It isn’t uncommon for individuals to look at career changes more than once in their adult life. However, it can be difficult to convey your experience to a new employer when they have different expectations about your previous experience. The key is to determine your transferable skills and communicate them effectively. As the premier online business network, LinkedIn can be a great resource to help establish yourself for a new market. Here are three tips that can help improve your chances of being considered for a different career path.
- Make the most of your headline. When you view your profile page you see a headline at the top under your name. The default setting is your most recent job title, but that isn’t a requirement. Once you click to edit your profile an edit button will appear next to your headline and you are able to change it to reflect what you really want to be doing. Write a headline with authority but be sure you can back it up with your existing skills. For example, if you’ve been a nurse for 20 years but you’re looking to transition into office work go ahead and change your headline to read “Administrative Assistant.”
- Change your zip code. When a recruiter or hiring manager is searching on LinkedIn for a candidate they are focused on two specific pieces of information: job title and location. If you know you will need to move for a better opportunity use the zip code of that area for your profile. The lack of candidate mobility is one of the reasons for high unemployment in our country and if you are open to relocation then it would be useful to search in an area where there are many jobs in your desired field. Do this before you’ve moved to help get a jump start on the job search, but be flexible when a recruiter or hiring managers asks for you to appear in person.
- Connect to recruiters. The size of your network does matter, but so does the quality of your connections. Use LinkedIn as a way to connect to recruiters who specialize in your desired new field and add them to your network. Recruiters are using LinkedIn to find candidates so if you were to send an invitation they are likely to accept because they want a broad base of professionals who can fit their available positions.
Are you looking for ways to maximize LinkedIn for your career change? Contact Harvard Resource Solutions for more information today!
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