A LinkedIn Guide For Military Veterans
Transitioning from military service to a civilian career can be daunting, but leveraging the power of LinkedIn can significantly ease this journey. In today’s digital age, a strong LinkedIn profile is essential.
This comprehensive guide is designed to help military veterans optimize their LinkedIn profiles, ensuring they effectively highlight their unique skills, experiences, and accomplishments in a manner that resonates with civilian employers.
Why LinkedIn?
LinkedIn has become a vital tool for job seekers. According to Jobvite, 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find or vet candidates during the hiring process. Additionally, 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to vet job candidates, making it clear that a well-optimized profile can significantly enhance your job prospects.
The Power of a Comprehensive Profile
A complete LinkedIn profile is more than just a digital resume. It is a platform to showcase your professional journey, network with industry leaders, and be discovered by potential employers.
Job seekers with comprehensive LinkedIn profiles are 71% more likely to get a job interview. Moreover, profiles with professional headshots receive 14 times more profile views and are 36 times more likely to receive messages on LinkedIn.
Networking Opportunities
Networking is a critical component of job searching, and LinkedIn excels in this area. Approximately 85% of jobs are filled through networking, and LinkedIn offers a unique platform to connect with industry professionals. In fact, 35% of job seekers found their last job through social media, with LinkedIn being the most effective platform.
Engaging with LinkedIn groups, following industry leaders, and participating in relevant discussions can expand your professional network and open doors to new opportunities.
Job Listings and Applications
LinkedIn hosts over 20 million job listings, providing a vast array of opportunities for job seekers. Every minute, six people are hired through LinkedIn. By setting up job alerts and regularly checking job postings, you can stay informed about new openings and apply promptly.
Optimizing Your Profile
An optimized LinkedIn profile significantly increases your visibility to recruiters. Profiles with complete information are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn. Adding a professional photo makes your profile 14 times more likely to be viewed. Including relevant skills in your profile is also crucial. LinkedIn members who list skills receive 13 times more profile views, and profiles with five or more skills listed are contacted 33 times more by recruiters.
Staying Active
Maintaining regular activity on LinkedIn by commenting on posts, sharing updates, and engaging with your network keeps your profile visible and active. Active LinkedIn users see four times more profile views. Sharing relevant content can increase your visibility and engagement by ten times.
Special Tips for Military Veterans
For military veterans, translating military jargon into civilian terms is crucial. Instead of "Platoon Leader," use "Team Leader" or "Operations Manager." Highlight soft skills such as leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving, which are highly valued in civilian roles. Engage with veteran networks and groups on LinkedIn, such as the Veteran Mentor Network, to find support and job opportunities.
Take advantage of LinkedIn’s offer of a free one-year premium account for veterans. This provides additional tools and insights to optimize your job search.
Conclusion
By leveraging the guidance in this comprehensive checklist, military veterans can transition more smoothly into their next career phase. A well-optimized LinkedIn profile will accurately and attractively represent their professional journey and aspirations, making them more attractive to potential employers.
With the power of LinkedIn, you can increase your visibility, enhance your professional branding, and connect with opportunities that align with your career goals.
Contact Still Serving Veterans to start transforming your LinkedIn profile today and take the next step towards a successful civilian career.
Now that you better understand the why, we have compiled a great check-list to get your LinkedIn in the best possible shape for your job hunt.
Comprehensive LinkedIn Profile Checklist for Military Veterans
This comprehensive LinkedIn Profile Checklist is designed to help military veterans transition smoothly into civilian careers by optimizing their LinkedIn profiles. By following this guide, you can highlight your unique skills, experiences, and accomplishments, making your profile more attractive to potential employers.
The checklist provides clear, actionable steps for creating a compelling LinkedIn presence, enhancing your visibility to recruiters, and expanding your professional network. To maximize the benefits of this checklist and tailor it to your specific needs, we encourage you to reach out to your SSV counselor for personalized assistance and support.
Profile Photo
Professional Headshot: Use a high-resolution, professional-looking headshot. Dress appropriately for your desired industry and avoid military uniforms unless applying for a related role.
Background Photo: Add a relevant background photo that enhances your profile’s visual appeal and relates to your career aspirations or industry.
Headline
Clear and Descriptive: Create a headline that succinctly describes your professional identity, skills, and career goals. Avoid terms like “transitioning” or “retiring” and instead focus on the roles or industries you are targeting.
Summary (About Section)
Personal Branding: Use the first person to tell your story, including your mission, personality, and career aspirations. Make the first three lines compelling to encourage viewers to click “See More.”
