How to Build Trust
Volume 49
Why does one jobseeker get hired while an equally qualified one does not? Trust.
Trust is confidence that you will do what you say you will do. Trust is confidence that you will make the organization better than before you were hired. Trust is confidence that you will make the hiring manager look good for choosing you.
To be clear, you still need skills to get hired. But I talk to many people who have the requisite skills to get hired, but aren’t getting the role. Why? They haven’t built enough trust with the hiring team yet.
One obvious way that you build that trust is through the interview process. Every interaction you have with a company is an evaluative one where they are pattern-matching to see whether they can trust you.
But what about before the interview process? For that, you need to get a little more creative.
The good news is that you are already familiar with a tool that you can use to build trust, but you’re likely using it wrong. If the main way you are using LinkedIn is to check out potential job postings or do some research on someone before a coffee chat, you’re not using it for its most important purpose.
Here’s how to build trust using LinkedIn:
Fill out your profile: Use the space that is available to you to put your best foot forward. Think about what makes you different (free resource here) and include that in your about section. Highlight projects you really enjoyed working on. Don’t be afraid to drop the corporate-speak and describe yourself in ways that real people communicate.
Follow companies that interest you: When you find a company that interests you, follow them. It not only gives you context about the company, but it also signals to the company that you are interested in them. Most companies don’t share anything too interesting, but you will get some important contextual information.
Follow people that interest you: Maybe they are in a role that you’d like to be in. Or maybe you share an alma mater. Or maybe you just like some of the things that they share on LinkedIn. Regardless, you can follow them so that you can see their posts when you visit LinkedIn.
Engage with posts: Like or comment on posts when it’s additive. Saying “Nice post” isn’t moving the needle. But providing your own two cents responding to a post is an easy way to showcase how you think. Feeling nervous? Send a DM letting them know what you enjoyed about their post instead.
Make your own posts: I know, I know, posting on LinkedIn is cringe and you don’t want to turn into a LinkedInLunatic. But here’s the thing: posting gives you a way to tell your story in your own words. Worst case scenario, no one sees it. Best case scenario, the people that you follow and engage with will see it (that’s how LinkedIn works by the way).
All of these steps help build relationships. Relationships are the foundation necessary to build trust. Relationships that start online can grow offline.
All of these steps increase your surface area. Sometimes, it’s not who you know best, but second- or third-level connections that can help you. LinkedIn helps those “weak ties” get to know you.
All of these steps make it easier for hiring managers and others to understand what you bring to the table. When that impression is confirmed via a coffee chat or interview, that builds trust.
Trust is important in your job search and there are many ways to build it. But don’t overlook LinkedIn as a way to do it faster and easier.