If you are looking for jobs online, you must have found the leading professional networking site, LinkedIn. This platform connects millions of recruiters and job hunters across the globe.
Recruiters from several companies post vacancies on their LinkedIn profiles to reach the right candidate. Thanks to its incredible job feature, many job seekers claim to have received a job from LinkedIn.
Now you must be thinking- “LinkedIn looks like a just-another online job board. What’s so special about it? And how to use Linkedin to find a job in 2022?”
Well, LinkedIn is a popular job search tool. Several job seekers post their resumes on LinkedIn and apply for job openings. Job seekers also connect with employers directly and ask if they are willing to hire employees for their company.
So, the effective use of LinkedIn can help you land your next job quickly. In this article, we’ll talk about how to use LinkedIn to find a job in 2022.
How Effective Is LinkedIn For Finding A Job?
According to LinkedIn statistics, 95 job applications are submitted every second, and 6 people are hired every minute using LinkedIn. Imagine how popular this platform is amongst recruiters and job seekers to post and find jobs.
Besides, LinkedIn has also reported an 88% increase in confirmed hires every year. If you are looking for new opportunities, LinkedIn is the platform you should count on.
Why Should You Use LinkedIn For Your Job Search?
Are you thinking: “Of all the online employment, why should you choose LinkedIn for your job search?”
The answer is simple. LinkedIn is popular, and its network is spread worldwide. Regardless of your industry, the type of job you are looking for, and your experience level, you’ll find a job posting here.
Employers from leading global companies continuously connect with potential job seekers on LinkedIn. Besides, LinkedIn also directly connects you with top professionals to build a stronger network.
In simple terms, if you are looking for job opportunities actively or passively, LinkedIn can help you land a new job quicker than you expect.
15 Ways To Use LinkedIn To Get a Job
When you choose LinkedIn to hunt for jobs, you need to learn how to use LinkedIn to find a job correctly. Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting your time. Here are the working strategies to follow while searching for a new position on LinkedIn.
1. Keep Your Profile Up To Date
As with any social network platform, LinkedIn offers the option to upload a profile photo. This photo should be professional and not a typical selfie. The best practice is to upload a clear headshot in professional attire (like a suit and tie).
Remember, an account with a profile photo leaves a good impression on the recruiter and shows that you actively use the account. Also, use an up-to-date profile photo, and do not keep using a ten-year-old photo forever.
You can also add a background image. Again, this photo should be professional. You can add an image describing your work here.
2. Be Comprehensive About Current Skills And Objectives
The next place that catches recruiters’ attention is your skills and objectives section. This is the place where you can mention your current skills and goals. You should constantly update this section to highlight your skills. And make sure to mention only those skills that are relevant to your work.
While writing the skills, focus on using as many keywords as possible. Usually, employers look for candidates using keywords. And if your profile contains these keywords, you are highly likely to get highlighted in the search results.
You can also look at the LinkedIn profiles of other people working in your field or your colleagues and take inspiration from their skills listings.
3. Highlight Recent Experience
You should provide details of your recent work experience. But don’t just write the job title and company title. Instead, mention in brief your role while working for the job. Also, state the start and end dates of the work.
If you have achieved any significant award during your service, you can highlight it along with the job. Also, while writing about your roles and responsibilities, try to include the relevant keywords, making your LinkedIn profile stand out in the job search results.
4. Update Your Headline
The LinkedIn headline is the line that appears below your profile. This is the most important line since it states your current profession.
However, it’s not a rule to only list job titles. LinkedIn members can write combination words that describe their skills and the services they offer.
For instance, you can write a headline like:
- SEO expert with more than 10 years of experience
- Ghostwriter | Fashion blogger | Award-winning Novelist
Remember, your headline will help you establish yourself as a brand. So, keep it short yet descriptive, and try to highlight your uniqueness here. Also, avoid writing common lines or your hobbies since it will get your profile buried in the search results.
5. Let People Know You’re Available
Another cool way to use your headline is to announce that you are searching for a new opportunity. You can create a headline that mentions that you are open to work. This will attract hiring managers when they view your profile in the search results.
For example, you can write “Marketing executive looking for a full-time opportunity.”
