Have you ever heard about the theory of six degrees of separation? This idea is at the core of numerous social media platforms, including LinkedIn. Such networks are aimed at finding and establishing contacts, but LinkedIn is special. Why? It specializes in maintaining business and professional relations in the first place.
If you are eagerly pursuing your career or looking for a dream job, having a profile on LinkedIn is a must. In this article, we’ve collected the benefits of this social network you may not have heard of yet. In case you want to find out why LinkedIn is essential for your future growth, read on.
asian woman using a laptop at home
Job Search Is Easy and Quick
Let’s start with the most obvious reason. LinkedIn is a social network for business communication, employee hunt, and open vacancies. Therefore, most likely, those are your colleagues and HRs of various companies who will be on the list of your friends, not your former classmates.
Even statuses on LinkedIn are not about marital status, but your position on the job market and work occupations. For example, when answering the question “How actively are you looking for vacancies?” you might answer:
- submitting applications;
- looking for job openings, but not so energetically;
- Not looking for new positions, but open to offers.
You can also specify which location you are interested in: close to home, remote work, or no preference. As for the type of employment, there are many options from volunteer and intern to contract or full-time.
Recruiters analyze hundreds of individuals every day to hire someone who meets their demands best. That is why it’s essential to stand out from the crowd of other applicants and showcase all your relevant experience.
More and more candidates turn to the LinkedIn profile writing service to be sure their resume meets the highest standards and to solve such a problem like how to add resume to LinkedIn . Professional writers know all about highlighting your strengths and key skills, and this is the first step to catch the hiring manager’s attention.
Once you’ve completed your profile, wait for the recruiter to find you. Most likely, you will receive messages from managers with job offers similar to your previous work experience and duties. But keep in mind that this strategy is suitable for those who are not in a hurry.
If you are in an active search, see the ways suggested further.
In a special section that is similar to a job search site, you can search for current offers by position and region. When you apply for jobs on LinkedIn, select the Share this LinkedIn Profile option.
Moreover, indicate that you are open to work – take the initiative and choose the relevant status. And why not write to the recruiter first? There are hidden vacancies which can only be found out directly from company representatives. Therefore, it is totally fine to inform the manager that you want to work for them.
Improve Your Competitiveness
LinkedIn has many useful features besides finding vacancies and establishing contacts with recruiters and employees.
You can compare your profile with those of other users and draw conclusions about your competitiveness. This function is available in the paid version of LinkedIn Premium. See how many people viewed your account and who specifically – this will help you understand how attractive you are to particular companies.
It might be a good idea to contact these people to suggest collaboration or a joint project. With LinkedIn Premium, you also get access to improved statistics of your profile. This great metric for measuring your success will give insights into how you can improve your LinkedIn resume.
If You Are A Business Owner
It will be great to have a LinkedIn page even for those who are not looking for a job but intend to develop their business and keep abreast of the latest industry trends. Add potential partners to your friends as your cooperation can begin during an online acquaintance.
Use LinkedIn as a platform to tell the web users about your company and introduce them to news and updates. Introduce subscribers to your team and their skills.
When it comes to sales, use LinkedIn to:
- build a brand image and strengthen its position on the market;
- improve relationships with customers and potential clients;
- receive feedback from them;
- search for new leads.
It is impossible not to mention head-hunting. On LinkedIn, you can quickly find the right candidates from the relevant career field, view their references and contact them directly. And don’t forget to connect the entire company team to your business account.
In addition, LinkedIn gives you the ability to monitor the activity of your competitors (who are they hiring, what projects they work on, etc.).
A Transparent Platform for Posting
Are you still sure you can look for a job and add outstanding specialists to your friends on Facebook, not LinkedIn? Here are a couple of arguments that might make you rethink this.
First, the whole LinkedIn system is absolutely transparent. You will know exactly who, and how many times, has viewed your profile. Likewise, your views will be visible to other users. Of course, there is an anonymous browsing function in the settings. But what is the point of hiding if you go on LinkedIn to declare yourself and your search?
Secondly, you can attach not only photos and videos to your posts but other documents as well (docs and PDF, for instance). This is a handy feature as LinkedIn is well-known as a platform for sharing resumes, portfolios, or training assignments for candidates. It’s a common practice to recommend someone or something to your acquaintance and give a piece of advice.
Thirdly, in addition to traditional posts, LinkedIn gives users the ability to publish full-length articles with illustrations and rich formatting options. This is convenient for private businesses if you have chosen this site as the main platform for communication, or if you are sure that your article is of interest to the audience.
Final Thoughts
Filling out your LinkedIn resume is easy – here, you mention the same information you traditionally add to your CV. Also, you can easily download your LinkedIn profile. Your polished resume with all the necessary sections and a photo in pdf format will be ready in one click. So, just update your data on time – let others see how competent you are.
