Using LinkedIn in your job search is a smart move not only because the majority of recruiters use it when they’re identifying talent, but also because it helps you use the greatest job search tool of them all — networking. LinkedIn built its successful platform on networking using the six-degrees-of-separation philosophy that multiplies potential contacts within your reach.
Here’s the tricky part: What you present in your profile page can send a range of signals to those in your database, and it’s difficult to address their reactions when you aren’t there to respond.
Using your employment status as an introduction can steer a lively conversation into a dead-end if you aren’t careful. A couple of weeks ago, I was listening to a job seeker talk about networking activities and how surprised he was by some of the reactions they were getting. For example, he recalled watching the facial expression of a person he just met turn from a smile to a solemn look when he described himself as unemployed. He told me he felt the energy of their conversation change the minute he mentioned looking for a job. He said it went from an “I’d like to get to know you” attitude to one of “I don’t know of any jobs.”
There are a couple of schools of thought about discussing your employment status when you introduce yourself to someone face-to-face or through social media. It’s generally thought that saying you are unemployed or describing your skills and the industry you are targeting are both viable options. In either case, you want to be genuine.
The key is to introduce the fact you’re looking for opportunities without sending a desperation signal or the message you are looking for anything that’s spelled J-O-B.
So, should you include the fact that you’re unemployed in your LinkedIn profile or introduction? It’s tricky, because that information can send different messages to your audience, and you can’t address reactions right away. The person I mentioned earlier could see the change in facial expression when he mentioned his unemployment, and it made him to be more sensitive to his listeners. It also taught him a significant truth about job searching: Your employment status does not describe who you are.
There are many ways to let people know you’re between jobs instead of using your unemployment status as a way to introduce your current activity — in social media and in person. When using LinkedIn, you could say you are accepting new assignments, or looking for opportunities in specific industries. To say you are looking for immediate employment or are unemployed and looking for a full-time position can send a message of desperation that doesn’t really say anything about you.
Remember that recruiters and managers who might be looking for candidates are drawn to those who are working or active, and when they see an unemployed status without recent activity they are more likely to go to the next candidate who shows they are staying busy. Contract positions, project work, going back to school, volunteer work or anything that shows activity is better than just talking about your employment status.
What do you think? Should you described yourself as unemployed in your LinkedIn status?
