Why LinkedIn is imperative for Veterans seeking civilian work
With the increasing numbers of veterans returning from duty, many face substantial obstacles to finding employment upon leaving the service according to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCCP). As of August 28, 2013 the OFCCP released updated regulations on employment of veterans increasing the opportunities available to them by federal contractors, that’s the good news because more jobs will be set aside for veterans.
As a veteran or any job seeker it is important to note that 97% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find job candidates and 77% of current job openings are posted on LinkedIn. Without a LinkedIn account, there’s no real way to compete with the 225+ million users. {CLICK TO TWEET THIS}
Obstacles to employment for veterans
- Outdated job search resources
- Translating military skills and abilities to civilian jobs
Tips for utilizing LinkedIn
Because as mentioned above that 97% of recruiters are using LinkedIn it is imperative that veterans take advantage of this social platform.
- LinkedIn offers a free 1 year job seeker subscription to every US veteran.
- Step one is to open a free LinkedIn account in your name, be sure to list your military service in your profile
- LinkedIn will upgrade the accounts of the US veterans who join the Veteran Mentor Network subgroup called LI Job Seeker Subscription (See image below)
- Once you have joined the subgroup, you will receive a message on how to upgrade your account for free
Benefits of a job seeker account
- Gives you access to jobs and data that job seekers with free accounts do not have access to
- Featured Applicant, Moves your job applications to the top of the recruiter’s list.
- Premium Badge, Stand out in search results with a premium icon on your profile.
- Salary Data, See detailed salary info for each job.
- Access to Job Seeker Group and Webinar, Get support and advice on landing your job.
- Access to “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” – See the list of people interested in your profile.
This is so valuable to see they types of companies looking at your profile based on your skills
and expertise.
Learning how to use LinkedIn to maximize results
Learning how to use LinkedIn correctly will maximize the results, here are a few helpful tips:
- Take a LinkedIn training class to learn how to properly set-up your profile from the start, this is well worth the investment in your time. Check with veterans groups or workforce development centers in your area for listings of training classes.
- Research how to translate your military skills to civilian job skills & use those skills as your keywords when developing your profile
- Be sure your newly researched key words are listed in your profiles: Title, Summary Section, Job Experience (list military experience) Specialties, Interests & Recommendations
- Personalize your LinkedIn URL with your name
- Create a summary section written in 1st person, explain what your skills are and who you could help and why someone should hire you
- Start to invite people to join your LinkedIn network that would be one of the following: a referral partner, some that would recommend your skills such as an officer you served under, someone in a company you may want to work for, other people you could network with to find a job. Remember, LinkedIn is not Facebook, we don’t collect friends here, we build a professional network of people who may be able to help us meet our professional goals.
- Join the many groups on LinkedIn for veterans and network! There are also companies posting jobs within those groups, so its a great resource for leads.
Hopefully this article provides some first steps to utilizing the power of LinkedIn. Please share this with a veteran you may know to help him or her with their job search.
-► If your company, organization or group is seeking LinkedIn training for veterans, please contact me for details on my training programs. joanne@girpromotions.com
