Enhance Your Tech Job Opps
I just read something seriously stupid but humorous on LinkedIn. A 2017 study conducted by Microsoft found that the average human attention span is down to 8 seconds from 12 when it was originally measured in 2000. The study’s researchers also claim that the human attention span is now less than that of a goldfish, which is 9 seconds. This stupid factoid captured my attention since I recall the first date with my husband took place in a Dallas restaurant with goldfish suspended in fish bowls above the bar. Yes, Linda Scott, you and I went there first. I asked the bartender how often they replaced the goldfish. “Weekly” was the response. Fabulous.
Got your attention? Great, now let’s talk about how LinkedIn can either drive or diminish your chances based on 8-9 seconds delay depending on how you classify yourself. Human or goldfish? I’m betting on human.
If you are in tech, the employment upside opportunities are staggering. With cloud computing, mobile applications, data mining, SAAS, social media, and security threats, all size businesses need highly-specialized IT professionals. That’s why you and I receive daily recruiter emails and phone calls. You might find the job requisition is a perfect fit while fairly often the recruiter clearly didn’t read your LinkedIn bio. More about this in a minute. First, let’s size the tech job market opportunity.
How Big Is the Tech Employment Market?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor & Statistics: “Employment of computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 13 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. These occupations are projected to add about 557,100 new jobs.” That’s more than half a million jobs in a decade. The report summarizes the top 10 positions ranked from highest salary:
- Computer & information research scientist
- Computer network architect
- Computer programmers
- Computer support specialists
- Computer systems analyst
- Database administrator
- Information security analyst
- Network and computer systems administrator
- Software developers
- Web developers
Specific to the Northwest, non-profit Apprenti Careers states: “The Greater Seattle area is one of the fastest growing tech hubs nationwide. With over 230,000 tech industry jobs at 14,000 information and communication technology companies, the need for tech talent is high.” Summed up, BIG.
LinkedIn Facts
Three years ago Microsoft — the gold fish study people — acquired LinkedIn for more than $26 billion. Us LinkedIn users are very active for job recruitment efforts. With more than 20 million companies listed on the site and 14 million open jobs, a whopping 90% of recruiters regularly use LinkedIn. A study found that 122 million people received an interview through LinkedIn, with more than 35 million having been hired by a person they connected with on the site.
What About You?
With all this staggering opportunity, are you landing your dream job? Maybe not. If you are, read no further. Congrats. But, if you desire better vetting and increased viewership by recruiters and hiring managers, it’s time to look at your LinkedIn profile. It’s time-consuming to update your LinkedIn profile but it’s an opportunity to build your career brand online. There are many creative hacks ensuring you’ll be found by recruiters. Here are my 5 simple actions you can take within a 1-2 hour investment of your time to enhance your interview candidacy.
Avoid 5 LinkedIn Mistakes
- Your Title: Please don’t list your title as Sales Engineer Level IV. It’s an internal level and no one outside the company understand what that means. Keep it simple. Sales Engineer. I get it. So will anybody else. Recruiters search for candidates by your headline so please update your current title with key search words. To stand out you can insert Unicode bullets to add descriptors. Example: Sales Engineer ■ Fortune 500 ■ AWS & Azure Expertise.
- Photos: Please don’t use the birthday party photo and crop out the other person. Images do matter. Please use a headshot photo. It can be professionally taken or a candid “just you” photo. Bonus points, change the background behind your personal headshot with imagery. Use something that identifies your career. Find copyright-free photos through sites such as Pexels or Unsplash. Or your own phone camera.
- Skills Listed: Please don’t overlook the skill field which is searched by Application Tracking Software (ATS) and recruiters. You can list 50 skills. Go for it! Use all 50 spots highlighting leadership, specialties, technical, financial, and soft skills. In order of importance. Bonus points, have coworkers endorse you for them. And, in turn, endorse them for their skills. It’s called networking. Virtual but still good.
- Profile Summary: Please don’t overlook the top third of your LinkedIn profile which is the most important real estate on the site. Here’s where you insert your elevator speech to promote your personal brand. Like inviting over guests to your home, please be welcoming and use the first person in your narrative. I wrote a blog about elevator speeches for reference or simply Google it.
- Recommendations: Please don’t state “references furnished upon request” on your resumé or within your cover letter. Those days are over. Find 5 career coworkers to highlight your “wonderfulness.” Tell your colleagues how you want to stand out in terms of key differentiators and your ultimate dream job. Then, turn around, and ask them how you can recommend them on LinkedIn. It’s called connection, networking, and being thankful.
Land your dream job. You deserve it.
