LinkedIn is a social networking website that allows users to share their professional interests with other members and search for job opportunities. LinkedIn was originally created in 2002 as a business networking site but expanded into the social networking field in 2006.

It is a great platform to find a job and also one of the best and most valuable tools you can use for your job search. It’s not just a social networking site for professionals, it is also a place where you can find potential employers, recruiters, and jobs.

Here are 9 important things to pay attention to in order to get a job through LinkedIn.

1. Join LinkedIn:

First of all, if you don’t have a LinkedIn account, visit www.linkedin.com or download the mobile application via the Play Store or app store and create an account. The account creation process is smooth and easy.

2. Update and optimize your profile

After creating your account, you will need to update and optimize your profile appropriately. To do that, pay attention to these key points:

• Use a professional profile picture.

When setting up your profile, you want to ensure you upload a clear and professional profile picture. A picture that clearly shows your face ensures your networks and recruiters trust who you are.

• Add a background photo.

While your profile picture is more focused on you, there is also the background image on your profile that you should utilize, as well. This can be related to your work or passions, but also can be more creative about the company you work at currently.

• Write a smart profile headline

In your headline, tell how you can be of help, e.g., Copywriter: I help brands increase sales with high-converting words; or it can go further to highlight your expertise e.g. Writer, Editor, and Content Marketer. The secret to writing an effective headline is to include keywords you would like to appear for in search results.

• Tell your story in the summary. 

Your summary is the next spot to sell yourself after your headline. It should expand on what appears in your headline, highlighting your expertise, specialties, thought leadership, career experience, and achievements.

• Use relevant keywords in all sections. 

Users are constantly searching; therefore, identify the words you want to be found for and use them in your summary and experience, in addition to your headline.

• Fill out your work experience and education

How in-depth you want to go with each work experience is up to you, but focus on some of your main achievements. 

Some tips when filling this section out: 

1. Don’t add every previous job, if you have a long work history. 
2. Focus on the best achievements related to your career.
3. Make sure to update consistency, even current jobs when new goals or projects are completed.

• List out your skills

Many recruiters and people in your network may be curious about your skills. Plus, when you add skills, others in your network may start endorsing those qualities you select, improving your trust factor.

3. Connect with people: 

Once you have been able to build a profile on LinkedIn, the next step is to connect with people. Grow your network to be more visible and expose yourself to new job opportunities. Also, ensure to maintain a good relationship with your connections as this can quicken your job search. Theoretically, anyone who works for companies or in industries that interest you could be a connection.

4. Show up and publish relevant content

Show up by engaging on posts and sharing your content, whether your success stories, motivational write-ups, educational content, and so on. Also, note that sharing your content with relevant keywords and hashtags is necessary because it helps people to find you easily through the search engine.

5. Check and apply for jobs: 

LinkedIn allows you to search for jobs and also receive job alerts. With Jobs alerts, you can be the first to hear about opportunities that match your ideal criteria. This way, you don’t have to manually log in to LinkedIn every day to conduct job searches; you’ll have great opportunities delivered right to your inbox.

6. Take LinkedIn tests and courses: 

LinkedIn tests will help you build your profile when you pass and receive badges for your skills. So, take them and make your profile stand out. 

7. Use the platform to learn about employers

Follow the pages of companies on LinkedIn to gain insight into the company’s culture, future projects, company statistics, etc. Also, stay updated with their vacancy posts.

Among the people who found jobs in three months or less, 91% used LinkedIn company pages for research. It could also help to follow key people from these companies – they might post updates or blogs pertaining to the company.

8. Follow recruitment pages and active HR personnel

Follow and stay updated on pages of recruitment organizations and Human Resource Personnel. At MarbleClear, we also post job vacancies on all our social media platforms and website (www.marbleclear.ng).

9. Show you’re open to work. 

Sometimes, on LinkedIn, opportunities can find you. Enable the #OpenToWork tool on your profile to show recruiters that you’re looking for work. If you’ve prepared your profile properly as described above, you might never have to conduct another job search again.

With these points, you can greatly increase your chances of getting a job through LinkedIn. 

Thanks for reading.

Follow us on LinkedIn @Marbleclear Limited