With an increase in the popularity of LinkedIn as a go-to-professional platform, it has surpassed other job portals like Naukri, Monster and Indeed, in facilitating the recruitment process. Thousands of jobs are posted on LinkedIn every day and we see that most of the jobs have hundreds of applicants within a few hours of posting, thanks to the “EasyApply” feature of LinkedIn. However, less than 20% of the applications are found relevant for the position and therefore screening through those irrelevant applications becomes a cumbersome task for the recruiter.
In such a scenario, how do you make your application stand out? What can you do to ensure that your application catches the eye of the recruiter? A few simple steps can lead you to your dream job.
1. Include the right keywords in your resume: Most of the big companies use the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which screens your application, even before it reaches a recruiter. Now, how do you convince a computational algorithm that you are the right candidate? It is simple, give it what it is looking for. It is important to include the keywords mentioned in the job description in your resume. However, just including the right keywords may help you convince the algorithm, but you need to prove your credibility through substantial proof in your resume to convince the recruiter. Well, this is all about resume curation, which is a topic for another discussion. All you need in this stage is to ensure that you have included the appropriate keywords in your resume.
2. Send an Email to the recruiter: Most of the job posts mentions the name of the recruiter/hiring manager who has posted that job. Reach out to them, and write them an email indicating why you are the right candidate for the said job. If you don’t have their email id, reach out to them through mutual connections or a LinkedIn message.
Pro tip: Make sure your message/email is crisp and to the point. There is a lot of content available on the internet on how to write cold messages/emails.
3. Ask for Referrals: Reach out to a mutual friend or someone who is currently working in that organisation. Ask for a referral from them. Alternatively, even before applying ask them if they can refer you internally for the open position. Internal referrals get more visibility than the applications that enter through an online job portal.
Pro tip: Connect with people in your dream company on LinkedIn, and make a personal rapport with them even before your application process starts. For eg., if you are in the first year of your Master's degree or the middle of your PhD, start connecting with people from the industry, and engage with their posts on LinkedIn, so that when the time is ripe, they can refer you to their organisation
4. Update your LinkedIn profile regularly: Make sure that your LinkedIn profile is updated with the right information that would support your job application. More often than not, once your application moves ahead of the initial scrutiny stage, the recruiters look at your LinkedIn profile to know more about you. It is important that you are connected to or following the industry experts from that domain, engage meaningfully with their posts, and post content relevant to the positions you are targeting. This will indicate to the recruiters that you have a keen interest in the domain and you already are knowledgeable in the field.
Pro tip: an updated LinkedIn profile is a continuous effort and it should begin much before you even start applying for jobs, but it’s never too late if you have already submitted and you work on your profile as soon as possible.
These are a few steps that will increase the possibility of reaching the interview stage. Applying for jobs is a tedious process and you need consistency to ensure that your application stands out. We often advise our students to have patience and put in the extra effort to get those brownie points. The competition is tough, the times are changing and it is important to equip ourselves with the right strategy. The age-old saying stands true, “Slow and steady wins the race”. Take the right steps and you will achieve your goals sooner. Metis Hive wishes you all the best in your job search endeavours.
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