These Simple Tweaks to Your LinkedIn Settings Could Help You Get More Translation or Interpreting Work
Did you know you could be getting more translation or interpreting work through LinkedIn?
It's true.
But there are some handy settings and tools behind the scenes in LinkedIn that a lot of freelancers just aren't taking advantage of.
In fact, I'd dare to say that even regular LinkedIn users may not know about these settings, especially if you haven't taken the time to dig around a bit.
Don't worry. I've done the digging for you.
If you're looking for more contract work as a freelance translator or interpreter, or even if you're in the market for full- or part-time work as an employee, there are some key settings you need to know about and switch on.
I'll walk you through the most important ones, but I encourage you to explore LinkedIn's settings further. I think you'll be impressed with what this professional social platform can do for you and your business.
And just before we dive in, please know that even if you're not looking for full- or part-time employment, these tips can greatly benefit your freelance business in the future… all with the click of a few buttons.
Tweak Your LinkedIn Settings So Clients Know You Want More Translation or Interpreting Work
Did you know that you can "unlock" or open your LinkedIn profile so that recruiters and potential clients can learn more about you?
It's true. Most people don't realize this small, but significant, detail when it comes to adjusting their LinkedIn settings.
Or if they hear about it, they might think, "Well, I don't want recruiters to contact me."
But that's not the point.
Opening up your profile so more potential clients and recruiters can find you is the first step in letting them know you're available for new opportunities. It doesn't mean that you're actively looking to become anyone's employee (unless you do, in fact, want to seek employment opportunities).
Rather, when you allow those who are hiring to find your profile more easily, it's more likely they'll reach out to you regarding contract translation or interpreting work. Contrary to popular belief, not all job listings are for employment on LinkedIn. Contract positions are also available and often advertised on this professional platform.
How to Open Your LinkedIn Profile to Receive More Contract Translation or Interpreting Work
First, go to the Settings area of your LinkedIn account.
Then, click on the Privacy tab at the top (second from the left).
Scroll down to "Signal your interest to recruiters at companies you have created job alerts for" and turn the toggle to "Yes" (it should switch to green). Don't worry if you haven't set up any job alerts yet. We'll get to that a bit later in this post.
Turn the toggle for “Let recruiters know you are open to opportunities” to “Yes.”
Another worthwhile setting to turn on is the one marked "Sharing your profile when you click apply." This allows recruiters and hiring managers to view your full profile when you apply for contract work or employment. It saves them time and makes it easier for them to quickly learn more about you.
It's a good idea to switch on the toggle marked "Save and manage your résumés and answers" under "Job application settings." Go ahead and upload your current résumé, and keep in mind that you can adjust it, as well as any saved answers, before you apply to any job posting.
Note that when you open your profile to recruiters and hiring managers and receive job alerts, no one else will be able to see this. All of these are private settings, and only recruiters and hiring managers can see your profile, résumé, and answers to questions if you turn on these settings.
Set Job Alerts to Be Notified about New Job Postings That Match Your Interests
If you go back to the Privacy Setting marked "Signal your interest to recruiters at companies you have created job alerts for," you will see hyperlinked text below it that reads "Manage job alerts." Click on this.
From there, you can enter keywords for jobs that would interest you. These are a few of the keyword phrases I have set for my own job alerts, but there could be many more keyword combinations that would work, too.
Spanish to English freelance translator
Portuguese to English freelance translator
Life sciences translator
Medical translator
Health and wellness copywriter
Freelance writer
Freelance copywriter
Freelance editor
These are broad enough to see a lot of opportunities, but they are also specific enough to filter all the freelance/contract work that might fall into these categories. I can be more specific by including keyword phrases with the types of documents I handle, but this is less important on LinkedIn than it is on the back end of your website, for example, when potential customers are using a much larger search engine—like Google—to find you.
Notice in the screenshot below that LinkedIn offers suggested job search terms. You can click on any of these to add them to your list of keywords to save or remove them. Of the ones it suggested for me in this example, I would only keep "wellness writer," as it fits one of the descriptions for services I offer to my copywriting clients.
It's important to be specific enough that you're not accepting every suggestion that LinkedIn offers you. This way, the job alerts you receive will be more targeted for the jobs you really want to apply for.
You can also set job alerts that are specific to a certain geographic area. For example, you could put in the name of your city or state. However, if you're not looking for employment (i.e., you don't want to go into an office every day), you can set the geographic location to something broader, like your country. I have set mine for my local area, as well as the United States, to see what kinds of job alerts I'll receive. I can always go back to my settings and adjust this later.
