As a career coach, I see many job seekers making a big job search mistake on LinkedIn. What’s the mistake? Choosing the wrong groups.
Lots of job seekers think, “I’m looking for a job, so where should I be on LinkedIn? Job Seeker groups.” That has a certain logic, but it’s the wrong conclusion.
What are the best groups for you to be in as a job seeker? The best groups are the groups made up of people in your field (or the field you want to be in).
Think about it: Is your future boss or your boss’s boss going to be in a job seeker group? No, they’re in the group that focuses on your industry. If you’re an accountant, they are in accounting groups. If you’re in medical sales, they are in medical sales groups. If you’re in manufacturing, they’re in manufacturing groups. Whatever are the main groups for your particular industry or career area, those are the groups you should be in, too.
Also, if recruiters or hiring managers go searching through LinkedIn for someone to hire. they won’t search job seeker groups. They’ll search for people in that arena.
How do you decide which groups are the best ones to join in your field? Go for the bigger groups over the smaller ones. Those are the ones most likely to be reputable, and by having more people in the group, it maximizes your opportunity for contacts.
If you want hiring managers and recruiters to call you about job openings, get my LinkedIn Profile Tutorial to spiff up your profile so that it attracts them like a magnet.