A Smile Attracts Employers
On this episode of the Hiring Our Heroes Sitrep podcast, we discuss LinkedIn with Sarah Roberts, head of Military and Veterans Programs at LinkedIn.
Sarah is responsible for creating programs in social impact to help all LinkedIn members realize their full potential through empowerment, continued service, training, and partnerships. This West Point grad is also focused on creating a multi-sided talent marketplace for military talent and companies to connect job seekers with job opportunities with the support of key stakeholders, partners, mentors, nonprofits, and government agencies.
Listen in as Sarah offers her tips for leveraging LinkedIn Premium and explains why service members should wear a smile — not their military uniforms — in their LinkedIn profile photos.
Top Takeaways from “A Smile Attracts Employers”
1. Through the enhanced insight feature on LinkedIn Premium, you can see any skill gaps you have as a job applicant.
“You can identify those gaps and say ‘these are areas where I need to focus on or build up those skills so that I can be competitive for those roles based off of where I sit on these analytics and insights.’” – Sarah Roberts, head of Military and Veterans Programs at LinkedIn
2. Transitioning service members should not use a photo of themselves in uniform for a LinkedIn profile picture.
“You are leaving the military, so you want to think about how you want to represent yourself to employers. I always say ‘think future.’ You’re not going to stay in the military, so represent yourself as that transitioned service member.” – Sarah Roberts, head of Military and Veterans Programs at LinkedIn
3. Always smile in your profile photo.
“I see a lot of that stoic serious military face on service members’ LinkedIn profile pictures. You want to make sure that you demonstrate that you’re friendly and that you’re someone who’s going to be a great teammate. Smiles are great and I think doing that in a friendly fashion definitely attracts employers.” – Sarah Roberts, head of Military and Veterans Programs at LinkedIn
Have you connected with Hiring Our Heroes on LinkedIn? The Hiring Our Heroes LinkedIn group is an excellent way for service members, military spouses, and veterans to connect with recruiters at military-ready companies.
4. It’s a common mistake to list your unit, battalion, or brigade as your employer on LinkedIn.
“If a service member hasn’t highlighted (their military branch) as their company, a recruiter is less likely to find them. Be thoughtful about tagging yourself to the right companies and that means the branch of the military that you’ve served in.” – Sarah Roberts, head of Military and Veterans Programs at LinkedIn
5. Remember to invest in your LinkedIn community.
“Just as you want people to invest in you, you want to invest in your community too. That’s through your comments, posts, shares, and likes because that demonstrates that you care about your community.” – Sarah Roberts, head of Military and Veterans Programs at LinkedIn
The HOH Sitrep podcast is the official podcast of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative. Subscribe to the HOH Sitrep podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast service and never miss an episode.