For the purpose of this post, I chose to include the Los Angeles metropolitan area as my geographic location since I live about 45 minutes outside of downtown LA.
I also set the alerts to land in my inbox as a daily digest, showing me all the results that match my alert settings and preferences. This way, I can scan them quickly and see what's new, click on what interests me and discard the rest.
Under the tab "Job type," I have clicked the box for "Contract" work only, as that's the only type of work I'm interested in right now. However, note that you can change this to receive both contract and full-time (employment) job alerts at any time.
You'll notice that when I do this, two opportunities show up immediately for contract Portuguese to English translators. You may think, "Well, that's not very many." And you'd be right if you're simply thinking about the numbers. But I am more interested in the relevance of the opportunities to my areas of interest and expertise. I don't want to see jobs that are completely outside my wheelhouse or that I have no interest in. By being more specific, I weed out a lot of contract jobs before they ever land in my inbox.
Job Results and Notifications
Take a look at one of the job results that showed up for Portuguese to English translators in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Once you click on a specific job alert, you will see that there is a lot you can learn about a specific company or job, including how many people have applied for that job so far, how many connections you have in common with someone at the company, how large the company is, and the full set of job requirements and description. The latter appears after you click to read more or scroll down.
You have the option to save job posts to your "Jobs Tracker" or to apply right away.
Continue to set up your job alerts so that you receive notifications about every type of service you offer clients.
Determine how you want to receive notifications and whether or not you want LinkedIn to recommend other types of jobs that might also interest you based on the settings and preferences you have saved.
Here's an example of what I receive in my inbox for recommended or similar copywriting job postings. I also get emails like this related to translation work. Sometimes there are a small handful of relevant jobs in this email notification, and other times there are none. It takes seconds to scan the email and click on a job that might interest me or simply hit the delete button. I probably follow up on five or so job postings a week. I take a few minutes to review and apply for the ones that seem like a good fit. This is an easy way to keep my finger on new opportunities and potential clients while marketing my business to the right people—those who are already looking for my services.
Set Your Privacy Preferences for Job Opportunities
Once you have set your preferences, you can determine how you want to let people know you're open to job opportunities. As I mentioned above, you don't have to tell anyone you're actively seeking new work or clients if you don't want to. I have chosen to only let recruiters see my interest in new jobs.
To confirm this selection, take a look at your LinkedIn profile page and you'll see this information below your name and headline.
Over time, you can also see how many people have viewed your profile during a certain period, as well as how many times your name showed up in LinkedIn searches in that same period.
Refine Your LinkedIn Profile
If you've been reading my blog for even a short time, you know that I beat the drum often when it comes to refining and tweaking your LinkedIn profile to match your expertise and tell clients what you do best.
If you plan to open your profile up for contract or employment opportunities, it's essential to make sure your profile showcases your strengths and your expertise.
Related: 7 Ways to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile and Gain More Leads, How to Hone Your Online Professional Profiles and How to Strategically Use LinkedIn to Grow Your Network and Business
In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, a hiring manager for a health and wellness content firm contacted me to see if I'd be open to writing digital content for them on an ongoing basis. Because I had set up my profile to show my availability for this type of work, and my profile matched what she was looking for, she reached out to me via a LinkedIn message and we quickly set up a call to discuss.
During times like this—and even when we're not in the middle of a pandemic—it's important to be open to new opportunities.
By allowing recruiters and hiring managers to find my profile more easily and tweaking the settings for job alerts and notifications, I've found countless potential opportunities.
Yes, sometimes I receive job alerts for opportunities that don't interest me. For example, if I receive alerts for full-time employment, I don't even look at them, but I may forward them on to a colleague who might be interested. If they do feel like a fit and are for a contract position that I have time to pursue, then I take a few minutes to apply. Pretty easy!
As you utilize LinkedIn to seek new opportunities, remember to check your settings on a regular basis. Tweak anything that may have changed—your preferences or interests, notification types and frequency, job alert details, etc. And keep your profile up-to-date! After all, you want potential clients to view your profile and know you're the right professional for them.
Finally, know that you can do all of this with the free version of LinkedIn. I have been using the free version for years, and I have found it to be extremely beneficial in my business!
Do you use LinkedIn to find contract work or employment opportunities? What suggestions do you have for other freelance translators and interpreters who use LinkedIn to learn about job opportunities?
