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If you\u2019re searching for your next programming job<\/a>, the people who make the hiring decisions are probably on LinkedIn. According to Jobscan<\/a>, 87% of recruiters use the platform to find job candidates. That\u2019s more recruiters than all the other major social media platforms combined!<\/p>\n Having a strong presence on LinkedIn puts you right in front of these recruiters. After all, they can\u2019t consider you for your dream job if they don\u2019t know you exist. By optimizing your profile<\/a>, you can give yourself the best chance of getting noticed and getting hired.<\/p>\n Now that you understand the importance of having a strong presence on LinkedIn, let\u2019s look at how aspiring programmers can make the most of the site.<\/p>\n Perhaps you already have a LinkedIn account or have vowed to create one as soon as you finish reading this article. However, simply having a presence on the platform is not enough to get job opportunities. Programming is a highly competitive industry, so you\u2019ll need to stand out<\/a> to get recruiters\u2019 and employers\u2019 attention. And for that, you need an awesome LinkedIn account.<\/p>\n Here are five easy steps you can take to maximize your chances.<\/p>\n You should complete every section of your profile. A complete profile<\/a> not only looks good to recruiters and decision-makers who want to see as many details about a candidate as possible but also fares better in LinkedIn search results. In other words, you\u2019re more likely to be discovered by the right people.<\/p>\n If you have the following in your profile, LinkedIn will consider it complete:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re fresh out of college and have limited work experience, don\u2019t panic. Did you have a part-time job while you were studying? How about an internship or a placement as part of your course? If so, list that experience and the skills you gained from it. You should also include any voluntary experience.<\/p>\n The things I mentioned above are just the minimum requirements. The more details you can add, the better!<\/p>\n To further boost your LinkedIn search results ranking, you need to optimize your profile and include the relevant keywords. In other words, what terms do you want people to type in to find you?<\/p>\n Since you\u2019re looking for programming jobs<\/a>, you might want to include terms like \u201cprogrammer,\u201d \u201cweb developer,\u201d or \u201csoftware engineer.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what I see when I search for programmers in my state:<\/p>\n If you specialize in a particular field or programming language, use those keywords, too. You shouldn\u2019t keyword-stuff (artificially inflate the number of times you mention the words), but do include your target words several times organically.<\/p>\n The summary section of your profile is an opportunity to show recruiters and decision-makers who you are as a person and why they should hire you. For example, explain what you love about programming and what your career goals are. You can also describe your work ethic and personality. Just remember to avoid meaningless buzzwords!<\/p>\n Write in the first person (\u201cI am \u2026\u201d as opposed to \u201cIan is \u2026\u201d) and use simple language. Don\u2019t cram in technical language and jargon for the purposes of impressing potential employers. Remember, the recruiters and hiring managers for the roles you want might not be programming experts.<\/p>\n Show, don\u2019t tell. In other words, back up what you say. You shouldn\u2019t claim to have a skill that you have no way to demonstrate because employers and recruiters need to see evidence of your abilities.<\/p>\n Fortunately, LinkedIn offers plenty of ways you can showcase your work by uploading relevant pictures, documents, videos, and presentations. You can also include links to past work, a portfolio, your programming blog,<\/a> or CodePen. You don\u2019t need to include everything you\u2019ve ever done, of course. Just choose the strongest examples\u2014the ones that are most likely to get you hired.<\/p>\n Calls to action (CTAs) aren\u2019t just for marketing communications. You can also include one on your LinkedIn profile. If you do it right, it will help you land that programming job.<\/p>\n In the context of looking for a job, your CTA should invite recruiters and potential employers to contact you about opportunities. \u201cDrop me a line on [email address]\u201d is more than sufficient. Include your CTA within your summary.<\/p>\n Ideally, conclude with it once you\u2019ve outlined your skills and the kind of work you\u2019re looking for. This is because your profile has done the heavy lifting of getting the recruiter or hiring manager excited about you as a candidate. Now all they need to do is drop you a line!<\/p>\n Now that you know how to create an awesome LinkedIn profile, let\u2019s discuss the all-too-common mistakes you must avoid.