With an ever increasing number of platforms to utilise for finding a job, how do you stand out from the crowd and grab an employer’s attention? We’ve put together nine easy steps to get yourself noticed online.

Create a LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is the most commonly used and abused job website in most countries at this stage. With over one million users in Ireland, LinkedIn has the capabilities of jobs boards along with a community of knowledge that any candidate can benefit from. Recruiters are probably some of the most avid LinkedIn users so make sure your profile is filled out in detail and is optimised with keywords associated with your target job.

Bonus Tip: Along with LinkedIn, recruiters and hiring managers also love Twitter to get jobs out there so consider becoming a regular user on this site also.

Use Jobs Boards Smartly

When applying for jobs tailor your CV for each position. Optimise your cover letter and skill section to match that of the job specification. Consider creating a profile on these sites but keep track of them as people tend to forget they create these profiles after they find a job.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

This daunting term is not just relevant to marketers but to anyone who is marketing themselves online. SEO is identifying keywords relevant to your role and using these evenly throughout your profile. Look over specifications for jobs that you are interested in, identify commonly repeated skills that you possess and use these in your profiles.

This method works for any profile that is searchable online (both publically and privately) so apply these techniques to LinkedIn, jobs boards and anywhere else you are looking for a job.

Embed Social Profiles into CVs

Whether handing out hard copy CVs or sending CVs via email etc. make sure to include links to your online profiles. This gives recruiters and employers the opportunity to get to know you before an interview and will help recruiters gauge overall fit with the company. But be careful what you post on these sites as inappropriate posts can be detrimental to your future role.

Interact on Social Media

Most recruiters are active online, sharing content and updates. If they share a job that may not suit your experience but you know someone, forward or retweet to them. If your contact gets an interview they can drop your name in for the recruiter’s knowledge.

Sharing recruiter’s content and commenting on company news can be a great way of getting known by a company/recruiter. Following thought leaders in your industry will keep you ahead of the tide as regards changes in the trade and alert you to any importance conferences or networking events that you should be present at.

Be In Demand

Know what is going on in the landscape of your industry. Are things changing? Are there new technologies that will affect your job? Be ready to talk about these openly in your cover letter, on LinkedIn and in interviews. Showing that you are ahead of the curve with industry news shows that you are interested in your chosen profession/industry.

Keep a close eye on competitors to know what they are doing and come up with examples of how you can help your company gain traction over their competitors. Showing genuine vigour for a company can score you points with a recruiter.

Be Creative

The above point leads directly into this one – Be Creative. If you know your industry and the companies that you are applying for then you know the norms. Do not be afraid of pushing these norms to get noticed but know the limits of your industry. Do not copy off others but show your uniqueness through your CV and online profiles so that personality and cultural fit are evident.

Get Recommended

LinkedIn have a nifty tool called ‘Recommendations’ which allows colleagues/managers/former associates to publicly or privately provide feedback on your work ethic and experience working with you. This can be great when recruiters are trying to find talent as referrals can say a lot more about a person’s ability to work than their profile can.

Unique Selling Point Proposition

The most important thing to remember when actively seeking employment is that you are selling your skills and abilities to recruiters and human resource departments in the hope of a position in their company. With this in mind you need to figure out what skills/abilities you possess that makes you different to others in your field. For your online profile use something generic to the industry that you are in/want to be in but tailor your cover letter and CV for each role you are applying for – make it relevant to the position that you are aiming for.

Examples would be:

• “I increased our company’s online sales by 11% in three months, using a mixture of social media, content creation and email marketing, which was coordinated solely by myself.”
• “I effectively managed several large client accounts over the past year, turning them from loss making accounts into some of the largest profit making accounts for my company.”