LinkedIn Sales Navigator can be a powerful tool for job seekers. With over 850 million members worldwide, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. LinkedIn Sales Navigator provides additional features beyond the free LinkedIn account to help sales professionals identify new prospects, build relationships, and close more deals. While Sales Navigator is geared towards sales professionals, many of its capabilities can also help job seekers connect with the right people and companies during a job search.
Getting Access to LinkedIn Sales Navigator
The first step is getting access to LinkedIn Sales Navigator. There are a few options:
- Free 30-day trial – LinkedIn offers a free 30-day trial of Sales Navigator. This is a great way to test it out as you start your job search.
- Through an employer – Some companies provide employees access to Sales Navigator as a sales tool. If you have access this way, you can use it to aid your job search while employed.
- Individual subscription – You can purchase an individual subscription for $79.99 per month. As a job seeker, a 1-3 month subscription may be worthwhile investment during your search.
Once you have access, optimizing your LinkedIn profile is the next step before using Sales Navigator to find the right opportunities.
Optimizing your LinkedIn Profile for Job Seekers
Your LinkedIn profile serves as the backbone for connecting with the right people and opportunities. Make sure it is up-to-date and professional. Here are tips for optimizing it for job search:
- Professional photo – Have a quality headshot in business attire.
- Headline – Summarize your experience and skills. Example: Senior Accountant seeking CPA Firm Management role.
- Summary – Provide an overview of your qualifications and experience. Include relevant keywords and skills.
- Experience – List your most recent jobs. Give an overview of your roles and accomplishments at each.
- Skills & endorsements – Add at least 5 key skills relevant to the roles you are seeking. Get endorsements from colleagues.
- Education – List your college(s) and degree(s). Include relevant coursework if desired.
- Recommendations – Ask managers and colleagues for recommendations. This builds credibility.
- Links & media – Share links to websites, certifications, portfolios and presentations to showcase work.
Also make sure your profile is at least 80% complete. This improves your visibility when recruiters search LinkedIn.
Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to Find Job Opportunities
Once your profile is optimized, Sales Navigator provides several advantages to aid your job search:
Advanced Search Filters
The advanced search filters allow you to zero in on the right people and job postings. Key filters include:
- Location – Target opportunities in desired geographic areas.
- Company – Search for postings from a specific company.
- Industry – Focus on openings in your industry.
- Job function – Target roles in your area of expertise like accounting, IT, HR.
- Seniority level – Filter by entry-level, manager, director and above.
- Date posted – Find the newest openings posted in the last week or 24 hours.
You can apply multiple filters to narrow your search quickly to the most relevant opportunities. The filters are much more robust than LinkedIn’s free account.
Contact Search
The contact search allows you to find relevant people beyond just your direct connections. You can search by companies, roles, groups, interests, and more.
Here are examples of searches to expand your network in the right direction:
- Accounting managers at [Target Company]
- HR professionals in [Desired City]
- Leadership at [Industry Association]
Make targeted customized searches to get introduced to the right decision makers.
Lead Recommendations
Another Sales Navigator feature is lead recommendations. This uses predictive algorithms to recommend prospects to connect with that match your search parameters.
As a job seeker, you can use this to surface recruiting managers, HR professionals, and department heads in your target companies or industry. Connecting with these leads gets you closer to learning about potential openings.
Opening a Conversation
Once you’ve identified prospects through advanced searches and lead recommendations, the next step is reaching out to start a conversation. Avoid generic outreach language. Personalize your ask based on their role, company, location and interests.
Here are some examples of personalized first messages:
- Hi [Name], I noticed you are the head of recruiting at [Company]. I have 5 years experience in corporate accounting and I am currently exploring new opportunities in the [City] area. Is your company hiring any accounting roles currently or in the near future? I would appreciate any insights.
- Hello [Name], I see you are the Marketing Manager at [Company] and a fellow [University] alum! I am an experienced digital marketing specialist exploring new opportunities. Your company looks like a great place to work based on the culture. Do you anticipate any digital marketing openings on your team in the coming months?
The more personalized the ask, the better chance they will engage. If they are not hiring, many will still be open to connecting which can lead to referrals.
Leveraging Your Network
Beyond outbound outreach, leveraging your existing network is also key.
