If you don’t know what it is already, LinkedIn is a hugely popular professional social networking website used by working professionals all over the world. Besides traditional online job boards, it’s the perfect place to start your job hunt. That said, LinkedIn is a little different from other social media websites, and if you’re serious about networking and finding a job on the platform, then you need to take the right approach.
#1: Use LinkedIn’s follow feature
If you’d like to land a job in a specific company, or you know of a few top-notch companies that you’d like to work for, you should leverage LinkedIn’s follow feature. By following a company, you’ll see the latest news about products and services, successful campaigns and—you guessed it—current job openings. It’s a very easy way to keep up to date with a company without even having personal connections there. If you check in regularly, you can make sure you’re one of the first people to apply to new vacancies!
As well as following companies, we recommend connecting with leaders in your target industry. Managers and leaders often publish high-priority job openings on their profiles, so connecting with them will help you keep a close eye on any positions that could be a good fit for you. Take things a step further by connecting with recruiters and head-hunters. They may have insider information about jobs that need to be urgently filled, and they’ll even reach out to you directly if they think your skills and experience are what they’re looking for.
#2: Use LinkedIn for interview prep
Lots of employers use LinkedIn to research candidates before an interview, but did you know you can use the platform to your advantage as an interviewee? Before a job interview, look through the company’s latest LinkedIn posts to discover what important updates might be relevant to your conversation during the interview. Doing this kind of research on LinkedIn will show your potential employer that you’re interested not only in the job but also in the success of the company as a whole.
You can also have a look at your hiring manager’s personal LinkedIn profile to better understand their responsibilities and how they got to be where they are today. You might even discover that your interviewer went to the same college as you or has similar professional interests to yours. If that’s the case, mention these points in your interview to build rapport and make a great first impression! Click for more interview prep resources.
#3: Join LinkedIn groups
LinkedIn groups are one of the best ways to interact with other professionals in your field. For example, if you’re interested in a career in accounting, join a group for accounting professionals in Canada. Not only will you learn about industry trends, courses and news, but there’s a good chance you’ll also see people sharing information about job vacancies.
If you provide value in a LinkedIn group by publishing interesting content, news articles or quirky insights, people are much more likely to notice you. Your activity within the group may demonstrate that you’re a star candidate and could lead to someone reaching out to you with a job opportunity!
#4: Subscribe to LinkedIn job alerts
To ensure you never miss an opportunity, create custom job alerts on LinkedIn. By creating job alerts, you'll get notifications of new jobs that match your skills in your notifications tab. You can create job alerts for a company, a location or even a specific kind of position.
For example, if you’re searching for Graphic Designer jobs in Vancouver, you can set your preferences to notify you every time similar positions are published on the LinkedIn jobs board. This saves you time and effort, and lets LinkedIn do all the legwork of sifting through the thousands of online job opportunities posted on their website every day.
#5: Improve your LinkedIn profile
Don’t forget to use LinkedIn to its full potential by developing a personal brand. Start by setting up your profile correctly so that it looks attractive to potential employers, then tap into your inner influencer by posting valuable content related to your professional field.
If what you post resonates with your contacts, you’ll start getting more followers and likes, and your profile will ultimately reach more people. This means that recruiters in your industry are much more likely to find you. If they like what they see, they could offer you a top job at their organization.
Even after you land a job, continue to post valuable content on your profile so that you reach new audiences and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. You never know what might come your way as a result. Beyond new job offers, you might receive invitations to events, opportunities to collaborate with brands and much more. Your personal brand is a great long-term resource on your career path.
Start your Linkedin job search
There’s no denying the importance of LinkedIn in today’s job market. Many companies post jobs exclusively on LinkedIn due to the massive exposure vacancies get on the platform. That means if you don’t use LinkedIn to look for a job, you could be missing out on your dream position! Once you get the hang of these job search tips, you’ll find that LinkedIn is a great way to learn more about your profession, expand your network and develop your career.
For more expert insights into finding and applying for jobs, check out our other blog posts!