In 2020 alone, over 114 million people lost their jobs due to the current pandemic. As headhunters and experts behind the scenes of the hiring world, we want to assist you in every way possible on your path to find your next dream job. Here is a gigantic tool, that you should immediately start using today if you are currently a job-seeker: Linkedin Sales Navigator.

Linkedin is without a doubt, the absolute indisputable winner in terms of Professional Social Media Platforms. Can you actually think of any other Social Media when it comes to work? It’s basically just LinkedIn. Some specific countries have national respected job portals, or websites that managed to acquire a very good reputation when it is about Networking and connecting with other professionals for work-related matters, the German Xing.com is a good example, or KARRIERA but there aren’t that many.

First of all, for the longest time, LinkedIn had only one unique paid feature that they simply called Premium. So what is LinkedIn Sales Navigator and which should you choose? In this article from Top Dog Social Media you can find an in-depth comparison of the two, but simply put, LinkedIn Premium will allow you to see who visited your profile, and send InMail messages, which are like emails that you can send also to contacts who are not directly connected to you yet on LinkedIn. You have 20 InMail messages per month with Sales Navigator (5 per month with Premium, also a fourth of the price), so see it as a way to access directly the inboxes of your potential future employers. This is incredibly useful as 99% of LinkedIn users have the platform connected to an email they see often, this means that they will receive your mail. Also avoids the Spam filter wall.

First of all the price, Sales Navigator costs about 70€ per month, so that might already push you back, especially if you are unemployed. MISTAKE! Sales Navigator is an incredibly powerful tool, that will allow you to track specifically the companies you are interested in working for. The name of the tool “Sales Navigator” might strongly convince you that is a tool specifically designed for Sales reps, and I agree, the name might make you think it is a CRM or a tool designed only for sales, but that’s not the reality, and in fact it can be totally used even for hiring purposes, it has many specific features just on that. So yes, it isn’t cheap, it does work if you will use it to search for work and yes, the name could be better.

It is a very intuitive tool to use, and what you can do to begin with is to simply create lists of companies you are interested in, and save their accounts in a specific list. Of course you can make as many lists as you want, in case you want to segment them by sector, city or any other criteria.

Same thing for HR Managers, CEOs or anyone who you would like to reach, offering your availability to work for them. Sales Navigator already includes all the features Premium has, so you will also be able to write anyone you want, for a maximum of 20 InMail direct messages per month. You won’t have a set limit for the length of your message, you can add a subject to your email and add attachments.

With Sales Navigator you will be able to closely monitor all the companies you wish to work for, find new ones that are similar to the ones you selected (each week LinkedIn will suggest you similar results) and be well informed about any update they release. This will enable to you to actually get to know what’s going on at that target company, before you reach out. You can engage with their publications, comment on them and observe who else does the same. Isn’t it different if you contact the HR Manager from a company, and comment with them about 2 or 3 relevant updates that occurred in the last 10 days?

There is a quite sophisticated Artificial Intelligence algorithm behind the Sales Navigator engine, that will also inform you if a company has increased the number of employees, or actually reduced them lately. This simple information will be crucial for you to get a great insight on who you should contact first. You will also be able to detect which are the topics that the companies you select, are most active about, clearly understanding from this, which are their most important values.

Commenting actively on many LinkedIn posts they publish, will also enable the right people to notice you, so you won’t be a total stranger.

If you put it in perspective, would you pay 70€ for let’s say 2-3 months maximum, if this could increase your chances, or actually actively help you find your next job?

The good thing is that you will be able to test it for yourself. It is quite simple to use it, so you will be able to find out on your own that is actually helping you.

And now, as the title mentions the 5 top reasons why should use LinkedIn Sales Navigator right now if you are currently looking for a job.

