LinkedIn is the top social networking website for jobseekers. As Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, explains it, “Post a full profile and get connected to the people you trust. Because if you’re connected to those people and you posted a profile, then when other people are searching for people, they might find you.”
With more than 590 million registered users (as of January 2018), LinkedIn adds two new members every second, and 106 million people visit the site each month. With so many members, the rate at which your network expands on LinkedIn can be truly amazing. A hundred strategic contacts could mean access to millions of people in a short amount of time. You’d have to attend dozens — or hundreds — of in-person networking events to equal the reach you can get on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn allows you to leverage the power of your network — the people you know, and the people those people know — to help you connect to a person who is in a position to offer you a job.
Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, put it this way: LinkedIn is about “connecting talent with opportunity on a massive scale.”
Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are on LinkedIn. Recruiters from every discipline and industry are on LinkedIn. More than four million companies have profile pages on LinkedIn.
But author Guy Kawasaki puts it best: “I could make the case that Facebook is for show, and LinkedIn is for dough.” I love this quote and often bring it up with clients.
Here are 10 MORE TIPS for leveraging your LinkedIn profile for 2019:
1. Don’t “set it and forget it.” Don’t set up your LinkedIn profile and let it sit there. Check in at least once a week to add new connections, publish content, contribute to LinkedIn Groups, check out job opportunities, and comment on posts from your network.
2. Take the time to learn about the LinkedIn Publishing feature. You can write articles that can position you as a thought leader and expand your reach beyond your immediate network.
3. Stay connected with what’s new with LinkedIn by reading the LinkedIn Blog: https://blog.linkedin.com/
4. Look for LinkedIn Groups you can join. Although Groups aren’t as relevant as they once were, they can be a valuable way to make new connections with others in your industry.
5. Engage the power of LinkedIn by growing your LinkedIn network, accepting invitations from people you know and trust as well as connecting with new contacts through Groups and friends of friends.
6. Make a plan to publish content regularly. Less than 1 percent of all LinkedIn users share content weekly, so there is a huge opportunity to be seen. How-to and list-based posts get the best interaction.
7. LinkedIn can help you be seen as a thought leader (or expert in your field) and boost your credibility. Publish posts on LinkedIn Publishing, share content on your LinkedIn status, and actively participate in Groups related to your job.
8. Look for companies you are interested in learning more about (or working for). Use LinkedIn’s “Follow” feature to stay up-to-date on the company’s activities and job openings.
9. Add more “media” links to your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn allows you to upload multiple types of “media” to your account — including links to your website, videos, articles you’ve written, blog, podcast, etc. Use these!
10. Be sure to also regularly review your list of LinkedIn Skills, and delete any Skills that aren’t relevant.
You can read our earlier suggestions here: https://www.totalresumes.com.au/top-linkedin-hacks-for-2019/
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