too detailed
• Home Page: Your communication hub
• Connecting: Your online Rolodex
• Groups: Learn, share, build your reputation
• Job Search: Apply directly with LinkedIn
• Expanding your Network: Meet influencers and access the
hidden job market
Conclusion

54. One More Thing: The Gym Analogy
NO OVERNIGHT RESULTS. STEP-BY-STEP PROGRESS. JUST START!

55. Questions?
• For more on networking and LinkedIn, check the CPA Alberta
Joint Venture Career Services resource page at:
http://www.albertaaccountants.org/Services/Career-
Centre/Career-Resources