The job market is changing, so too are the means in which potential employers and recruiters search for candidates to fill their jobs. For the past ten years job seekers have turned to the internet to aid in their search. They have posted their resumes to the major job boards such as Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Dice, etc.

Then a few years back LinkedIn.com started coming up in the recruiting circles and has quickly caught on as one of the best free recruiting resources available. Now, companies can post jobs to LinkedIn.com, but if a recruiter has hundreds of connections and the know how to use the site, they can quite often find candidates without posting a job. The only negative to LinkedIn.com versus a major job board is that people can only find you if your are with in three degrees of separation or a member of the same groups. Additionally, users contact information is not displayed thus making it difficult for a recruiter/company to contact you.

With this in mind I would like to make the following suggestions to help you make the most out of LinkedIn.com in hopes it will help you find a job more easily.

1. Sign into LinkedIn.com or if you are not already member of LinkedIn.com go to http://www.linkedin.com and sign up. Signing up is FREE and easy.
2. The key to using LinkedIn.com is how you set up your profile and the information you display. Much like the major job boards the single most important field is the Professional “Headline”. The Professional “Headline” is the most prominent piece of information displayed on a users profile when a search is ran in LinkedIn.com. When a recruiter does a search of people in LinkedIn.com a list is generated. The list will show each matching user’s name in large bold blue font, then below the name is the Professional “Headline” in slightly smaller bold black text. The last pieces of information include is the user’s city/state and industry. User the Professional “Headline” as an area to display your current job title. Be very detailed and descriptive as I recommended in the previous blog about how to use Monster.com be very detailed and descriptive. Do not simply type Software Developer for your Professional “Headline” if in actuality you’re a C# ASP.Net 3.5, UI Developer with SQL 2008 experience.
3. Once you have given yourself a usable Professional “Headline” lets move onto the Summary area. The summary can be made into a goldmine of information for recruiters and will give them the tools to find you. For example: If you are currently unemployed, state that in the Summary area, along with your desire to stay/relocate, and provide contact information. As for contact information, if you do not want your telephone number open to all users that find you on LinkedIn.com. an email address will suffice. If you are guarded with you email address, then set up a Gmail account that you will only use when you are looking for a job. That way you get to keep your personal email account private.
4. Next, you have the Specialties area. In this area I would list any and all skill sets, certificates, and abilities. Put these items in a bullet point display so they are more apt to catch the reader’s eye. Items such PMP, PE, CPA, Big 4, CCNA, MCSE, IIBA, any thing that makes your unique should go in this area.
5. Last but not least the Experience area. The Experience area is where you list the jobs you have over the life of your career much like you would with a resume. Unfortunately a majority of users on LinkedIn.com simply place the Company Name, Title, and a brief or no Description of their responsibilities. Take advantage of this free online billboard and paste the details from your resume in your job profiles.
6. Remember the goal in finding a job is getting found! If someone can’t find you they can’t hire you.

If you are new to the job market or are a more experienced candidate, here is a tip that I guarantee will help your resume get noticed. I know this because I am recruiter and I’ve used Monster, CareerBuilder and other job boards.

The single most significant piece of information that you place into Monster.com, besides your resume, is what you “Name” of your resume. Now, do not confuse this with the name of the word file you upload to Monster, this “Name” is what you title your resume.

The “Name” of your resume is so significant because it is the largest, most distinct piece of information that recruiters, like myself, see when we search Monster’s database for potential candidates. When recruiter’s and employers search Monster, a list of candidates is generated providing your “Name” in a dark blue hyperlink while all other profile information is in basic flat black text.

Therefore, the “Name” of your resume catches our eye before anything else on the page and you can use this naming technique to your advantage.

For example, if you are an experienced CPA with SOX and Audit skills that previously worked for a Big Four consulting firm and now work at a global Fortune 100 organization with 10+ years of experience. I would “Name” your resume as follows:

10+ Year CPA, SOX, Audit, Big 4, Fortune 100

As a recruiter, I would click on that resume ten times faster than a bland resume with no detail or description such as “Jason’s Resume” or “Please Click Me”. You have less than a second to catch someone’s eye so be descriptive and make your resume stand out.

Now try it for yourself. Log into Monster.com and I will guide you through the steps.

1. Take your cursor and roll over the menu option “Profile & Resume”.
2. A drop down menu will appear with four options; Profile, Resume, Cover Letter, and Resume Writing Services.
3. Click on “Resume”. This will take you to the “Manage My Resumes” area where you are allowed to have up to five resumes. If you have a resume in the system you will see it listed on this page and the resume will have a “Name”.
4. Make the “Name” of your resume very descriptive and detailed. Your “Name” can be fairly long as shown in the example above.
5. Do not “Name” your resume “Jason’s Resume”. This duplicates information that is returned when recruiters and employers do a search for candidates. Other information that is returned during a search includes:
   • Most Recent Job Title
   • Most Recent Job Description
   • Most Recent Employer
   • Desired Status
   • Target Job Title
   • Highest Degree
   • Desired Job Type
   • Relocate