As a final year undergraduate student in lockdown on a job hunt for over half a year, LinkedIn became my go-to social media. With less than 100 connections when I started final year, I used to go on the site twice a year at most. But when lockdown hit and job hunting became stressful with nothing but rejections filling my mailbox, I started following LinkedIn ‘influencers’.
These individuals (or teams) have motivated me to stay positive through regular posts about their past experiences and made me realise that it is okay to not have multiple job offers. Alternatively, I follow some pages and individuals based on their expertise. If I’m interested and want to learn about a particular skill or topic, reading their posts can informally give me an idea about that field, for example, investing for beginners. Here’s a few people I follow:
1. Austin Henline
- Teaches students how to leverage LinkedIn for careers.
- Active via LinkedIn posts, own YouTube channel, TEDx Talks, and webinars.
- I’ve watched his short and informative YouTube channels that breaks down tips to master LinkedIn (e.g. customizing your own LinkedIn link, optimizing your CV structure, etc.) for free!
2. Jerry Lee & Jonathan Javier (Company: Wonsulting)
- Job hunting tactics and tips to stand out on your applications.
- Their company, Wonsulting, provides knowledge about resumes, interview preparations, entrepreneurship and more.
- Both Jerry and Jonathan’s posts provide quick tips and end with a “you got this” mindset which boosts my motivation to keep applying for jobs and improving my applications.
3. Kelly Hoey
- Networking expert and works with individuals and companies to build it as a business skill.
- Her posts consist of relevant articles for various sources and video recordings of conversations with experts and influential individuals.
- I’ve personally enjoyed reading the links she’s shared regarding “good networking” and learning that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ tactic.
4. Companies (both startups and large organisations)
- Google companies in an industry you’re interested in (e.g. I googled “top UK blockchain companies” or you can search startups specifically).
- Lots of search results show up, many websites show titles like “most promising startups” or “top technology companies”.
- Quickly read about companies that stand out to you and give them a follow on LinkedIn.
- This way you keep up to date with a topic or industry you’re interested in, and get suggestions based on it. It’s an easy way to learn without having to go out of your way to read about the company.
Moral of the story: Take advantage of LinkedIn – treat it as importantly as any other social media you’re on!