Alumni Groups
Join relevant alumni groups from your university or degree program. Alumni are usually very willing to help fellow graduates. Post about your search and engage with other members.
See Alumni at Target Companies
Use the filters to identify alumni from your school that work at companies you want to target. Reach out explain you are a fellow alum exploring opportunities at their company.
Connect with Former Colleagues
If former colleagues now work at organizations you are interested in, reach out and ask if they are hiring. Internal referrals can help get a foot in the door.
Engage with Content
Share, comment, and like content from target companies and relevant industry leaders. This raises your visibility and can prompt them to view your profile.
Following Up After Connecting
Once you have made promising connections, follow up promptly:
- Send InMail messages requesting informational interviews to learn more about their company.
- Forward your resume when relevant based on conversations about potential openings.
- Ask if they can refer you to HR or the internal hiring team if applicable.
- Connect on other channels – get their business email or phone to continue the dialogue.
- Share company hiring posts and news to show your interests are aligned.
- Request to connect them on LinkedIn after productive conversations to strengthen the relationship.
Joining Industry and Career Focused Groups
Groups on LinkedIn are valuable ways to tap into communities in your industry and connect with professionals in your field. Actively participate in the group feed:
- Comment on discussions and share relevant articles.
- Like posts from other members.
- Offer advice and expertise where you can add value.
- Post questions soliciting career advice.
This raises your profile within your professional community and can lead to new connections. Focus on quality over quantity of groups. Pick ones aligned with your experience and career goals.
Following Target Company Pages
Follow company pages on LinkedIn for all organizations you are interested in targeting in your search. This offers several advantages:
- See new job postings and openings faster.
- Learn about company news, projects, wins.
- Monitor organizational changes and leadership moves.
- Gain insights on company culture and values to align your messaging and interviews.
You can like and share company posts to stay engaged and on their radar as well.
Applying for Jobs Directly on LinkedIn
LinkedIn lists many available jobs on their platform across a wide range of industries and career levels. Follow these tips for success applying:
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to match each role’s requirements.
- Apply early. Newly posted jobs see the most applicants initially.
- For quick apply roles, check the submission confirmation page that your application went through.
- If needed, follow up with the company’s recruiting team for an update on the status of your application.
- Look for contacts who work at the company on LinkedIn and seek to connect to increase visibility.
Researching Companies and Leadership
LinkedIn provides extensive information on companies, employees, and leadership teams. Use it to research target organizations:
- Follow the company page to learn about their products, services, and news.
- Review the careers page for open positions, culture and values.
- Study their organizational chart using Sales Navigator to understand the structure and identify decision makers.
- Look at current employees’ profiles to gain insights about the roles and requirements.
- Research executives and hiring managers to customize your outreach and interview discussions.
These insights allow you to tailor your approach, resume, and conversations to each company.
Showcasing Your Skills and Expertise
Beyond your profile summary, LinkedIn offers additional ways to demonstrate your capabilities:
Profile Verification
Some skills and certifications can be verified directly on your profile through third parties. This adds credibility to your credentials.
Portfolio
The portfolio feature allows you to showcase work including documents, videos, images and presentations. This is ideal for designers, programmers, writers, and other roles with tangible deliverables.
Articles
Publishing your own articles allows you to highlight thought leadership and expertise. Write posts relevant to your industry and goals.
Long-Form Posts
More detailed long-form posts can be added to your profile like blog entries to tell your professional story and achievements.
Tracking Application Activity
As you start applying for roles, it’s important to stay organized:
- Save job descriptions and requirements for reference later in the process.
- Track application materials submitted and deadlines in a spreadsheet.
- Set reminders to follow up with contacts at each company.
- Update your status for each application as you progress through the hiring process.
This ensures you follow through effectively as you navigate multiple applications.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Sales Navigator offers a robust set of tools to aid job seekers throughout their search process. The advanced filters streamline identifying relevant openings. Features like lead recommendations provide actionable prospects to connect with at target companies.
Additionally, Sales Navigator empowers you to research organizations, demonstrate expertise, and build relationships with the right people across your industry. Combining these capabilities with an optimized profile and proactive outreach will help drive success landing the right fit opportunities.