Stop Disqualifying Yourself

I know what you are thinking.

Surely this article is going to be about taking the chance, applying to the job you may not be qualified for, or to stop talking yourself out of getting what you want.

While those are important, this is a much more tactical and hopefully useful article on a common mistake I see a lot of people making - especially on LinkedIn.

Folks (especially those new in the workforce) - the employment free-for-all is coming to an end. Every day we are hearing about new layoffs, rescinded offers or cutbacks. Companies are going into moderation mode. It's still a very hot job market, but all signs are pointing to "find stability".

One of the best ways to do that is here on LinkedIn.

Advertising Yourself on LinkedIn

There is no dispute, Linkedin is the ruler of the job search space right now with the best tools, resources, products and networking opportunities to help you find your next employment - but a lot of people are misunderstanding how to write posts that employers will respond to.

I am consistently seeing a post like this:

"Hi Linkedin, I am looking for my next opportunity and would love your help with some leads.

• Needs to be full-time remote, no more than 1 trip to the office per quarter
• Pay needs to be shared first and should be above "competitive"
• Good working culture and work-life balance, not interested in a grind
• Full-time only, no contractor/freelancer
• Good benefits and 401k

If you know of any leads or know of anyone who is hiring, please tag them or set up a message to introduce us!"

As you read that post - what did you pick up? Is this a Social Media Marketer? An Engineer? An insurance broker?

Sure the headline sometimes gives us clue - but why would an employer contact you?

Don't get me wrong - it's AMAZING to be able to know and articulate the value statement that you are looking for, but all you've listed is what you want, not what you OFFER.

I've seen people get incredible jobs on Linkedin by focused what their value is. Take your last 3-4 biggest achievements and brag about them! You want an employer thinking "wow, we need to hire this person, let's be flexible with how we get them" instead of "I'm not sure we can offer this, especially not knowing what they can do."

I just helped someone put a post together and it was:

"8 years of experience in senior compensation work for large tech companies

• Significant experience building fixed and variable mixed models to align with industry changes post pandemic
• Partner closely with HRBPs to put together and drive a compensation strategy for difficult to find roles in engineering and product
• Successfully lead several performance management and compensation reviews with an average budget of $10M
• Helped revise and drive a new equity plan, granting more choice with options vs RSU payout

 Finishing a contract rule by end of July, will be available to interview starting third week of July, can start anytime after August 1st"

Within the span of 2 days they were contacted by 8 people.

Talking specifically about the value you have, the experience, the achievements will inspire people to share your posts. They will immediately start tagging people that remind them of you, they may know a recruiter who also knows a recruiter.

THAT is how you market yourself, and THAT is how you get Linkedin to work for you!

Disrespectfully Yours,

Dan