6. Build Your Network To The 1st Degree
1st-degree LinkedIn connections are people that connect with you directly. They are people who have accepted your invitation or whose invitation you have accepted directly. You can connect with these people via message.
Increasing your first-degree connections increases your profile exposure, and you also get access to more new connections. So, focus on building 1st-degree connections.
7. Research The Companies You’re Interested In And Follow Them
You can find several global and local companies on LinkedIn. All these companies announce vacancies and even share information about their organization on LinkedIn.
While looking for a job, it is best to list the companies you are interested in or look for companies in your industry and follow them. You can follow companies by searching them using relevant job titles.
Check out their jobs section to know if they have any open positions. You can also scroll through their feed to learn about their work culture and achievements. This way, you can get information about your future workplace.
You can even connect with the employers working at these companies to make your network stronger.
8. Use the Advanced Search
One of the smartest ways to look for a job on LinkedIn is by connecting with potential recruiters. For instance, if you want to work at a specific company, you can connect with the hiring manager of that company and check with him if they have a vacancy.
You can also send your resume to the recruiter so that they can contact you in the future.
Further, you can also ask the company employees what the company culture is like and how to approach the company for employment. This will open more doors for you.
9. Get Recommendations
Recommendations are equally important when you are out on a job search. Ask your former colleagues and employer to review your work and mention it on LinkedIn. You can do this by requesting a recommendation from your LinkedIn profile.
Again, you can accept only the testimonials you want to showcase on your profile and ignore the rest.
The testimonials highlight your credibility. This way, the employers can decide whether you are the right fit for their company or not.
Also, if you are good at some software, get that highlighted within the testimonial.
10. Look for Alumni Associated With Your College or University
You can also connect with your college or university alumni on LinkedIn and ask them if there is an open position in their company. This will also help you build a broader connection on LinkedIn and connect with the connections of your alumni network.
To connect with the alumni, run a search on LinkedIn using your college or university name. You will find a list of the staff working at the college and the alumni in the suggestions. You can then send connection requests to whoever you want.
11. Be More Than a Wallflower
Most people create a LinkedIn profile, visit it once in a while to accept invitations, and leave. They don’t make posts nor engage in others’ posts. Besides, they don’t even interact with their connections.
That shouldn’t be you!
You should be as active on LinkedIn as on other social media platforms. Use LinkedIn to share your professional experiences, new skills, interests, or work-related information.
The more actively you use LinkedIn, the chances are that your profile gets recognized. And you land your dream opportunity faster.
12. Get Involved in LinkedIn Professional Groups
LinkedIn allows users to create professional groups and share relevant information with the group members. You can be a part of LinkedIn groups related to your industry and interact with LinkedIn members and their posts.
Usually, people share information about job openings in their company in such groups. So, you can apply for new jobs and even connect with the companies you want to work with.
LinkedIn groups are also helpful for expanding the network and finding answers to your work or job search doubts.
13. Network After Business Hours
Many people avoid using platforms like LinkedIn during their business hours. So, if you want more exposure, try networking after business hours. Initially, you can start networking at different hours of the day. And eventually, you’ll get to know the best time to be active on LinkedIn.
This will also help you get faster responses to your messages from your connections. The interactions on your posts will also increase.
14. Use Keywords In Your Profile Related To The Job
You can list down your work experience and skills on your LinkedIn profile, mention your job description, and describe yourself. While writing all these sections, make sure to use suitable keywords to describe your capabilities.
This will help your profile appear in search results whenever LinkedIn users search for candidates using a keyword.
However, make sure not to overuse them. Also, do not add false information on your profile, as this will mislead recruiters and leave a wrong impression if they get to know you have created.
15. Use LinkedIn’s Premium Features
LinkedIn offers several premium features that enhance your job searching experience. Some popular LinkedIn premium features include InMail, expanded profile views, seeing who viewed your profile, top keywords, etc.
As a job seeker, you can leverage LinkedIn’s premium features to access more job postings and connect with more people in your industry. LinkedIn premium allows users to save jobs and subscribe for relevant job alerts.
Conclusion
Whether you are a fresher or experienced individual, LinkedIn is the go-to place while searching for new job opportunities. And when you use LinkedIn effectively, you’ll land your dream job effortlessly. So, follow the strategies mentioned in this article and optimize your profile to receive the best offers during your job hunt.