Still struggling to understand why you need to do it now? Consider the following situation …
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You find a job opportunity in your new duty location.
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You polish up your resume and cover letter and apply.
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The employer pre-screens candidates and only finds your Facebook page. You have it set to private with only a couple photos available.
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The employer decides to offer you an interview.
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When making the hiring decision, the employer has your resume, cover letter, and interview to consider.
Now, consider the same situation but this time you have a strong LinkedIn profile and a thriving network established …
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You find the perfect job opportunity in your new duty location (posted on LinkedIn because many employers only post jobs on LinkedIn now.)
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You polish up your resume and cover letter and apply.
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The employer pre-screens candidates and finds your Facebook page and your LinkedIn profile. Your Facebook page doesn’t have any objectionable material. Your LinkedIn profile contains additional information and corroborates your resume and cover letter so the employer knows you are not feeding them only one side of your story. In addition, your profile contains positive recommendations from connections. Overall, the employer has much more information that reinforces your job application.
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You search your connections and find that your old neighbor’s uncle works in the office that you are applying. You request an introduction and your neighbor’s uncle then introduces you to the hiring manager. You then call or write an email to the hiring manager letting him/her know how you are connected, that you have applied, and you look forward to an interview.
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The employer has a lot of positive information and decides to offer you an interview.
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When making the hiring decision, the employer has your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, an internal recommendation, direct correspondence from you, and the interview to consider.