<\/p>\n Always remember the reason you\u2019re on LinkedIn: You want to land your dream programming job. But you can\u2019t do that if you don\u2019t show you\u2019re a worthy candidate. Many people are reticent about selling themselves as a candidate, fearing that they will come across as \u201cbragging\u201d or full of themselves.<\/p>\n However, that\u2019s how you land a job. As long as you are honest and authentic, there\u2019s nothing wrong with seeing your LinkedIn profile as a sales pitch for your skills. Therefore, you need to use that space to show why you\u2019re the best candidate for your prospective employers\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n As you write your profile, keep this goal in mind. Choose your words carefully, and make sure they accurately reflect the impression you want to make.<\/p>\n Here are a few pro tips to help you sell yourself more effectively on LinkedIn:<\/p>\n Finally, don\u2019t forget to check your spelling and grammar<\/a> before you post your profile. Poor spelling or stray typos will undermine your professionalism.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t disregard the Recommendations section of LinkedIn. This works in much the same way as gathering client testimonials<\/a>: It shows that other people endorse your skills. Therefore, you need to get a couple of great recommendations on LinkedIn if you want to give yourself the best chance at landing your dream job.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t wait for people to give you recommendations. You\u2019ll need to ask for them! So don\u2019t be shy. Reach out to former clients, your current or previous manager, and past colleagues with whom you worked closely. Even just two or three recommendations can make a substantial difference.<\/p>\n Of course, you should offer to return the favor and write a recommendation for them, too.<\/p>\n If you want the right people to notice you on LinkedIn, you need to engage actively on the platform. This means posting, commenting, and reacting to posts.<\/p>\n However, not all engagement is good engagement. Don\u2019t post meaningless content or respond to posts for the sake of it. And while you can be somewhat self-promotional, don\u2019t do so too much\u2014and certainly don\u2019t use other people\u2019s posts as a platform for self-promotion.<\/p>\n When you post, keep your goal in mind. You\u2019re on LinkedIn to land an awesome programming job, remember. Therefore, why not share industry news, write a blog post about web development trends, or list your top tips for new programmers<\/a>? There are so many possibilities. Just make sure your content is relevant.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also such a thing as too much: If you\u2019re spending hours posting and commenting every single day, prospective employers may have concerns about your productivity.<\/p>\n Finally, remember to be unscrupulously professional. While you can of course disagree with what other people say, LinkedIn is no place to get into heated arguments with strangers. Keep your tone polite and your language SFW (that\u2019s Safe For Work!). Remember, your future employer might just be watching you.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to just sit around and wait for prospective employers to contact you. You can also apply for programming jobs on LinkedIn if you see one you\u2019re interested in. I recommend subscribing for relevant job alerts so you never miss an opportunity.<\/p>\n To search for a job on LinkedIn, use the search function at the top of the page, type \u201cprogrammer\u201d or a similar phrase, and set the search parameters to show you jobs. If you select \u201cAll,\u201d you\u2019ll see everything related to programming and have to sift through the list manually to find jobs.<\/p>\n Right beside the main search bar, you\u2019ll see a location bar. Enter your geographical location or the region in which you\u2019re looking for work. In the above example, I filtered for programming jobs anywhere in the United States.<\/p>\n You will now see a list of potential jobs you could apply for. If you\u2019re interested in a listing, just click on it to see the job description. Read the listing in its entirety before applying. Employers don\u2019t like to receive applications from candidates who didn\u2019t read the full listing, and it\u2019s usually really obvious. If you like what you see, click \u201cApply.\u201d<\/p>\nHow Programmers Can Build an Awesome LinkedIn Profile<\/h2>\n
Complete Your Profile<\/h3>\n
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Optimize<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nComplete Your Summary Section<\/h3>\n
Show Work Examples<\/h3>\n
Include a Call To Action<\/h3>\n
Terrible LinkedIn Mistakes To Avoid<\/h2>\n
Not Selling Yourself<\/h3>\n
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Not Reaching Out to People for Recommendations<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nToo Little Activity (or the Wrong Kind of Activity)<\/h3>\n
How To Apply for Programming Jobs Using LinkedIn<\/h2>\n
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