You can use LinkedIn to land you a job or contract!
Author and Photos by Talking Forests
Earlier this week, I posted a great piece from Social Media Examiner that helped us understand how to use LinkedIn to get better visibility. Why is this close to my heart? How do I know that these tricks work? In 2014, I was working harder than ever on a teller line after just getting my bachelor’s degree thinking to myself, will I ever be able to get a job that uses my natural resources education? The thing is, students in my shoes, even right now, are graduating with so much potential (and jobs that just pay bills), but in our field, the way to get your foot in the door is to get into a seasonal job. Full-time jobs out of college are extremely hard to get for forestry and natural resource science majors. This is a never-ending cycle and I want to teach people how to get out of this. I pulled up my bootstraps and created my LinkedIn profile during Fall 2014, for the better. Are you ready for a solution?
Shipwreck Cafe' Waitress, 2012.
What did I do when I created my LinkedIn? I created a basic profile. At the time, I had a few jobs under my belt or should I say apron? I added the employment experience that I had at the time. Waitressing, admissions and president’s office assistant, bank teller, and my summer forest internships. I also added volunteer experience, Habitat for Humanity, WA Society of American Foresters, 4-H, and FFA. I did not think it was much, but it was worth a shot. With a profile picture and my contact information added, I just had a virtual resume ready for the world.
What did I do?! I waited.
Mailroom duty in the admission assistant job at Grays Harbor College, 2011!
One day in Winter of 2015, I got an email from the CEO of Society of American Foresters. He said he saw my LinkedIn profile (Title: Looking for Opportunities) and asked me where I wanted to work and then promised to send my resume across the web to people he knew in the industry for me! Well, he sure did since I got a phone call from Washington Forest Protection Association shortly afterward. They wanted to interview me. I couldn’t believe it! One step of creating a LinkedIn profile helped me get my first full-time career position and helped me get out of just paying my bills. I am so appreciative that I want to help other people do this.
Forestry School Grays Harbor College, 2011.
I created Talking Forests to help other people and students get where they want to be on social media. If you create it, they will come and this exact thing happened to me. The best thing you can do is ask for something, the worst that happens is, you don’t get a reply back. I asked to speak at an international conference in June, did I expect anything when I asked? No! I was so surprised when I was emailed back and said they wanted my information to schedule me in at the conference.
Are you needing help with anything online? Or do you want to land a job, contract, internship, grant or scholarship? Talking Forests can help you! Email us for a FREE consultation and we will schedule you in to try and see what we can help you with. Need some eyes on your social media? We can do a FREE audit for you as well. If you are not showing up online, where are you? Where you always have been and not where you and everyone else in the world are going! If you are lost and need help, please reach out to me. I know first hand how to use social media to get you a future you always wanted.
#LinkedIn, #Development, #Jobs, #SocialMedia
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