It is approaching that time of year when we look back and review how the previous one has gone. Did yours meet its expectations? A lot of people are itching to change jobs or take an even bigger leap into a career change. If this is you, then the time off over Christmas and New Year is the perfect time to start the process.

Recruitment is no longer just about CV’s. When we search for suitable candidate’s social media is a tool often used to look at key skills as it shows more personality than a standard CV. Linkedin for example shows your work history as your CV does, but what you comment and post is clear indicator of who you are. So if you are job hunting you need to be visible and being visible means creating the right kind of impression, certainly on a professional networking site like Linkedin.

Check your photo

That image of you at last year’s Christmas party or on a beach in Bali might look great to you, but as a first impression it is best to add a professional photo. Some profiles appear with no photo and this could make recruiters brush over you.

Career History

Make sure there are no gaps in your career history. Linkedin is like an interactive CV and your work experience including what you did during any employment gaps should be detailed. So if you travelled or volunteered make sure you enter that information.

Recommendations & Reviews

An excellent tool on Linkedin means your colleagues, clients and professionals you have worked with can post reviews and recommendations on what it has been like to work with you. If you don’t have any of these, consider asking your boss as this can legitimise your profile.

Visibility

We are all trained to monitor our privacy settings on social media but on Linkedin in order to be noticed you have to be visible. If you are going to be headhunted this can only happen if your privacy settings are set to the right level.

Get noticed and in no time at all you could have landed your dream job!