There is a social network for just about any kind of special interest, from cats to art to video games. For job seekers, there's LinkedIn, the professional network where career-minded people make connections with each other as business professionals and potential colleagues. Here's your guide to navigating this vibrant resource.
Stats
LinkedIn relies on the fact that most people hear about jobs through their network rather than through online job boards, a change in the way job seekers find work that happened as the world recovered from the 2007-2008 recession. The company was founded in 2002, and it had 433 million users from more than 200 countries as of July 2016. A full three-fourths of users were 55 and younger in 2014. Microsoft purchased LinkedIn in June 2016 for around $26 billion so the software giant could tap into the vast amount of data people post on LinkedIn. There are a lot of people to find on this network site for professionals, and there are some strategies to help you get the best possible experience.
Navigation and Search Bar
Your initial homepage on LinkedIn is where it all starts. A large search bar dominates the top of the screen. This is where you find colleagues, companies, colleges, organizations and job listings. An advanced search lets you narrow your choices . On the right of the navigation bar are your alert buttons, which light up when you have messages, notifications and connection invitations. In the upper-right corner, you can change your account and privacy settings depending on your preferences.
Dashboard
Below the navigation bar is your dashboard. This shows how many connections you have, but LinkedIn's software also shows you a partial list of who views your profile. LinkedIn provides the full list if you pay a premium for $30 per month. This feature is part of what makes LinkedIn unique; you get to find out who might show an interest in your profile. This comes in handy if you try to connect on the job hunt.
The dashboard also lets you change your status updates and organize your contacts. However, the meat of this professional network is your lengthy profile.
Your Profile
Filling out your profile is the key to finding work through LinkedIn. Keep this section up-to-date when you change jobs, write a blog post, earn a promotion or move to a new city. Toward the top of your profile, you can input your current job, location and a professional head shot. The best part of your profile is that you can input keywords based on the type of position you want. If you desire a lead analyst job, then consider putting that kind of job title in your previous experience fields.
The summary panel lets you write a brief career summary, much in the same way you do on a resume. Next, you can fill in details regarding previous employers, job duties and education. Unlike a resume, LinkedIn is most successful as a job search tool when you are as thorough as possible and include as much relevant data as you can.
The beauty of LinkedIn is that every field lets people find you through the social network. The more active you remain on LinkedIn, the better chances you have of finding a job.
Photo courtesy of Ben Scholzen at Flickr.com
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