Women rule the internet when it comes to social media, according to recent Pew research — except when it comes to LinkedIn, where only 19 percent of internet-using women are on the site, as opposed to 24 percent of men. Why does this matter? With recruiters increasingly turning to social media to find qualified candidates for jobs, women who are looking for work need to maximize every opportunity, in order to get the attention of hiring managers.
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So what do men do, that women don’t do?
1. They show up.
As the saying goes, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. By not using LinkedIn — or not taking the time to use it well — you cheat yourself out of the chance of getting hired through that channel.
2. They’re not afraid to look needy.
“A lot of women mistake sending a LinkedIn request to a dream employer with sending a Facebook request to the guy who broke your heart in college,” writes Jessica Sager at The Grindstone. “It’s not the same thing. One is to hopefully build a future while the latter is because you can’t let go of the past. Don’t get it twisted!”
We would also add that women sometimes have a different idea of what constitutes good manners online, partly because they’re so often the target of uninvited attention on every social network. Writing to a recruiter or a connection about a job isn’t the same as harassing someone, especially if you don’t spam them with messages. (And don’t. Don’t do this.)
3. They have hard skills, and they show them off.
Keywords are everything in the world of LinkedIn, and at this point in history, men are still more likely than women to have some of the hard skills that get recruiters’ attention. Change that. Learn to code, take a STEM class, become proficient with a software program.
And then make sure you tell the world, starting with LinkedIn. It’s not bragging, if it’s true.
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