How LinkedIn can help Engineers with their job search

LinkedIn-job-search

CV advice, job advice, linkedin, recruitment, skilled migrants,

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LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for civil engineers looking to enhance their job search and professional networking.

You might increase your chances of landing your next engineering employment opportunity if you invest some time into using social networking through LinkedIn:

  • Make yourself visible to recruiters, hiring managers, or other decision-makers within the companies you would like to work for.
  • Develop and showcase your own personal brand by highlighting your skills, qualifications, interests, and endorsements.
  • Connect with other professionals in the same industry.
  • Demonstrate to employers that you are aware of the importance of networking and are proficient in the use of current social media technologies.

How to write a great LinkedIn Profile

The most important step you need to take is to make sure your profile is complete. The key parts of your profile are:

Your photo

As the famous saying goes “A picture is worth a thousand words.” In  Australia, this might be even more important than in European countries since Australian CVs should not contain the photo of an applicant.

For a recruiter or a hiring manager, seeing what you look like is made possible through social media. Everyone likes to put a name to a face! However, a bad photo on LinkedIn might do more harm than good.

Our advice: Have someone take a lot of pictures of you when you are dressed up for an important family event or a work function so you have a selection of photos to choose from. Ask a friend which one they like the most.

Your headline

Who are you? What is your profession? Are you a Civil Engineer, a Designer, or a Surveyor? Getting this part right is important as your job title works as a keyword. The more specialized and unique keywords you have, the more chances to be found by relevant contacts.

Here you can also include the name of your current employer:

Civil Engineer at XYZ Company, Pavements

Civil Engineer at XYZ Project, Civil Infrastructure

Your location

Make sure that this part reflects your current location, especially if you have just relocated to Australia or New Zealand from another country.

Very often recruiters will only look at your headline before requesting a CV and if they see you are not physically in the country, they might not consider your profile.

Your summary

This part doesn’t need to be very long contrary to what most people think, but you should be able to summarize what you do and what you have to offer to potential employers. When writing this part, imagine that you are trying to convince someone to hire you.

Tips on making your profile stand out

Try getting recommendations from your professional contacts. Join professional associations or organizations relevant to your field of interest. Participate in group discussions/forums to provide valuable commentary and opinions to raise your profile.

Add photos, videos, or presentations of your work

Humans are very visual and are instantly drawn to this type of content. Follow and like companies and brands you would like to work for. Following their content on LinkedIn also gives you more information about your potential employer and this information might help you stand out at an interview.

Use LinkedIn regularly

This will allow you to get a feeling for the industry, understand which of your contacts are valuable, and draw attention to your person. Try to post at least 2-3 times a week.

Your behaviour on social media matters!

Social media use can really help with your personal branding…or it can destroy your reputation. Be vigilant with your content.

Although you might not get many likes when you publish an article, rest assured that people are paying attention. Before hitting the ‘Like’ or ‘Share’ button ask yourself how this will reflect on your personal brand.

Do not spam people. There is nothing worse than a job seeker who keeps asking for a small favor every week!

Finally, Google yourself to see what comes up as some recruiters like to dig deep before interviewing job seekers.

Do not badmouth other people or employers on social media

Thanks to social media the world is becoming a small place and your negative comments might travel far and grab the attention of your future employer. Recruiters might not want to have anything to do with you if you seem to be difficult to get along with.

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