It’s no secret that LinkedIn has had a game-changing impact on the way we seek our perfect job. The professional-networking platform has made it easier than ever to establish connections with new contacts, consolidate existing relationships and fast-track your career. However, the channel also offers compelling insights into a prospective employer and functions as a powerful research tool. Here are three ways to use LinkedIn to blitz your next job interview.
Get acquainted with a company’s profile
LinkedIn’s Company Pages feature invites businesses to provide a detailed snapshot of their organisation’s history, projects and focuses, and includes regular updates on company-specific news. This means that studying your potential employer’s LinkedIn Company Page can help you understand the organisation’s mission as well as your new role. This feature can also present topics, issues and questions that you can ask your interviewer – an interview habit that demonstrates that you’re both informed and engaged. The best interviews are conversations rather than one-sided interrogations – making sure you do your research is the first step towards achieving this.
Become a social media detective
LinkedIn offers a handy dossier of users’ professional histories as well as information on their education, background and skills. Searching for staff members employed at the company you’re interested in joining can help you get a sense of your future colleagues’ career trajectories and understand exactly where you would fit. This can also help you identify your own missing qualifications and better grasp the experience you might need in order to bridge the gap. Being upfront about your shortcomings – as well as the steps you’re willing to take to overcome them – is a quality that most employers consider an asset.
Transform yourself into an industry insider
LinkedIn also boasts industry groups that can be incubators for discussions and offer useful insights from thought leaders in your field. Joining a few industry groups before your interview can double as a crash course in your sector’s hot topics. Demonstrating that you’re ahead of the curve when it comes to the issues plaguing your industry is a sure step towards impressing your interviewer.
Whether it’s using the Company Pages feature to understand your potential employer’s company culture or joining discussion boards to brush up on industry news, LinkedIn is a valuable source of pre-interview research – one that can help you feel informed and prepared. Are you LinkedIn or left out?
