We’ve all heard “It’s who you know” when looking for work.
Starting this week, LinkedIn is making building connections with hiring managers easier.
The LinkedIn home tab will start showing jobs that people in your network are hiring for now. You’ll also get notifications about relevant jobs posted by people you’re connected with.
And you can see who’s on the hiring team within job descriptions. There will also be a prompt with a suggested message so you can reach out and get the process going.
“I’d recommend that you reach out either right before or right after you apply for the job,” said Blair Heitmann, a career expert with LinkedIn. “It’s a great opportunity to ensure that you stand out from the stack of people that have applied. It also ensures that you can demonstrate your soft skills.”
Hiring managers say soft skills like public speaking or problem-solving matter. LinkedIn found job skills hiring managers are looking for have changed by 25 percent since 2015.
And it will be double that in five years.
“If you’re somebody that’s looking for a job, or really just interested in really building your professional identity over the course of your career, make sure that you stay up to date on those skills,” said Heitmann. “We always come from a willing-to-learn mindset because I would expect that over the course of your career, those skills will change, and for you to stay marketable and for you to stay one step ahead. You really want to stay on the pulse of what those skills are.”
Over the last three months, top skills in more than three-quarters of jobs posted on LinkedIn include customer service, sales, accounting, business development and marketing. You can take free courses on these skills this month on Linkedin's website.
