Site users frequently question the usefulness of LinkedIn as a professional platform.
A discussion of the viability of this site, how it helps, and who should use it offers insights into why LinkedIn Careers is worth your while.
It is simple to claim that this site is beneficial to users, but its benefits are limited if you don’t work the site to your advantage.
Therefore, the article ends with a list of the valuable features you can access to build your LinkedIn career and have better luck with your job search.
However, unless you’re prepared to invest time in yourself, the advantages of this site will remain as elusive as career growth prospects.
Is LinkedIn still a viable option?
LinkedIn began its journey to assist job seekers in finding new work and recruiters find the applicants they needed to fill job positions.
The site expanded to offer additional services for companies looking for partners and the sales fields to find leads.
The extent of premium services exists today to help all these people meet their job needs on LinkedIn. But only if they access and use the features available on the platform as LinkedIn members to boost their progress with LinkedIn job opportunities.
Individuals and companies can still use the site to support LinkedIn career growth. Many companies expect to see prospective talent and employees using a LinkedIn profile.
When companies and talent recruiters see job seekers using this platform and how their resume writing matches their profiles, they regard this as a positive sign.
- Offers a wide range of courses and tutorials on various topics
- Boost your Career with LinkedIn Learning
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Although having a profile and using LinkedIn careers to further your ambitions is no guarantee, you are better off using this platform as a job resource than not.
You won’t find any fast-tracking of careers on this platform, but you can enjoy a level of success if you engage meaningfully with its tools.
Only when individuals and companies actively participate in LinkedIn careers can they expect to see results.
When speaking of meaningful interaction, this translates into actively identifying jobs or candidates, and contacting them via messages or by phone, so that you can reap results.
LinkedIn careers (see also our article on posting a job on LinkedIn) are also a positive place to start researching companies to check whether you are interested in applying for openings. LinkedIn can also reap benefits if you’re prepared to invest time and effort into building an active network.
Beyond becoming actively involved with what is essentially a social media platform for work expertise, you probably won’t find LinkedIn careers that useful.
However, if you are motivated to find work or job applicants and set time aside to search the platform, your chances of success increase vastly.
Who is LinkedIn for?
This platform is primarily for anyone in the labor market in one or another form.
LinkedIn careers contain many possibilities to switch jobs and build your career path if you’re a job seeker.
LinkedIn Careers offer a convenient, affordable way to access recruits to fill job openings if you’re a job recruiter searching for new talent.
When you need new sales leads to grow your business, this platform can deliver what you need.
Should you be searching for potential partners to promote business growth, LinkedIn careers can be a worthwhile destination.
LinkedIn is a platform destination for professionals, which has grown its database to include millions of individuals and companies.
Search functions simplify finding the right resources to match specific requirements. Search filters comprise profile headlines, summaries, educations, companies, and more.
None of these (or very few) features exist on other platforms, which is why it is valuable to use LinkedIn careers for your next job, candidate, lead, or business partner.
LinkedIn is also a valuable tool to connect with other professionals in the same field as you with similar professional lives. No matter if you’re an individual or a company, you can build your reputation on this site, grow networks, and learn how to grow your LinkedIn career from the best.
With more than 90 million influencers at a senior level and over 63 million people who are primary decision-makers, LinkedIn’s potential to promote career growth is exceptional.
As mentioned earlier, you can only access the vast resources on this site if you actively work on career growth.
However, if you only want to provide evidence of trustworthiness, having an active profile on this site is also beneficial as potential employers refer to these profiles to check your credibility.
How does LinkedIn help?
Even if you only use LinkedIn Careers as a platform to showcase your resume and profile, it is to your advantage.
However, this site also helps professionals from all walks of life, in various positions, with diverse needs to support their career goals.
1. Connecting with friends and colleagues
LinkedIn careers is a great way to stay in touch with previous work colleagues and connect with old friends.
