Are you satisfied with your work? LinkedIn, the professional network has conducted a survey among its users to determine whether they are satisfied with their current job. The report published by them indicates that 2 out of 3 Indians are satisfied with their current job. LinkedIn has 12 million active users in India. The survey places India at the seventh position among the countries in terms of work with 67 per cent of the respondents stating that they are happy with their current job.

India ranks three across the world in the survey

The survey also indicates that majority of the professionals are confident about their future with their present employer. 52 per cent of the respondents across the world believe that hard work and good results will lead to career advancement. In India it is 60 per cent making it the 3rd highest across the world.

Top reasons for change in job

LinkedIn enquired about the factors that will motivate employees for a job change and the top three reasons that emerged out were promotion, working abroad and changing industry.

For those who are not satisfied with their current job

In the case of employees who are not satisfied with their present job, LinkedIn is great place to look out for something new. LinkedIn can be used as a platform to showcase your expertise by actively participating in groups and answering questions in the area of your expertise. Even though 12 million users have a LinkedIn account, the number of active users who use the platform effectively is very less in India. LinkedIn can be used to differentiate you and get positive results. To make most out of the LinkedIn, users can follow many tips that will help them to stand out of the crowd and earn positive results.

The importance of personal tag line

Tag line is the first thing that anyone notices in your profile. So it should not be ignored just like the about me section. In most cases it is the only details that people might see on your profile as it is the only information that follows your name in the search results. For someone who is looking to hire people, they will search with the kind of skills they require and will see a list of people with those skills and experience. Prospective employers will go through the tag lines of people in the list of search result. By using eye catching phrase that will best describe your skills and experience will increase the probability of getting selected.

Develop the habit of asking and answering questions

Recently LinkedIn has introduced a new section called Answers. In this section users can post questions in any field and those with expertise in the field will give answers. Posting meaningful questions will arouse answers and good answers will drive users to your profile. This will help in developing a network of people with similar skills and expertise who might help you in your career at some point of time.

Follow a company of your choice

Another feature that was added in LinkedIn is the option to “follow” companies of your choice. By following a company in LinkedIn, you will get updates from the company on promotions, new hires, job openings etc.

When you visit a company’s profile page you can see whether any one in the network works with the company. This will help in developing a inside connection in your dream company.

Look for right recommendations

Users can request for recommendations from users within your network. Look for few good recommendations from those who know you and your work such as previous employers, professors etc. This will help you in the effort for job hunt.

Maintain a professional profile

Always bear in mind that your profile is public, so make it short meaningful. Add a profile photograph which is appropriate. Make sure not to include your party photographs in your LinkedIn profile.

Build up your credentials as if you are writing a cover letter. Check for grammar and spelling errors before you update. Maintain updated information and do not commit the mistake of cut and paste resume.

Stick to focused updates

Make use of the status updates to talk about your work, opinions, and ideas. You can post information on events and conferences, your opinion on books, articles etc.

Strike a balance between humor and formal tone so that it will sound interesting to others who view your profile.

Inform trusted contact that you are looking for job

The people in the network who know you well will be able to help you better than anyone else. So it is better to inform you that you are on a job hunt. Avoid using status update as it will draw unwanted attention. Instead make use of the message service to send personal message to people you trust and those who can help you like former colleagues, bosses etc.

This explains the need for building a large network of people who are trusts worthy.

Be an active member

LinkedIn may not be interesting like Facebook and twitter. But make sure that you log in regularly to respond to messages and connection requests. This will help in staying updated in your area of interest, whether it is job openings or any other development and will help to participate in active discussions.

Do not inform everyone that you are on job hunt

Think about how your present organization will consider your job hunt. In most of the cases present employers won’t like the idea of their employees hunting for job. So before updating your profile to attract recruiters, make sure that you change your privacy settings. This will help in making your updates and notifications private and will help in a passive job hunt. Change the privacy settings to control the users who are notified and to make sure that your updates and notifications do not appear on the present company’s profile.

The privacy setting offers different options and you can restrict the updates to certain users.