It’s hard to deny the incredible power of social media. It has the power to change nations and sway public opinion one way or another.

However, it has also become a vital tool in recruitment and securing contractors new work. When it comes to platforms that do this effectively, LinkedIn is king.

Estimates suggest that there are up to 15+ million jobs advertised on LinkedIn at the moment worldwide, but there may be many more ‘casual’ opportunities out there.

Although there are many potential contracts available offline, contractors cannot afford to miss out on the opportunities that LinkedIn can offer.

In our last newswire, we covered the basics of how to improve your presence on this platform, so by now, you should be ready to go.

Here are just some of the ways you can use LinkedIn to find and win new work:

Make yourself visible

LinkedIn has a particularly good Open To Work feature that highlights to recruiters and others that you are available for new opportunities. This also adds a handy little graphic to your profile photo, so you stand out.

Turning this feature on is fairly simple and can be done by:

• Click the “Me” icon on the LinkedIn homepage and “View profile”.
• Next click on the “Open to” button and choose “Finding a new job”.
• You’ll then be asked to “Tell us what kind of work you’re open to”. You can alter your settings appropriately, providing information including your role as a contractor.
• You’ll also be asked to “Choose who sees you’re open”.
• If you choose “All LinkedIn members”, the #OpenToWork photo frame will be automatically added to your profile photo, and everyone will be able to send opportunities to you.

Direct messaging

The direct messaging feature on LinkedIn is a fantastic way to reach out to existing contacts. Not only does it notify people immediately when you contact them, but it allows you to personalise your message as well.

This is an excellent way to reach out to old contacts, but can also be used to target potential engagers, particularly if you have seen roles advertised elsewhere.

By choosing to be Open to Work, you will also find that many recruiters and agencies will reach out to you to offer contract opportunities.

Digital job fairs

We have seen a growing trend for LinkedIn job fairs, where businesses hold digital events where they outline the roles available and the skills they need.

These can be a terrific way to not only win new work but also build your network of potential clients for the future.

These come and go, so keep your eye out for them when visiting your feed. In some cases, these may even be directly advertised to you based on the existing skills you list and your profile information.

Networking

Although we are seeing a slow return to in-person networking events, LinkedIn has become more active when it comes to people making connections.

You should take the time to explore your existing contacts on the site, to see whether you can expand your network of connections online.

By building a bigger pool of connections, you should find that more contract and job adverts hit your feed over time, and it will help people to become aware of who you are and what you can offer.

In the final part of our LinkedIn series, we will look at marketing your skills on LinkedIn.