Here’s how LinkedIn can fast track your job search

By Chinedu J. Ihekwoaba

The life of a job seeker can be frustrating.

Now that the era of traditional recruitment is almost over, how will our qualified graduates get a job that matches their abilities?

I know many graduates with MSc getting peanuts as monthly salaries. In this era of the minimum wage, not all graduates would earn the new $90/month. Many would even earn below $50/month. That is very unfortunate for Nigeria.

I have been there before. I once earned $20/month and was even protective of my job. I know how difficult it is to get a job in Nigeria, so losing a job that pays peanut is not always an option to some Nigerians.

These days, jobs that pay peanuts are very hard to come by, leaving many graduates unemployed for a long period of time. What makes it uninteresting, the longer you stay unemployed, the lower your chances of getting jobs.

But do you know that a platform like LinkedIn can fast track your job search?

Here are ways LinkedIn can fast track your job search:

• Connecting with professionals

I always advise graduates to build connections with professionals in their fields. Remember, traditional recruitment is almost over and graduates must build connections to stand a chance of being referred for jobs or favoured in job interviews. LinkedIn provides that opportunity.

• Sharing your knowledge

I was the last person who would believe that you can be paid to write. However, LinkedIn proved me wrong in many ways. I have been writing since 2017 and I can tell you one truth, writing changed my life. LinkedIn made me.

In 2017, I didn’t get a job which I felt I passed the interview. I almost cried because I had invested a lot of time and resources into it.

A few months after, I made money from writing. The funniest part, the money was many times the salary of the job I missed.

I didn’t do anything special to earn that salary, the only thing I did was to share my expertise.

There are many graduates who are actually holding their breakthroughs in their heads, why not let it out with your pen. The world is waiting to read from you. 

• Sharing your profile

I had a friend who told his uncle he needed a job. His uncle requested his CV to be forwarded to his email. However, my friend forgot and didn’t send it.

Two days after, he messaged his uncle on WhatsApp. His uncle thought he wanted to remind him of their previous discussion, he quickly told my friend, ”Dami I got your CV. Don’t worry, I have sent it to some companies.”

My friend was gutted. He wondered how true that was because he has not even forwarded his CV to him. That’s how most people play with your emotions and personal life!

You can make your journey easier by sharing your own profile on your LinkedIn page at your own wish, ease or time.

Remember, LinkedIn is a professional platform and every message shared, is a step closer to your dream job.

• Getting Ranked

One thing LinkedIn does better, it gets you ranked. The higher you are ranked, the better your visibility. You also stand a chance of being found by amazing professionals. I have written for companies who found me through LinkedIn.

This is simply because I was ranked by LinkedIn. My profile is rated an all-star by LinkedIn, therefore, that makes it possible to be found by professionals in my niche.

My conclusion, in a world where everything is in excess, you will need to be extraordinary to get anything meaningful out of it. 

Always remember that life is not fair, it wasn’t meant to be. It’s your responsibility to make it work for you. Life will not give you what you want but everything you want in life has been given to you. 

Interested in taking my Digital Skill Course, reach out to me on LinkedIn or send an email to [email protected]