99% of the professionals who I coach for job search success find it a challenge to write engaging posts on LinkedIn. While writing blogs/articles is an art and requires time and effort, short posts are manageable in spite of the paucity of time for job seekers and are as effective.
LinkedIn posts are a good source which contribute to building your brand equity and I encourage job seekers to find time to actively engage in it. Let us take a look at what are the advantages of posting appropriate content on LinkedIn:
a] Passive promotion: It is an opportunity to showcase your area of expertise by sharing your learning during your career span. Most importantly, it allows you to do so without coming across as some kind of desperate job seeker. It helps in building your executive presence online.
b] Top of mind: You remain top of mind amongst the prospective employers.
c] Builds relationships: It improves your network and becomes easier for you to reach out with relevant connections and develop relationships rather than simply have numbers.
d] Improves network: Many of your past bosses, colleagues and team mates start getting updated about your career status and can act as influencers with prospective hiring managers.
So how does one go about creating engaging posts which can supplement your job search activity ? While one has the option of creating interesting posts using many subjects, let me offer you the following guidelines which are simple to follow and can serve as a good starting point:
1] List of achievements: Draw a vertical line in the centre of a blank A4 size paper. On the left hand side, list down all your achievements throughout your career span across tenures.
2] Approach/Strategy: On the right hand side note down what approach or strategy was used to deliver the achievement.
3] Story creating: Build a short content like a story which highlights what strategy got the positive result? For example if you are in B to B sales, you may have had experience of closing sales successfully through networking with the receptionist, the secretary to the business head, the influencer and the decision maker to gather unique information and develop a customised proposal, then make a pitch. So, in your post, highlight aspects like networking across levels which many may miss doing to gain insights about the real need or pain point of the customer. Back it up with your learning.
Or as a HR Manager, you may have an achievement of lowering the attrition rate from 25% to 10%. Then you can make a list of the three most crucial or the two most crucial activities that were responsible to achieve the low attrition rate. It could be getting absolute role clarity, or goal setting or clearly defined performance evaluation and reward parameters. Then make a short post on how attrition rate can be brought down and connect it to your experience on how to achieve that. Advantage is that these would be original posts which are on the basis of your personal learning and make interesting reading.
Or if you had received a STAR PERFORMER award, what is that extra or unique thing you did which made your performance outstanding? So write what qualities it takes to be a Star performer.
It is important to post on a weekly basis preferably on the same day. Put in on your ‘to do’ list and commit to doing it.
Over a period of just a few months by posting regularly, you would have improved your visibility dramatically and when you connect with potential hiring managers, your communication flow will be smoother as you would have gained a foot in the door. These short posts open up multiple opportunities to supplement your job search activity. Also, the process of listing down your achievements keeps you better prepared for the interviews.
Start doing them today and you would have taken one more step towards getting your dream job.
In case you have any queries, please mention in the comments below.
Best wishes always
Sarabjeet Sachar
Seasoned Career Coach, Founder & CEO, Aspiration Job Search & Interview Coaching