Categories: BlogCareer Advice

How to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job

Due to the enormous competition in the labor market, people experience several difficulties in finding employment. Receiving the coveted invitation to an interview has become one of the most challenging tasks for job seekers.

It would seem that LinkedIn should simplify this task, but this does not work the same for everyone. Finding jobs through LinkedIn became a real art that should be mastered to achieve a result.

On the other hand, there is a fairly consistent and straightforward instruction to succeed. So, if you want to know how to find a job using LinkedIn, read this article to the end.

How to Use LinkedIn to Get a Job

Many job seekers mistakenly believe that success requires spending 100% of their time looking for vacancies. However, this is the last thing you should do using LinkedIn.

But how to find a job on LinkedIn then? Make the recruiter write to you first!

To increase the attractiveness and effectiveness of your account, you need to configure your profile correctly. Remember, LinkedIn is not an entertaining social network but a platform for professional interaction. Therefore, jokes and other informal expressions are inappropriate here.

Start personalizing your account by uploading a photo. Use only your real photo! It is best to have a professional photo: you should have a smile and a formal outfit.

Check out the best LinkedIn Profile Examples.

The LinkedIn page has a clear structure, so the social network tells you what information is missing and what sections need to be filled.

Have you written all the fields? If not, fix it as soon as possible. Here are some tips:

  • Use keywords in summary. The information written in this section plays a significant role. You should indicate all the keywords for your profession that will help recruiters find you. Write that you are looking for work, and are ready to consider vacancies.
  • Copy keywords from the Top 10. If you slow down while writing keywords, copy them from your most successful colleagues, and edit to your taste. Finding the strongest professionals is easy: search for the relevant job, and LinkedIn will list you the most attractive profiles.
  • Fill up the achievements. If you use LinkedIn to find a job, you should mention a few accomplishments. When selecting candidates, recruiters can view about 100–200 resumes. But only a few applicants write achievements. If you did it, it will for 100% increase the chances of being selected. Accomplishments need to be written in the form of completed actions, preferably indicating numbers, percentages, and so on.
  • Mention volunteer activity. LinkedIn allows you to specify all-volunteer projects. Indicate projects that are related to your vacancy, and are supported by well-known organizations.
  • Add projects. Adding projects also allows you to strengthen the profile. There are two recommendations: the name of the projects should contain words that reflect your position, as well as well-known companies. You can also mention attending conferences or colloquiums.
  • If you have, mention published articles. It adds the ability to prescribe keywords from your professional career. Also, published articles are material proof of your knowledge and experience.
  • Create a profile in several languages. If you are fluent in not only English but also any other language (Spanish, French, German, Chinese, etc.), use this. Duplicate your profile in another language to increase the chances of finding a vacant job.

How to Network on LinkedIn for a Job

LinkedIn networking starts with a resume. In addition to filling out an account, you must take the time to create a resume. No matter how many vacancies you apply, if you have a weak resume, you have no chance.

Many people pay a lot of money for LinkedIn account writing services. They do this because they know – “resume is the main job search tool.”

Important tips:

The primary purpose of the resume is to reflect your skills and abilities, the most relevant for a particular profession.

For example, for sales occupations, it is essential to show how much you profited the company. For technical and IT jobs, it is necessary to describe the skills of the product creating and the ability to master various technologies. Medical personnel should have several highly specialized skills and appropriate education, certification.

Formulate your professional achievements in this way: “I achieved this because …” Most people write in a resume something like: “I wrote columns for the Washington Post.”

Better put it another way: “I published 30 columns because I strongly analyzed the field of national politics for two years. Although, on average, invited columnists publish no more than 5 columns.”

An effective resume is a resume that is built into a success story. It shows how your education, career path, all kinds of training and certificates, personal qualities, and the job you are looking for are connected. All your achievements should be turned into benefits for the employer.

So, if you are trying to answer “How to network on LinkedIn to find a job?” you should start with your resume. People will begin to contact you if they see your perfect paper. But this does not mean that you do not need to take the first step.

Using LinkedIn for job searching, you should act thoughtfully and consistently. Read on!

How to Use LinkedIn Connections to Get a Job

After completing a passive job search part via LinkedIn, you can proceed to the next – active. Looking for contacts is its most crucial part.

The menu item “Add Contacts” was created to build your network of profession relations.

