The LinkedIn platform has given small businesses incredible opportunity in so many ways and has just released the 2019 Graduate’s Guide to Getting Hired, revealing what small business owners can expect when hiring from LinkedIn in 2019. Insights for talent professionals include where the class of 2018 landed, when new grads most often apply for new roles, which employers are attracting the most new graduates, the types of roles new grads are looking for, and the skills they’re bringing to the table. You can find the full report here.
I had the incredible opportunity to catch a few minutes with LinkedIn’s own Blair Decembrele, Global Integrated Marketing Communications & Linkedin Career Expert to hear about how the job market has changed and what she’s learned about hiring from LinkedIn. Here’s how it went!
Hiring From LinkedIn
Jay: I’ve always believed- hire passion, you can always teach skills. Have you found that to have become a more frequently used measuring stick for new employees or are employers still stuck on the resume?
Blair: Hiring is evolving, more and more we’re seeing workers change jobs to really find something that they’re passionate about, something they’re really “in it” for. We’re also in a really tight labor market– professionals have options and good talent is scarce. What’s better than hiring someone you know is really excited about the job?
Our research has also shown us that employers are looking beyond hard skills and traditional job experience when vetting candidates. We found 92% of talent professionals agree that soft skills matter as much as hard skills when hiring, and 89% feel that “bad hires” typically have poor soft skills. Employers should consider their employees an investment, and as we shift to a more purpose-driven economy, we might start to see passion and grit overtake traditional experience on a resume as a key factor for why people get hired.
Jay: Often times there’s a disconnect between the hiring generation and the millennial job seekers. What has been the biggest gap that you’ve noticed that job seekers and employers deal with when adding a new member to the team?
Blair: Millennials have redefined the modern approach to careers. They rate flexibility, ability to learn and aligned values over paychecks. With 56% of millennials saying they would not be satisfied with a position they define as “just a job” and 40% saying they want to feel passionate about their work, employers need to make sure they are taking note of their new hires’ passions and interests. Inability to learn and grow is the #1 reason why Gen Z and Millennials would leave their jobs. You’ll have a tough time retaining an employee that feels like their work isn’t meaningful to the company’s success and isn’t growing.
Also, don’t underestimate the power of great onboarding when a new team member joins. According to Glint data, new hires with poor onboarding experiences are 8X more likely to be disengaged three months later when compared to those who had favorable onboarding experiences.
Sometimes It’s Good to Showoff!!
Jay: LinkedIn has played such an incredible role for everyone in every industry. What is your top piece of advice for job seekers looking to build and maintain their brand on LinkedIn?
Blair: Keeping graduates in mind as we head into graduation season, my biggest piece of advice is to keep it simple. A hire is made every 8 seconds on LinkedIn, including for millions of entry-level roles, and there are more than 1.4 million hiring professionals who are actively looking for talent. Chances are you already have relevant skills and experience that are attractive to employers, so it’s important to show it off.
Spend some time thinking about what you’re really “in it” for, what makes you tick? What’s really going to get you out of bed in the morning? Create a LinkedIn profile that will give hiring professionals an idea of what you’re looking for so recruiters can reach out; add relevant skills, including soft skills like leadership, time management, and creativity. Write a summary that highlights the type of role you’re looking for, and let hiring professionals know what you’re open to by updating your Career Interests — like the city you want to work in and roles you’re pursuing — from your profile dashboard.
Once you’ve got a solid profile, it’s time to tap into the vast network of professionals who are ready to help you take your next step. In fact, more than 70% of professionals get hired at a company where they have a professional connection, so your professional community is invaluable when looking for a new role.
Jay: From your position, what has been the biggest impact that LinkedIn has made in the job market?
Blair: What’s special about LinkedIn is that not only do we have over 20 million jobs on the platform — from internships to corporate VPs to front-line cooks — we also have the network and community of 630M+ professionals and insight into what you’re looking for to help you find the right now.
Our focus is making the job search easier by doing some of the work for you in uncovering the right jobs; we’ve improved recommendations relevance by 20%, meaning more of the right jobs are finding their way to you, and we’re doing it faster by alerting you within minutes if a role that you’re a fit for is posted. Once you’re ready to hit apply for the job posting you’ll find all the insights you need — including salary insights, information about your commute, and into how your skills match up — so you can make an informed decision about your next move.