The outcome most people think of when conducting outreach is referrals.
I get it, but that’s narrow thinking.
Plus, people get turned off when your first message says something like this:
Hi, can you refer me to a job at Amazon? Thank you
Don’t do that. Just don’t.
So if a referral isn’t the only outcome, what other outcomes should you be thinking about?
If you go back to what I said you should be doing at the start, you can strike up a conversation about what it’s like working at a specific company, in a domain, or as part of a team.
Validate what’s going on inside the company aligns with where you’ll succeed.
Learn about the interview process from someone who has recently been through it.
Heck, you might even find out if the company you’re interested in is on the verge of collapse.
Also do it for companies that you’ve applied to, or would consider re-applying to in the future.
Many will ignore you, that’s ok—you’re resilient now, right?
We’re focused on finding those who are willing to have a conversation.
So reach out!
3. How you ‘show up’
Did you know that every comment, post, and reaction you make on the platform is visible to others?
Unless you’ve locked down access to your interactions (most don’t, because this would limit your reach), recruiters and hiring managers can see how you’re engaging on the platform.
It can be tempting to comment on controversial posts.
I used to catch myself doing it more often than I’d like.
Not everything you do will help or hurt the job search.
So avoid the ones that might hurt.
If you need a place to let your comments flow freely without risk, head on over to r/ProductManagement and say hello.
You’ll find plenty of threads there for commiseration.
Look, perception does matter. So if you’re not posting a lot, but are engaging on posts, make sure that engagement helps or is indifferent to your job search.
What matters least
3 things that you can just skip over or ignore completely. Here they are, and why they don’t matter.
1. Posting
As I said last week, you don’t need to be doing this.
Say you’ve got 1,000 followers. Maybe your posts will get a few hundred impressions.
But are they your target audience? Probably not.
Are frequent LinkedIn posters getting more interviews?
No, they’re not.
In fact, some employers might have bias against frequent social media usage.
Like I said already, if you’re not in it for the long game and building a following—irrespective of your job search—then don’t bother.
Is there a chance that a LinkedIn post will make a difference?
Yes...maybe.
But I just don’t like those odds. So don’t bother unless you’ve done everything else already.
I would even suggest writing your interview stories ahead of this—more on that coming soon.
2. Vanity metrics
Followers.
Profile views.
Engagements.
Post impressions.
Curiosity gets the best of us sometimes.
LinkedIn knows this and it’s why they paywall some of those stats.
What matters more than profile views? DMs.
Those are free. Send those, track how many you get.
3. How many people “applied” to that job
Jenny, are you out there?
Ignore this metric too. It does not matter.
If you’re a fit for that job, and it’s a fit for what you’re looking for, that is what matters.
So apply.
Over 60% of applicants don’t even meet the minimum job requirements. I know, I did the research.
It’s probably only gotten worse since I did that report.
Fit for the role is what’s important, not a vague demand signal from LinkedIn.
More hacks & tips
1. Comment on other people’s posts
Rather than writing posts, you can easily expand your reach and visibility on the platform simply by commenting on other people’s posts.
These comments can be easy to write and get massive reach.
And if you have optimised your Headline (here’s that guide) it will show up next to your comment.
Here are just a few examples where a small comment had huge reach:
Each got almost as many impressions as a typical post I write with over 14k followers.
Some were fluff, one was related to what I write about, and another was related to AI.
If you’re going to apply this strategy, just make sure the comments generate or perpetuate the right perception.
But how do you find posts that have a high chance of expanding your reach?
That’s hack #2.
2. Create filtered searches
One unknown feature of LinkedIn that I really value is parameterised URLs.
This means as you construct a search query, all those parameters are written into the URL which means they can be bookmarked.
When you open that bookmark, you save yourself a few seconds or longer (because each filter change reloads the page!).
You can construct filtered searches and create bookmarks for posts, jobs, and more.
If you’re going to apply the strategy above, here’s a filtered search for posts from the last 24 hours from ~20 of the top voices in Product Management.
Bookmark it. Scroll through it and strike up a conversation.
Just avoid the rage bait. 😉
Do the same for job searches.
Some of my clients add those bookmarks to a calendar event. When it’s time to browse the job boards, the freshest jobs are just a tap away—because those links work on mobile, too.
LinkedIn’s feed can be distracting at best, demoralising, deflating, and demotivating at worst.
I regularly hear from clients how their LinkedIn feed leads them to reflect on how they’re doing their job wrong, or how other people’s successes makes them feel.
If you’re going to spend time on the platform, do yourself a favour and start unfollowing the people who post stuff that detracts instead of energises you.
You can also intentionally engage with content that is uplifting and motivates you—this is the positive signal you need to provide the algo to improve your feed.
But if you upvote that rant you agree with, you might see more posts like that.
Spend 10 minutes scrolling through the feed and start unfollowing people.
Do this once a month.
Alright! That’s it, all my LinkedIn advice I share with all of my clients.
It’s everything you need to know to make proper use of the platform on the job search.
Liked this post? Reply and share your feedback—it really means a lot to hear from readers.
Next week we’re going to start covering interviews. I’m going to share my framework for nailing the single most common question you’ll get on the job search.