Teachers, Job Hunting is as Easy as 1-2-3 with LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a powerful platform for helping teachers take the next step in their career. Whether you’re a preservice candidate, novice teacher or seasoned classroom teacher, LinkedIn can give your career aspirations a boost. It’s the most popular social network used by hiring managers and recruiters. Many of them consult and compare job candidates’ LinkedIn profiles while reviewing applicants’ resumes. 

There are many sites where teachers can upload their resume and apply for jobs, but none are quite like LinkedIn. By adding an element of social networking, LinkedIn allows jobseekers to leverage their network of peers and communicate directly with the people working at the schools or organizations they wish to join.

Consider following these 3 easy steps to maximize your job search with LinkedIn:

1. Adopt a winning mindset

Positive attitudes coupled with smart decisions yield positive results. Before jumping into job search mode, take some time to filter out any defeatist thoughts that may cross your mind. Your confidence will go a long way once you begin reaching out to your professional network.

LinkedIn was created to help professionals become more successful, by making it easier for them to connect with their peers and other distantly connected professionals who are trusted by their peers. With LinkedIn, you can message your connections and ask them to virtually introduce you to someone at a school where you may wish to work. This can lead to a phone call, coffee meeting, or a job interview.

2. Update your LinkedIn profile

The information you post onto your LinkedIn profile should be accurate and up to date. Provide descriptions of your current and past jobs, and the accomplishments you achieved while working in those positions. If your previous experience was not in teaching, highlight skills that are transferrable to the teaching profession.

Many schools in need of new teachers turn to our program to source high quality teaching candidates. We make a point of forwarding any job information to our alumni and current course participants. We also encourage hiring managers to directly connect with and message past and current members of our program via LinkedIn. The only way those hiring managers can find and potentially message you about an open teaching position is if you list our program on your LinkedIn profile. Record your training with our Alternate Route program in the “Education” section of your profile.

(Check out our post '6 Ways for Teachers to Enhance Their LinkedIn Profile' for more advice) 

3. Join our LinkedIn group

Our LinkedIn group, “Teachers Professional Development Network” has a jobs tab that we use to share job opportunities. We also have begun encouraging hiring managers to post jobs directly onto our LinkedIn group. When they post job openings in our group, your membership will give you the unique advantage of being able to contact the hiring manager or recruiter directly with questions.

If you haven’t joined the group already it’s an easy and quick process. Simply go to the group’s home page and select the “Member” button. You will automatically be added to our member base. Hiring managers and recruiters can also review our group membership list to search for outstanding candidates from our program so don’t hesitate to join.

Once you’re in, you can start and join discussions by leaving comments right away. Distinguish yourself within the group by asking questions, and sharing your experiences as well as helpful articles and resources. Your knowledge sharing will impress not only the hiring managers and recruiters who visit our group, but also the education leaders and other teachers who may work in schools with open positions. The discussions and comments you post will be visible in the LinkedIn group as well as the email digests LinkedIn sends to group members.

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We’re committed to supporting your teaching and education career long after you graduate. The tips outlined above will help you in the short term with your job hunt; however the strategies and tips we share on teaching professional development will support your career growth over the long term.

We challenge you to get more involved with LinkedIn and Twitter to sharpen your professional skills and develop a wide-reaching Professional Learning Network. The more involved you get, the more seeds you will plant that will have blossomed by the time you’re ready for another job change.

Post in the comments if you have any questions about our instructions on how to get a leg up in the job market with LinkedIn!