Eight reasons why mums can’t afford to ignore LinkedIn
Job hunting without using the internet today seems almost inconceivable – and increasingly LinkedIn is emerging as a powerful recruitment tool. But are mums taking full advantage, or are we missing out?
Whether you plan to change jobs, promote your own business or just want to stay on top of trends in your industry, you really can’t afford to ignore the social media site LinkedIn one day longer – it’s the perfect place to promote your online personal brand and let the right people know who you are.
Eight reasons why you can’t afford to ignore LinkedIn
Fiona Clark is founder of Inspired Mums, and helps mums to find fulfilling and family-friendly careers. And according to Fiona, LinkedIn is the working mum’s best friend, and a site you ignore at your cost. Here are eight reasons why.
1) LinkedIn helps mums find jobs
Many employers have cottoned on to the fact that they can skip the cost of recruitment agencies by using LinkedIn to advertise jobs directly.
As a result, it’s become a job board to reckon with and you can sign up for job alerts specific to your industry. But to benefit fully, make sure your profile is up to date and you have included the right key words to attract the right roles and employers.
2) LinkedIn helps you to be a better candidate
Some jobs are still advertised through recruitment agencies, but most agencies worth their salt now also use LinkedIn as a crucial candidate search tool. And if you’re not on there, it could count against you.
So make sure you don’t get weeded out early because of your lack of profile on LinkedIn.
3) LinkedIn sends out the right message
Being on LinkedIn shows you understand social media and how to use it to best effect. This is crucial for mums returning to the workplace after a few years’ break because it shows you’re staying up to date with technology.
4) LinkedIn allows you to pre-empt interviews
Interviewers often look candidates up on LinkedIn prior to meeting them – to check out their profile and see how many recommendations they’ve got.
Your profile can impress a potential employer or contact before you have even met them face-to-face. And if you check out a company and interviewer before meeting them, you might pick up a thing or two about the company too.
5) LinkedIn helps you to reconnect with former colleagues
LinkedIn is a great way of reconnecting with colleagues and friends who may turn out to be invaluable contacts during your job search process or may just be able to introduce you to future clients if you work for yourself.
6) LinkedIn is a great networking tool
LinkedIn is also an easy and time efficient way of staying in touch with your network – you get to see when people have been promoted, moved companies or posted something interesting they’ve done.
This not only keeps you up to date but enables you to congratulate and endorse them – which is often reciprocated back to you at the click of a button.
7) LinkedIn helps you to build new contacts
LinkedIn is a powerful way of connecting with companies and influential people you don’t know (yet) – often the most useful contacts are just one person away from your personal connections and you can ask them to introduce you. LinkedIn is not the place to be shy, so if you want to be introduced to someone, just ask.
8) LinkedIn help you to build your personal brand
When people Google you, your LinkedIn profile will normally come up on the first page of results – so, make sure it’s giving people the right first impression of you!
Don’t miss out on the benefits of LinkedIn
As a working mum, you need all the career advantages you can get. So don’t miss out on an easily accessible and free one like LinkedIn. With more than 300 million members, it’s showing no sign of slowing down, and avoiding it is no longer an option.
So, if you haven’t already, sign up today and spend a bit of time ensuring your profile is the best it can be – it is your opportunity to make a great first impression.
Get our help to write a perfect LinkedIn profile for just £49
Need more help?
If you need more tips on how to find work you love that fits around your family and get unstuck from the career rut you may feel like you’re in at the moment, Fiona has put together a free e-book, For mums stuck in a career rut – 8 steps to finding work you love. It’s packed with tips, exercises and inspiring case studies to get you out of your rut and on the way to your new career.
Fiona Clark is a qualified confidence and career coach who founded Inspired Mums to inspire women to reach their full potential at work. She is passionate about helping women find fulfilling, family friendly roles.
