Let’s Talk About LinkedIn

By Kyla Hensley, HHUSA Serving Spouses Program

Yes, you should be using LinkedIn!

I started regularly using LinkedIn five years ago, and each one of my last three jobs (and my current favorite) were connected to LinkedIn in some way. If you do not have a LinkedIn profile, or if it isn’t updated and polished, you are missing out on key strategic measures that could help you. 

Here are five reasons to use LinkedIn to move the needle in your job search:

1. Curate with Intention 

As you’re building your professional network, you will want to connect with people and companies that are related to your career goals and industry. If you’re just getting started, don’t be afraid to connect with an array of friends, peers, and past coworkers. However, as you strategically hone your brand, focus on building connections with individuals who share industry thoughts and updates that encourage your professional development. You never know who could help you get a job someday and vice versa. Your LinkedIn network shouldn’t be a collection of people you’ve known but a targeted approach to meeting with others in your industry and career path. 

2. It’s Not Your Social Platform 

First of all, if you are job searching, you should lock down each of your other social platforms. Employers will do an internet search to determine how you conduct yourself in your daily life. While those other platforms are appropriate places to share personal and social content for friends and family, remember that LinkedIn is your professional brand. You shouldn’t be sharing a picture of you at the beach captioned “Work hard, play hard.” LinkedIn is purely the content you want other professional peers, bosses, and industry leaders to view. It should be thoughtful, engaging, and related to your professional brand. Always. 

3. Always Send a Note 

Whenever you send a connection request to someone, please include a small note about why you are reaching out. I can’t tell you how many connection requests I receive without a note, and I’m unsure why they are connecting with me at all. Are they a job-seeking military spouse? Did we go to the same undergraduate college? Do they work in the job-coaching space? If we go back to the first step of curating a network, you need to understand who you are connecting with. I want to receive thoughtful connections, not mass connections from someone adding every one of their contacts. 

4. Make it Public 

Once your profile is finished, you should make it public. Unlike other social networks, you’ll want individuals other than your friends to view your content. You want recruiters, hiring managers, and peers from other companies to be able to find your profile, reach out to you, and engage with your posts. 

5. Beware of the Echo Chamber

While I mentioned the importance of a curated network, you should beware of the other side—creating an echo chamber. This can be the case with any platform, but professionally, you need to ensure you’re aware of what is occurring in other industry spaces. For example, I specialize in veteran and military spouse employment, but it’s important for me to remain aware of larger trends and changes in the overall employment landscape. 

I hope this enhances your understanding of how LinkedIn can be utilized. If used well, it can be a powerful tool in your job search. It is well worth the time and energy to set up your profile and make connections. I found my role at Hire Heroes USA because a previous Army client of mine saw my post about attending a job fair, and he reached out to say there was an opening in his company. Be open to the platform, and even if it takes some trial and error, it can lead to a rewarding career.

Kyla is a Transition Specialist with the Serving Spouses Team at Hire Heroes USA. Her husband is active duty U.S. Army, so she understands the challenges and rewards of military life. She is an active member of the military community and volunteers her time to be involved in local family readiness efforts. Her career working with the military began at an Army Education Center in Germany. She then worked with the Army Career Skills Program and has since found her home with Hire Heroes USA. She has dedicated herself, personally and professionally, to supporting our service members and their families. She enjoys getting to know her clients individually to help them achieve their career goals and find meaningful work the same way she has. She has helped 250 veterans and military spouses find employment since joining Hire Heroes USA in 2019.