the next generation of job matching
Hey y’all!
Mariam from Forward here 👋
In today’s edition:
3 business-related entry-level jobs with salary, TX-based or remote
Ask Mariam Anything #1: How to use LinkedIn to get a job (beyond applying)
460+ free online courses/certificates to upskill like it’s your side quest
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🔥 NEW SECTION: Ask Mariam Anything (AMA) #1
Each week, I’ll answer your most burning career questions. Have a question? Ask me here.
“How can I use LinkedIn to land a job (apart from just using it to actually submit applications?)” - Anonymous
As y’all know, I have a major love/hate relationship with LinkedIn (a lot of my beef is outlined below, actually)
But here are a few ways to leverage it (at least until someone finally dismantles it 👀 ) that do NOT involve networking or applying to jobs.
Research. One of my favorite ways to use LinkedIn is to dive deep into other people’s careers to learn about what kinds of companies they worked at, job titles they’ve had, degrees they got, etc.
For example, if you are interested in pivoting into a new industry, but if you are unsure what kinds of jobs are a good option to getting your foot in the door, look at people’s LinkedIn profiles to see if there are any common entry-level jobs that seem to come up!
Build your own professional brand. The reality is that it IS really competitive out there, and candidates are always looking for creative ways to stand out. I’m not telling you to be an influencer…
But, if you are passionate about a certain topic, field, company, etc., use your LinkedIn to share articles, hot takes, observations on trends, etc. By demonstrating how engaged and thoughtful you are, you’ll not only be unique but may even attract opportunities!
Take advantage of LinkedIn Learning content. Another way to stand out is to demonstrate that you are someone who is always curious and looking to grow. A lot of LinkedIn learning is not free, but the good people at Class Central compiled this list of 460+ hours of free courses/certificates! You can also do a one-month free trial if there’s something specialized you want to go all in on for a short period of time!
Overheard from a recruiter
I’m having conversations with recruiters, hiring managers, and other talent decision-makers weekly, and want to share tidbits of what I’m learning with y’all here too!
Can anyone take down LinkedIn? I hate it.
Last week, I had dinner with nine HR and talent professionals. For the most part, we don’t talk shop, but that night we ended up spending a LOT of time complaining about LinkedIn.
Just so you know, you aren’t the only one who hates it!!!
Here’s what we all agreed on:
LinkedIn has such a monopoly in recruiting that they can get away with a bad product, bad customer service, and over-charging like crazy.
The only way that we can even make a dent in LinkedIn is if candidates and professionals in general start diversifying the tools they use. Right now, because “everyone” is on LinkedIn, we all are stuck there!
But I believe that in the future (a future that Forward is building), we’ll see more “specialized” job boards that focus on particular industries, fields, candidate types, etc. Not only will that make it easier for people to sort through the noise on both sides, but it’ll break LinkedIn's monopoly and raise the standards overall for people to improve the tools that they build for hiring!
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Take a break
Job searching is hard work. You deserve a break. Here’s how I took time to rest and recharge this week!
I do not own a boat, but I do have a wonderful friend who RENTS a boat and after years of dry, brutal Texas summers it was amazing to see water levels… of any kind.
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Thanks for showing up this week! We appreciate you. See y’all same time next week!
Mariam Matin
Connect with me on LinkedIn!