Kari Karlsbjerg's "Canadian Employment Culture" column reports every Wednesday (local time) in the Korea IT Times. First, the four-part coverage of the serial column for 'Month Two' is as follows.
1. Finding Your Tribe: Professional IT Associations Source for Jobs
2. Linked-In is the Sure Way to Connect and Find Work
3. Self-Service to Full-Service Job Hunting
4. KOTRA and KMOVE Connect Jobseekers with Canadian Employers
South Korea’s high rates of social media usage and popular social media giants like Kakaotalk and Naver’s Band are well known around the world. Therefore, there is no need for the main western social media apps in Korea. In fact, LinkedIn, North America’s top online site for professional and career networking, is only used by 4.9% of Koreans according to a recent study. However, for Korean jobseekers looking to find and build a career in IT in Canada and the USA, LinkedIn is a very important tool to use.
Individuals use LinkedIn for professional networking, connecting, and job searching, and companies use it for recruiting new employees. As of 2020, LinkedIn had more 660 million members in more than 200 countries, including executives from all of the Fortune 500 companies. In fact, according to a Jobvite Recruiter Nation Survey, 87 percent of recruiters now use LinkedIn as part of their candidate search.
LinkedIn is not just an online version of your resume, instead it lets you build your professional network around the world without leaving your office. Fortunately, it is quick and easy to set up a free account and create your online. Here are a few pointers:
• Choose a Professional Photo. A professional makes a good first impression.
• Write a Good Profile Summary. LinkedIn recommends keeping your sentences short and clear, avoiding jargon, writing in the first person and using keywords from your field.
• Enhance Your Profile. Your profile lists information about yourself that can give future employers a deeper sense of your skills and experience. Your profile can show endorsements and recommendations from others in your network which strengthens your credibility. You can request recommendations from your LinkedIn connections.
• LinkedIn Recommendations and Endorsements. Recommendations are another great way to make your profile stand out. Positive recommendations written by previous employers, clients or colleagues can show a hiring manager what kind of employee you are and what your strengths are. Endorsements are a quick and easy way for your professional contacts to help show other users where your expertise lies.
Once you have a LinkedIn profile, you can start to build your network of contacts from around the world, including people with whom you connect on a professional basis, an educational basis, or based on another common interest such as a recent conference you attended together.
In addition, you will be able to search and apply for jobs directly on LinkedIn. In addition, you can view and contact your LinkedIn connections who may be able to refer you for a job. LinkedIn also gives its members the ability to do targeted searches by industry or for open positions at specific companies.
Kari Karlsbjerg and Elaine Chu are authors of the best-selling bilingual guidebook, Everyday Vancouver, which contains all the practical cultural information and resources Korean newcomers need for life in Vancouver, Canada.