LinkedIn for Job Seekers

​LinkedIn is a social media tool used by job seekers and businesses. You can use it to keep an online resume and connect with people in your network. It works similarly to the other social media platforms but is the primary social platform that business uses daily.

At some point, you have probably heard or read about networking, and how valuable it is for job seekers. In the past, people could only network in person and at events. With that said, LinkedIn lets you go one step further by taking your networking online.

LinkedIn isn't a replacement for in-person conversations and events. You should still keep those things in mind while looking for a job. But overall, it's the best social media site for your job search. If you have a completed profile with keywords in the right spot, you'll appear in search results more easily. This means that it's easier for recruiters and HR leaders to find your profile.

To use LinkedIn in your job search, follow the tips below.

Getting Started

To create a profile, go to the LinkedIn home page. After this, the first thing you should do is complete your profile.

Start by focusing on the Headline, Skills, Summary, and Experience sections. LinkedIn's search tends to look at these areas based on search terms. So, if you include the right keywords in these sections, you may appear higher in search results. Find out which keywords in your industry are related with the job you want. To read more about keywords, check out these articles on keywords and word clouds.

Before you edit your profile, create a word cloud with 4 to 6 job descriptions. Then, make a list of the keywords you find for each one.

Headline

Your Headline appears below your name on your profile. It lets you write a short description of who you are professionally. Because of this, it's very important to your profile since it will be the first thing people see other than your name.

Most LinkedIn users write their job title and company as their headline. However, to make the best of this feature, you should go beyond that. In your headline, don't just say what your job title is, say what you do and why you're a valuable employee. Since most LinkedIn users aren't doing this, it's a great way to stand out. This article gives an example of a good headline: "Fundraising consultant who helps major non-profits raise more money. Clients include the Red Cross and YMCA."¹

Don't use phrases like "looking for employment." Many employers feel this makes you look desperate. Instead, go for other words like "professional." They sound great in your headline, while also implying that you're looking for a new opportunity.

Skills

The Skills section lets you keep a simple list of the things you're good at. People you're connected with can "endorse" you on your skills. If someone endorses you, their name and picture will appear next to the skill. Feel free to endorse your connections on their skills. They might even return the favor.

You can also rearrange your list of skills as needed. If you have a skill or skills you want employers to see first, be sure to put them at the top.

Summary

If you've heard of elevator speeches, the Summary section should be familiar to you. In short, it's a space where you can "sell yourself" in more detail. For example, you might write about a problem you faced at work, the action you took to resolve it, and how you saved the company time or money. You might write about your education and experiences, and how they led to where you currently are in life.

When writing your summary, use keywords from the list you put together. Try using them at the start of paragraphs. As for content, the summary is fairly flexible, varying from person-to-person. There is more than one way to write a summary. The reader will want to know how you can solve the problems they have. If you need a few examples to get you started, this article from the Muse gives five.

Experience

After you fill out the above three sections, move on to your work experience. When filling out each entry, use keywords as much as you can. The more you use your keywords in this section, the higher you will land in the search results when a person searches by keyword. This gives your profile an added boost. Be sure to list accomplishments when describing your job duties. This means giving a problem, action, and result that you achieved at the job.

Participate

Having a LinkedIn profile is great. However, to get the most out of LinkedIn, you'll need to participate in it. Here are some tips that will help you market yourself on LinkedIn.

Status Updates

Like Facebook, LinkedIn lets you update your status in the form of text, photos, and links to other media. It lets you like and share other people's updates. However, you will have to be more careful with your updates on LinkedIn. Unlike Facebook, it's not a "personal" site, so you'll need to be professional in all of your status updates. Make sure your updates are related to your career path. While more "personal" things are welcome on Facebook, you'll need to take a different approach on LinkedIn.

One thing that makes LinkedIn unique is that it lets you publish articles. In addition to short form status updates, LinkedIn gives you publishing tools to make longer, more formal posts. If you're familiar with blogging, this feature is definitely for you! If you're interested, check out this page for more info on how to get started with articles.

A good guideline to follow is to post 3 to 5 times a week with something related to your career path. If you can't think of a good status update, you can always share other posts, or links to articles or news items that interest you.

Connect

Instead of adding "friends" on LinkedIn, you'll be adding "connections." A connection is usually a professional reference – someone who knows you and trusts you professionally. For example, connections can be coworkers, peers, supervisors, and business partners. The more connections, the better. Having at least 500 is the best-case scenario.

However, you can add people you don't yet know. For example, you might want to network with someone in your career path. If you do this, be sure to send a personal note with your invitation.

Once you've added a connection, you'll see a "1^st" next to their name. This means they are a first-degree connection – directly connected with you. If you look next to anyone's name on LinkedIn, the number next to their name will tell you how direct your connection is. For example, if someone has "2^nd" next to their name, it mean they're connected to one of your connections. This continues with "3^rd," "4^th," and so on. Use this feature to expand your network even further.

Groups

LinkedIn Groups let you connect with other professionals in your job search. Groups can include:

• Career and industry groups.
• Local or associate network groups.
• Special interest groups.
  

There's a group for almost any subject in the workforce. If you're looking for examples, select "Groups" in LinkedIn's search bar.

Think about what subjects relate to your job search. Then search for and join up to 50 groups. Once you've joined a group, join in discussions and watch for events that are promoted within it.

Companies

LinkedIn isn't just for personal profiles. Like Facebook, it supports pages that businesses can set up for themselves. Companies use their LinkedIn pages to recruit for new positions, share updates about their business, or even post jobs.

Try to think of companies that interest you, as well as ones that relate to your career path. Search for these companies on LinkedIn, then follow their pages. Feel free to like, share, and comment on their posts. Keep an eye out for updates relating to hiring, as well as their Career page if they have one.

Jobs

LinkedIn's search bar helps you find people, companies, groups, and other useful things. But did you know you can also search for jobs on LinkedIn? We mentioned above that companies will use their pages to post jobs. However, you don't have to visit their page to see these jobs. You can find them by searching directly.

The search feature gives you plenty of filters you can use to narrow down your results. For example you can search by:

• Industry.
• Location.
• Company.
• Relationship.
• Date Posted.
• Job Function.
• Industry.
• Experience Level.

Once you've found some jobs, you can apply for them directly on LinkedIn. You can also use your network to see how you're connected to people at the company.

Next Steps

Overall, keep working on your profile. The more complete your profile is, the higher you will appear in the search results. Try to complete all parts of your profile to help your job search. This will also help your online reputation and personal brand.

To read more about job searching with other social media, check out our Social Media Guide.