by Devon Antinoro
In today’s digital age and competitive job market, it is vital for employers to see a strong online presence. The internet is becoming significantly essential for networking and personal branding. LinkedIn, is the most professional platform to do so. With its professional and powerful networking features ,it has become the go-to platform for people looking to maximize career opportunities. I will help you navigate and explore a few strategies for building a solid LinkedIn profile to networking effectively, and leverage the platform as a tool for job searching.
LinkedIn also provides tutorials for its users to assist them in building a strong profile.
Learn more about building a good LinkedIn profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a554351/how-do-i-create-a-good-linkedin-profile-?lang=en
Building Your Professional LinkedIn Brand
- Optimizing Your Profile: It is always smart to start your profile off with a professional profile picture of yourself. After you have a presentable profile picture, you want to craft a title for yourself that reflects your industry focus. You can then move on to customizing your LinkedIn URL to make it more memorable. Including a concise and engaging summary that highlights your skills, experience, and career goals is vital to having a strong profile.
- Showcase Your Skills: LinkedIn provides users with a “skills” section to highlight your key attributes. You should include specific examples of achievements and projects to demonstrate your work. This is a good place to include recommendations from former colleagues or clients to build credibility and showcase your professional reputation.
- Create an Engaging Page: A good way to create a strong page is to repost articles of interest, share your insights, and overall provide valuable information for your LinkedIn network to see.
Networking on LinkedIn
- Expanding Your Network: LinkedIn is the perfect place to connect with professionals in your industry. LinkedIn allows you to personalize connection requests to show genuine interest. Engaging with posts and joining discussions in groups have been proven to be more beneficial in building relationships rather than firing off connection requests.
- Be Active and Engage: Actively searching and connecting with other professionals on LinkedIn is a great way to stay active on the platform. Reaching out and responding to messages to actively engage with influencers and other professionals provides valuable input and information for those looking to grow or start their career.
- Virtual Events and Webinars: Taking advantage of LinkedIn’s Events feature is crucial. This will allow you to find work related webinars, workshops, or conferences. Participating in these virtual events is a great way to establish connections and network with those in your industry.
Maximizing LinkedIn as a Job Search Tool
- Utilizing the Advanced Search: Using LinkedIn’s advanced search features helps you find professionals, companies, and job roles to help reach your career goals. You can refine your search using filters through location, industry, and experience level. This allows you to connect with relevant individuals at your skill level to explore job opportunities.
- Leveraging LinkedIn Jobs: Browse job postings and set up job alerts allows users to stay updated on new openings. LinkedIn will tailor your application to match the requirements of each job and reach out to those within the company.
- Engaging with Recruiters and Hiring Managers: This is LinkedIn’s most powerful tool that allows companies you are interested in to engage with you. This allows you to connect with recruiters and hiring managers for specific job roles to further your chances at landing your dream job.
I really enjoyed this post because as most seniors are right now, LinkedIn has become my most used app on my phone. It often feels like such a daunting app filled with competitors and intense companies. Your post broke down the basics and reminded me that this is a tool to remove my anxiety and not add to it.
Hey Devon,
LinkedIn is the best job-site that I’ve come across so far. Aside from the personal branding and connection aspects, which you mentioned in your post, I think the whole certification incentive is really cool. It gives users a chance to learn valuable skills and showcase that on their platforms, which provides some validation for the user and helps employers make their decision.
As an SOJC student, I am always so shocked to see how students from other departments use LinkedIn. I think within the communications industry, networking is a student/early professional’s greatest tool, so LinkedIn has been an essential tool throughout my college experience. I think where so many students struggle is just getting started, so this information is super essential.
^^^ Megan O’Keefe wrote this message
LinkedIn is unique from other job sites with its person-specific highlights and pages. I also enjoy using this platform and appreciate your explanation of how to use it. While the SOJC strongly emphasizes using LinkedIn, various communities on campus have never heard of it or used it, so I think this blog would be an excellent tool for people getting started. I especially enjoyed your tips about being active, engaging, and attending virtual events. I can sometimes let my LinkedIn go static, so it is an excellent reminder to stay active on that platform. Thanks for your insight and instructions!
Since coming to Oregon and using LinkedIn, I have loved it. It is a great way to break into the industry and establish connections. In addition, LinkedIn gives college students a way to branch into the professional world. I use LinkedIn to connect with professionals after hearing them speak at different clubs, classes, or events. I suggest it to other Oregon students, and I have mentioned to my friends (who aren’t in the SOJC) that they should use it for their careers.
LinkedIn is one of the most valuable tools for students entering a professional career because it allows you to connect and network with people who are willing to help you. I’m always surprised when people don’t have a LinkedIn because I rely so much on the website to find internships and to connect with other students and companies. I use LinkedIn pretty much every day to find any internship opportunities or to join groups that are looking for the same things I am. I’m glad that you’re advising others to join, too!