The “In” Crowd: 5 Ways to use LinkedIn Professionally

One of the top questions we get from candidates is “do I really need a LinkedIn profile?” The answer is a resounding YES! According to an article in US News & World Report, your LinkedIn profile is more than just your resume; it’s the story of who you are. You should include promotions, achievements and even career aspirations in your profile to impress recruiters because you better believe they are looking!

According to MTVNews.com, 98% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find candidates and 85% of hiring managers review LinkedIn profiles during the application process.  Having an up-to date, relevant profile is essential for any job seeker. As recruiters, we use LinkedIn not only to find candidates, but also as a resource to verify and cross-check information found on job boards and candidate resumes.

Here are 5 ways that a professional LinkedIn profile could help you land your dream job:

Find and apply to jobs

As the largest professional network in the world, LinkedIn is a quick and easy resource for many employers to post job openings, track applicants, and share their top picks with other team members. Applying for jobs is just as easy, and can usually be done directly through LinkedIn, or a link to the company website will be provided. With the addition of the LinkedIn Job Search App, you can quickly and easily search jobs by title, industry or keyword, and receive notifications when jobs are posted in your desired field.

Remember that your profile is basically your resume

Whether you are applying for a job through LinkedIn or not, it is highly likely that your profile will be viewed by a hiring manager. You should treat your profile as you would your resume. Make certain that the chronology of your past employment is correct, as well as job titles and other relevant information. Have someone proofread your entire profile to check for spelling and grammatical errors. Recruiters and employers alike find humor in resumes that list “attention to detail” as a skill, but contain grammar mistakes and typos.

Join professional groups

Networking with relevant professional groups on LinkedIn is a great way to stay on top of any new certifications or requirements in a particular field. Having the opinions of like-minded professionals can help you gain perspective into your career path and potential employers. Many of these groups share information like webinars and seminars that can help you to increase your knowledge and possibly gain accreditation.

Connect with other professionals in your desired field

Reviewing the profiles, accomplishments and certifications of professionals currently working in similar fields can give you a good idea of what the competition looks like for the positions you are seeking. Individuals often share desirable positions that become available within their respective companies. Of course there’s also that timeless adage: “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

Reestablish old connections

Whether you’d like to connect with former colleagues, employers, professors or those who shared your major in college, LinkedIn makes it easy to do so by connecting your email to sync your contacts. You can also search for people directly. Our recruiters advise taking the time to nurture and build relevant connections as opposed to sending blind invites.

If you already have a LinkedIn profile, that’s great! Now it’s time to make sure that all of your information is up-to-date, and corresponds with the timeline of your resume. You may have noticed some recent changes to the LinkedIn dashboard in terms of appearance and navigation. Many millennials have found the layout and general navigation of LinkedIn to be cumbersome, and equate it with a resource more applicable to their parents than themselves. This new layout is an attempt to change that perception.

Contact us today to schedule a 15 minute social media and resume review with one of our expert recruiters.