Whatever you want to call it, The Great Resignation (/Reshuffling/Reorganization) is a truly unique moment.
The dynamics have not been this favorable for job seekers in decades.
Here’s our advice: Seize this moment! Because, as any Economics professor will tell you, we know it won't last. Unemployment is at 4%--it was over 15% just two years ago--and over 10M jobs are open. Don't waste this fleeting moment to go after, or at least to lay real seeds for, your dream job. It’s more attainable than ever.
In short, don't settle.
Because the time to learn to surf is when the waves are small, not during a tsunami!
So how do you make “not settling” actionable?
Let’s start with where to focus your efforts, where you’ll get the Return on your Effort Investment. No matter where you are on the job-seeking continuum--actively on the market, passive, happily employed but keeping one eye open, or sideline-sitting and considering tip-toeing back in--LinkedIn is THE ONLY place that matters to get found, get in the door, get considered, and get hired.
Why? Because:
Nearly every recruiter in every economic sector use it all day long--two-thirds use only it to identify and vet candidates--and it is now synonymous with the job market. Nearly a billion members can’t be wrong!
Forget social media. LinkedIn is a ubiquitous professional platform: It’s your modern resume and cover letter meets rolodex meets a massive networking event meets the world's job board.
It's also where you uniquely burnish your personal brand and build your network before you need it.
How? Here are the key ways to lay the right seeds in this precious moment we find ourselves and to future-proof yourself:
Get focused. Take your time to do this if you need to. It’s ok. Start by tapping the paths of alumni--who have already blazed trails for you and whom you have a shared affiliation with (and who are thus willing to help you)--to inform HOW you want to get focused, whether it's for your next gig or the next one after that. To do this, use the best-kept secret on LinkedIn (one we helped build while at LinkedIn!): The Alumni Tool.
Embrace the concept of breadth--not just depth--in your network. The upside outweighs any downside. Our threshold is: Do I know you IRL or is there a compelling reason to connect? Quickly expand your 1st-degree connections with LinkedIn's hidden but invaluable Contact Import tool. These are people whom you already know -- and you can't possibly know who they know (or will know in the future). 80% of jobs are found this way, via the 'hidden' job market -- not what we know, but who we know; and not who we know directly, but who they know. Those weak ties are where we get the volume to get us in the door at almost any company in any industry. This is also a good time to make a light touch to 1st-degree connections doing things or at companies you're interested in--”Just want to say hi, hope you're doing as well as possible during these surreal times, and congrats on your successes.”--warming them up for if and when you really need 'em!
Build your network selectively by taking this time to connect directly with recruiters at the organizations, industry or location(s) you might want to be in. Recruiters are the best nodes on LinkedIn--because they're connected to other recruiters and hiring managers-and, after all, it's their JOB to fill the funnel by connecting with possible candidates. And, hey, what’s the worst that can happen? They ignore your request! NBD. Want to improve your chances? Do an Advanced People Search for Recruiters who went to the same school as you, and those that are 2nd-degree connections.
Shine your bat-signal that you're open to new opportunities right on your profile (and specify what opportunities & locations you want those to be!) -- b/c recruiters filter out candidates who aren't. Especially right now, they won't waste their time on anyone else. I'd argue that we ALL should be open to new opportunities, always! And be sure to respond to messages from recruiters, even if it's not a great fit--because LinkedIn will make it harder for them to reach you if you don't! If you're so inclined, you can even let all 800M LinkedIn members (including hiring managers) know you're on the market with the #OpenToWork profile photo frame.
Set up custom job alerts on LinkedIn to keep a pulse of what kinds of roles are being hired for at your target employers--and so that you can jump on your dream job when it becomes available. In LinkedIn's settings, you can even let recruiters at companies you've set job alerts for know that you've done so; this isn't just raising your hand, it's shooting your arm way up in the air saying "Pick me, pick me!"
Using LinkedIn Advanced People search, find somebody on the inside to get you in the door at the places you may want to someday work. Referrals from current employees make up only 7% of applicants but 40% of who actually gets hired! Why? Because they are already vetted, perform the best, and stay the longest (why do you think nearly every organization pays a handsome referral bonus?!). You want a willing referral at the ready when that perfect job to get off the sidelines becomes available. And when it does, don't be afraid to ask for them to put you in for it -- remember, you're doing THEM a favor by giving them a chance to earn that handsome bonus!
Follow any organization you may someday want to work for. It's a basic way you show you're interested and a way that recruiters filter out unserious candidates.
Don't settle. Don't waste this rare moment. Don't sit on your hands.
Do think long-term. Do be proactive. Do network aggressively, broadly, and purposefully.
Go get it!