1. It is an investment in general

Apart from helping you actively identify companies that are hiring actively, it will enhance your networking experience. With even just 1 or 2 months of active use, you will be able to significantly grow your network, especially better detecting who are the decision makers in your target companies. Think about it, isn’t it worth it spending 70€ for 2 or 3 months maximum, if it could increase even by just 10 or 20% your chances of starting your job one month sooner? Sales Navigator will ask you at the beginning whether if you will be using the tool in order to look for a new job, for recruiting or for sales. So once you clarify the purpose, the platform also adapts and actually guides you on how to get the most out of it. LinkedIn knows that if you find it useless, you will unsubscribe FAST. It’s a really amazing platform, try it with your own eyes.

2. You will probably also use it in the future

Most positions nowadays have in some way or the other, some sort of Sales responsibilities built into them. Weather you will be needing to meet new people, raise capital, find a new job, attract candidates to your company or invite people to an event, you are in some ways selling yourself or your company to the eyes of others. LinkedIn offers for free the LEARNING platform where you can for free learn so much about how to really use Sales Navigator and LinkedIn in general like a pro. Social Selling is together with email marketing proven to be one of the most powerful ways to engage with clients. With this I mean, that learning how to use this tool better might probably end up being extremely useful also once you did find a job. Growing your LinkedIn network and being active on this social platform, is something that will give you dividends for years on end. Don’t underestimate this simple website.

3. Dozens of free courses

Spending 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, sending curriculums and adapting cover letters can become extremely repetitive. So why not picking up some new abilities in the meantime? This will help you keep your motivation up, as you are learning and growing in the meantime. Sales Navigator alone is totally worth its price, but on the top of that, LinkedIn will give you unlimited access to its learning platform. This used to be a leading e-learning platform that LinkedIn actually purchased some years ago. You will be able to learn in depth, the most diverse topics, from public speaking to sales, from how to optimize your CV and profile all the way to how to do better interviews. Neuroscience, leadership, HR tips, you name it. Especially many courses are dedicated on learning how to use the tool itself better. I have personally taken many courses and they are really valid and updated content, very often provided by world leaders in those field.

4. It will help you structure your job search and better follow up

Rather then sending 1000 CVs to companies. Select 30 you REALLY like and follow up on those requests. Write them again if no reply, after 6 days, if still nothing actually call them. You have the right to follow up, and it also shows genuine interest in working with them, something your future employer will seriously appreciate. With Sales Navigator, you will have only your job applications messages all in one place, and you will be able to easily follow up. As mentioned before, with LinkedIn InMails, their internal messaging system, you can be sure your email went in their relevant email inbox. And there are no SPAM filters that can intercept you by mistake. Just this feature alone is worth the price I believe. By creating different lists of accounts and people you follow, you will also be able to segment further, professionals with whom you want to connect more closely, again, by liking and commenting their publications more often.

5. You enter the club and feel more inter-connected

Especially now, with most of us working from home and being less social. Truly entering full on the world of LinkedIn, is a great way not to feel out of the party. Spending hours learning how to interact better on this professional/social media, will be incredibly useful for you not to feel excluded, sitting alone in your living room sending CVs to people that rarely reply. You will be more updated about what is happening inside an industry or in the world of Start-Ups. You will be able to find opinion leaders that might inspire you, or that you might decide to specifically hire to help you. Career Coaches, experts that can help you re-write your CV and LinkedIn Profile better, experts that train people for interviews and the list goes on. Most of these influencers offer 70% of their entire niche knowledge for free on their blog and youtube channels, but it’s by navigating deeply LinkedIn that you will be able to define who are real significant ones.

Do not get discouraged, Since May 2020 we have helped dozens and dozens of companies worldwide attract and hire talented professionals. So yes, many industries and companies are firing people, but many are also booming and in desperate need of expanding. Try to think out of the box also, so you might have been doing the same job in the same sector for decades, but this does not mean that your core abilities cannot apply to other positions or sectors. Hire a Career Coach or a great expert that can help you refresh your CV and see you with neutral eyes. I am sure there are at least another 10 roles you can apply to, but that you are not thinking of.

If I can assist you in any way, feel free to ask me, find me on LinkedIn and drop me a line.

Good luck with your search!

InHunt World

This article was written by