Things to Know Before Using LinkedIn’s Easy Apply
So that job opening for a backend engineer caught your eye, right? Or maybe it’s an opening for a product designer, either way, you see a job offer on LinkedIn and you feel you should give it a try by applying. Application is stressful; I mean, who loves writing all that proposals and cover letters, not me anyway. But fortunately, LinkedIn gave you an option for Easy Apply where you simply click a few buttons and submit an application with your resume and LinkedIn profile. That’s great, right? Yes! It is but really not the best in all possibilities. Nevertheless, it is an option that works but there are some things you need to know to better configure it to work well for you.
The first question to ask is… what do you think the employer or recruiter sees after you’ve applied to the post on LinkedIn?
Well, the first thing you should know is that when you apply with LinkedIn, your application gets added to the recruiter’s candidate database along with that of everyone else and an email is sent to the employer to inform them about your application. This email contains a simple snapshot of your profile with details including your headshot (image), relevant skills, connection degree, and location.
The relevant skills refer to your profile's endorsed skills that match the skills requirements the employer included in their position posting. This means if you haven’t taken any of LinkedIn’s skill tests, you won’t have any relevant skills listed.
So, the first thing to take note of here is that if you want to use LinkedIn for job applications, you must have completed several skill tests relevant to your area of specialization.
Along with your application is your experience. LinkedIn includes information about your current experience, past experience, and employment dates. Note, however, that recruiters will only see the job titles of these experiences and not the full details. So, how do you get them to know more about your past experience if everything LinkedIn shows them is the job title? Here’s a trick you can apply.
LinkedIn offers a 100-character limit for the position title field. The best option available is to take advantage of this character limit to give the employer a quick glimpse at your capabilities.
Another interesting part of the snapshot LinkedIn sends out to the recruiter is the section called Highlight. This section informs employers if the candidate has any connection with someone who currently works for the company or anyone connected with the recruiter, or if the recruiter has hired anyone from your education line.
LinkedIn is so powerful with relationships. This is why it is called LinkedIn. Therefore, you need to take advantage of this feature and build LinkedIn connections with people who can put you in the spotlight.
Nevertheless, the employer can click a link in the email to view your full application or go to their dashboard to review all other applicants. From this section, they have the option to review your resume, mark you as a good fit, or contact you if needed.
It’s called LinkedIn Easy Apply but it is not so easy anyway. On a final note, here are some tricks to help improve your chances of being selected as a Good Fit.
- Seek endorsement for skills that match the positions you will be targeting.
- Build a positive network that consists of people that work in companies you want to target.
- Maximize the character limit on the job title section
- Always attach your resume to your application. It is really important!
And there you go! It was nice having you here. If you enjoyed this read, then be sure to give it a clap. Thank you!