Keywords and Achievements: Integrate keywords from job descriptions of roles you are targeting and highlight your achievements and skills. Explain how your military experience translates to civilian job requirements.
Experience
Detailed Descriptions: Provide detailed descriptions of your roles, responsibilities, and achievements in the military. Use civilian language to describe military roles and include relevant keywords.
Accomplishments and Metrics: Highlight key accomplishments using specific metrics to demonstrate your impact (e.g., “Led a team of 30 in a high-pressure environment resulting in a 20% increase in efficiency”).
Education
Complete Information: List all relevant degrees and certifications. Include the names of institutions and avoid listing graduation years to prevent age discrimination.
Skills
Relevant Skills: Add up to 50 skills, prioritizing those most relevant to your target roles. Ensure the top three skills are the most important ones for your career goals.
Endorsements: Seek endorsements for your skills from colleagues and supervisors to add credibility.
Recommendations
Request Recommendations: Request recommendations from former supervisors, colleagues, or mentors. Provide them with talking points to emphasize specific skills and experiences relevant to your career goals.
Give Recommendations: Write recommendations for others to encourage them to reciprocate.
Additional Sections
Volunteer Experience: Include any volunteer work, particularly roles that highlight leadership, organization, or community service skills.
Certifications and Licenses: List relevant certifications and licenses that add value to your profile and align with your career goals.
Projects and Publications: Add significant projects and publications to showcase your expertise and accomplishments.
Settings and Privacy
Open to Work: Enable the “Open to Work” feature to signal to recruiters that you are looking for job opportunities. Choose whether to display this to all LinkedIn members or only to recruiters.
Profile Completeness: Aim for a complete profile to increase visibility in searches. LinkedIn rewards profiles that are fully filled out.
Networking and Engagement
Engage with Veteran Networks: Join and actively participate in veteran networks and groups on LinkedIn, such as the Veteran Mentor Network, to find support and job opportunities.
Follow Companies and Influencers: Follow companies you’re interested in working for and thought leaders in your industry to stay informed about job openings and industry trends.
Content and Posts
Share Relevant Content: Regularly share articles, insights, and achievements related to your industry to position yourself as a knowledgeable professional.
Write Articles: Consider writing LinkedIn articles about your experiences, industry trends, or advice for other job seekers to showcase your expertise and thought leadership.
Job Seeking Features
Career Interests: Regularly update the “Career Interests” section to reflect your current job search status and preferences. This helps recruiters find you for the right opportunities.
Job Alerts: Set up job alerts for roles you are interested in to stay informed about new openings and apply promptly.
Profile Activity
Regular Activity: Maintain regular activity on LinkedIn by commenting on posts, sharing updates, and engaging with your network. This keeps your profile visible and active.
Endorse Skills: Endorse the skills of your connections to encourage them to reciprocate and endorse your skills.
Privacy and Settings
Control Privacy Settings: Adjust your privacy settings to manage who can see your activity and personal information, especially if you are currently employed and job searching discreetly.
Utilizing LinkedIn Premium
Veteran Premium Account: Take advantage of LinkedIn’s offer of a free one-year premium account for veterans. This provides additional tools and insights to optimize your job search.
Profile Optimization
Custom URL: Personalize your LinkedIn URL to make it easier to share and look more professional (e.g., linkedin.com/in/yourname).
Name Pronunciation: Use the name pronunciation feature if your name is commonly mispronounced, making it easier for recruiters to address you correctly.
Headline and Summary
Avoid Military Jargon: Translate military jargon into civilian terms. For example, instead of “Platoon Leader,” use “Team Leader” or “Operations Manager.”
Highlight Soft Skills: Emphasize soft skills such as leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving, which are highly valued in civilian roles.
Experience and Skills
Accomplishments with Context: Provide context to your accomplishments to make them understandable to civilian employers (e.g., explain what a “mission” entailed in civilian terms).
Transferable Skills: Focus on transferable skills that are relevant to your desired civilian career (e.g., project management, logistics, strategic planning).
At SSV, we are committed to supporting you in your job search journey
Our dedicated team is here to assist you with optimizing your LinkedIn profile, crafting standout resumes, and developing a comprehensive job search strategy tailored to your career goals. We understand the unique challenges faced by military veterans transitioning to civilian careers, and we are here to provide the guidance and resources you need to succeed.
To get started with SSV, reach out to your SSV counselor today. Together, we can help you take the next steps towards securing your ideal job and achieving your career aspirations. We are here to support you every step of the way.
Visit Still Serving Veterans to learn more and begin your career transition journey today.