This searchable function ensures you can be found by interested parties while also offering you the opportunity to rebuild lost connections. You never can tell when an old or new contact will deliver benefits in the labor market.
Despite other social media platforms also performing a similar function of contacting people you know, not everyone wants a Facebook profile.
This avoidance of frivolous media is when a site like LinkedIn underscores its professional stance and enables you to get in touch with people who are serious about their reputations and career building.
2. Knowledge sharing
LinkedIn provides a function where individuals and companies can share their expertise through posts.
Accessing a vast resource of learning means that others in the field can learn from the experience of others, access job market posts, apply for job openings, and learn how best to present themselves.
If you want to access subscription services, individuals and companies can also benefit from Lynda training to augment their current skills.
Lynda learning (see also ‘Is Lynda Worth It? Best review of 2022‘) and other resources on this platform provide almost infinite potential to grow LinkedIn careers without severely denting the budget.
3. Career planning and management
In terms of career planning and management, all management theories reinforce the value of networking.
Networking helps you meet new people who can potentially help advance your career. Networking also assists recruiters, hiring managers, salespeople seeking leads, and companies looking for partners to advance mutual interests.
Leveraging LinkedIn careers as insurance against job loss, job acquisition, and career growth is essential for the savvy. Without this level of insurance, you could inhibit continuous career growth and find yourself without work for extended periods.
In contrast, harnessing the power of LinkedIn can help ensure that your transition between job titles is seamless, especially if you use the right tools for personal advancement.
LinkedIn features you should know about
Building LinkedIn careers involves active participation in the platform and active use of all the tools available.
Use these tools to your advantage, and the chances drastically increase to leverage LinkedIn to your benefit.
1. Maintain a current profile
Those who keep their profile current are more likely to attract positive attention. Statistics confirm that posting your image attracts up to fourteen times more page views.
Anyone who showcases their new skills can attract thirteen times more engagement than those who omit this feature.
2. Completeness
Be thorough about your skills and career objectives on your profile. Thoroughness helps build LinkedIn careers because it demonstrates your capabilities to headhunters.
Include keywords in your headline and throughout your profile to help recruiters make sense of who you are and how you can add value to their companies.
Your headline is below your name and photo, which recruiters see when conducting refined searches. Ensure your headline captures attention.
3. Update work experience
If you’re not updating your work experience, how can you expect recruiters to take you seriously?
Current profiles are vital in appealing to the employers that interest you the most.
4. Demonstrate availability
Use your headline to show prospective employers that you are looking for a new job, and include the type of work in your headline.
This action helps recruiters identify you as a possible candidate and narrow their search. If you aren’t using this feature, those who are will receive the attention that gets recognition–and the jobs they want.
5. Develop your network
Build your LinkedIn career prospects by importing your contact list from Gmail. Alternatively, send friend requests to people in the same career field as yourself to strengthen your network.
Building related networks is one of the best methods to support your career growth and professional development.
6. Company and group research
Follow companies and groups that may be beneficial in advancing your career. You can select the advanced search feature to identify these companies to bolster your LinkedIn career growth potential.
Once you identify viable companies, explore who works for them in the same job types and send them friend requests as a further means of personal job growth.
7. Sign up for job reminders
Sign up for the types of job reminders that interest you. LinkedIn Careers send you email notifications whenever jobs become available in your field, taking the sweat out of job title searches on this platform.
Conclusion
- Offers a wide range of courses and tutorials on various topics
- Boost your Career with LinkedIn Learning
- Anytime, Anywhere Learning
- Validate your Skills
LinkedIn Careers is the ideal way to bolster job searches.
Keep your profile current, use the available tools to augment career growth performance, and set yourself up for success.
If you aren’t using this platform to your advantage, millions of other users are, and you’re giving recruiters every reason to choose them over your profile.
It is only when you decide to actively engage with this site that you will recognize how viable LinkedIn can be in building your career path, as any career coach would advise.
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