By William Treseder
Special to In Military Education – Military1.com
One Simple Change can Increase Veterans’ Odds of Getting Noticed
A group of veterans and employers recently gathered in downtown San Francisco to get the inside scoop on the best ways to use LinkedIn. The event, organized by the increasingly-popular program Vets in Tech, offered strategic and tactical tips based on the experience of LinkedIn’s expert staff who were in attendance.
By far the most valuable insight dealt with one simple change that vets can make to their profile that will improve their odds of getting noticed by corporate recruiters. It’s based on best practices that LinkedIn suggests to companies looking for new employees.
So, make sure you heed this advice: Follow a company on LinkedIn before submitting your application.
You might think, “That sounds weird – why would I follow them before they hired me?” But the logic is sound. From the recruiter’s perspective, you are one of hundreds or thousands of potential employees. They are not trying to find someone for the job; they are trying to filter out as many people as possible to get the list down to a manageable size. It’s an effective way for them to cut down on the number of applicants to review.
If you are interested in a job at Lockheed Martin, for example, find the company first by typing it in the search bar, then click “Follow” on their company page. You will start receiving content from them in your news feed; that’s the only change on your end.
The recruiter, on the other hand, can filter thousands of people down to dozens by simply selecting only for those who follow the company. Why would they do that? Because it indicates some enthusiasm and proactiveness on your part, both important qualities for a new employee. And, again, they don’t want to go blind staring at an endless list of people who are already pretty difficult to sort.
If you are looking for work at a particular company or in an industry, make sure to follow each company before you submit a job application. This small addition can make a big difference in your professional future.
About the author
William Treseder, Military1 Advisor, writes about well-designed approaches to national security issues ranging from technology to veteran careers. He co-founded BMNT Partners, where he helps start-ups grow by solving government problems from advanced manufacturing to veteran employment. William enlisted in the Marines in 2001 and served until 2011, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. A Rising Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution where he studies 21st century conservatism, William also contributes to other national outlets such as Foreign Policy, TIME.com, and Breaking Defense.
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