How to use LinkedIn to find jobs and find business connections? Here are the options:

Add your contacts through email. After clicking on the “Add Contacts” button, you should enter the email (specify a business email address). Don’t worry, because this platform has long established itself as a reliable social network with a responsible attitude to confidential data.

After entering your email address, LinkedIn will gain access to contact management. The system will analyze the database of email contacts and generate a list of people who already have a profile on LinkedIn. You will be able to select users whom you would like to add to the network.

Also, to build your contact network, LinkedIn has an advanced internal search. The same tool is used to find work, publications, thematic groups, etc. With it, you can find a specific person by name. You can also divide users by place of education, professional orientation, and other factors.

Using LinkedIn to find a job, you should add contacts of IT-recruiter, HR, Talent Acquisition, etc. Search for users by keywords, and add them to your network.

Unfortunately, LinkedIn does not allow massively inviting people through the site and has certain restrictions. However, there is one working trick. To add people without limits, download the mobile app via iOS or Android.

LinkedIn skill assessments. It is another effective way to network through LinkedIn. How does this work?

For example, you know that Daniel is versed in management, restaurant business, and a few other disciplines. So, you need to confirm his skills by clicking on the “+.” The skill increases by one, and your profile photo appears next to it as social proof.

Your task is to confirm some skills of EVERY person whom you add as friends. Why should you do this? From 5 to 20% will answer you in return. When your skills gain 10 confirmations or more, people will continue to endorse them without your active participation.

One of the best ways to use LinkedIn for job hunting is to raise your LinkedIn Rank. LinkedIn Rank is an indicator that affects the position of your resume. The higher this indicator, the more often the resume is shown in the search results, attracts attention, and gains more views. In other words, the higher your chance of finding a job.

To increase LinkedIn Ranking, you need to add new friends, improve the endorse of your skills, collect feedback from previous employers, fill out projects, and much more.

How to Search for Jobs on LinkedIn

LinkedIn provides a wide range of tools for finding a decent job. For this, go to the “Jobs” section. Here you need to fill out data about your preferences:

  • preferred countries for employment;
  • suitable industries;
  • work experience and qualifications;
  • the number of employees in the company.

The system, based on the received information, will select suitable current vacancies. You can adjust the frequency of updating information on suitable jobs. Relevant notifications can be received within the social network or by email.

Also, with the help of an internal search, you can find industry companies that require your professional competencies. You can contact a business user in the following ways:

  • leave feedback;
  • directly offer your services;
  • use InMail – internal mail (available for premium accounts).

Sign up for notifications of companies you are interested in. This data will help you to know all critical business news, as well as to understand its areas of activity. Also, such information can be decisive when passing an interview. A potential employer will be pleased to know that the applicant is not a random person, but a specialist who was interested in their company development.

How to write a post on LinkedIn looking for a job? In addition to finding work through an internal search, you can create a post. It makes sense only when you have enough users in the network. Thus, recruiters and business owners will be able to see your post and, most likely, offer you a vacancy.

How to Find Jobs on LinkedIn

Let’s conclude, and once again answer the question: “How to use LinkedIn for job search?”

There are two ways of job hunting – passive and active. To succeed, you need to use BOTH. Once again, step by step:

  1. Make an attractive photo;
  2. Fill out the profile using professional keywords;
  3. Be sure to write a summary and note that you are looking for a new job position;
  4. Create a perfect and honest resume;
  5. Add contacts via email;
  6. Download the app and add numerous useful contacts through an internal search;
  7. Endorse the skills of friends;
  8. Work on raising LinkedIn Ranking;
  9. Hunt vacancies by keywords, through the internal search;
  10. Sign up for auto job alerts;
  11. Start follow companies you want to work in;
  12. Contact recruiters and offer your services;
  13. Create “looking for a job” posts.

That’s all! Following this guide, you will soon be able to find a decent job. The most important thing is not to give up! At first, it may look impossible to you. But the main thing is to start, and then you will realize that it is not so challenging.

Give your profile and work search at least an hour a day. Stability will help speed up the job-hunting process and increase your LinkedIn ranking faster. We wish you only good luck!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

How to Download Contacts from LinkedIn

How to Write a Good LinkedIn Summary

How to Connect with a Recruiter on LinkedIn

Bob Parker

Hi! I’m a Certified Career Coach on LPWS with a decade of professional experience in career management and recruiting. LinkedIn big fan and researcher.

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