5 ways LinkedIn Connections can help you to get hired

LinkedIn is a social media platform where employment opportunities and professional networking is facilitated. With 200+ million users, LinkedIn has become immensely popular where jobs are being sought. While people have learned how to set up their profile and the importance of building connections, being hired is still a nightmare. With a rise in the number of hiring managers and recruiters who keep checking the profile to find a suitable job candidate; the pressure on potential individuals is immense. How to stand out from the crowd? How to get hired? These are some of the questions that haunt individuals. Fret not, for the list below is a small guide on how to get hired on LinkedIn. 

Customize your URL Addresses

The address on the website of your LinkedIn page is your URL. When you customize it, it will help you top the Google search result which will make you visible. The chances of connecting also increase manifold times. To customize the URL, just visit your profile page where you will find the ‘edit’ option, just right to your name. Then click on the drop-down menu after which click the “Public profile settings.” Scroll down, you will find a grey bar that says “Your public profile URL.” Underneath you shall find a blue bar saying “Customize your public profile URL.”  Click on it and customize it based on your name or whatever you want which will be seen after the following: “linkedin.com/in/.”

Add Skills & Experiences to your Profile

A new feature that LinkedIn added was the option of “Skills & Expertise” that you shall find below the experience and education option. It will take 10 minutes but is very effective and improves your chances of getting hired because it shows to the employers what you are good at. It also allows your co-workers or friends and connections to praise and endorse you and your certain skills. The more connections you get, the more endorsements you can enjoy which are like a badge of honor on LinkedIn. Fill and edit under the Skills & Expertise heading wherein you can add your related skills. In fact, the page will show you a group of people who possess the same skill. Apart from filling the skills, also fill out the experience section which gives you an opportunity to showcase your online resume. Fill in the significant details of your career that has helped you build the career you have. You don’t necessarily have to fill in all the jobs you have done up to date. This will help you develop an image that will enable you to get hired. 

Get Recommendations

Recommendations help you get hired in various ways as it will allow you to put in a good name with the employers. It might seem very repetitive and gratuitous but it is very helpful as it will show up on the LinkedIn page of yours. Moreover, it also can be seen on the recommendation page of the writer from where all your connections can read. The recruiters will also be able to read those recommendations. It must incorporate specifics about all your skills and previous experiences and the details of the one who has recommended you. It will improve your chances of getting a job as it will improve your visibility. You can even opt for some part time jobs available in both online and offline mods

Showcase your work on the Profile

LinkedIn has various features that can help you in getting hired. You are not just selected on the basis of your skills, previous experience but also work samples. Add the samples of your work in the form of links if you have some article or paper published or the author's website, if you have one. If you are a designer or a photographer, add links to your social media or personal website where you have your work samples ready. Adding work samples improves your chance of getting hired because those who are your connections would get an idea of what work you do, how you do it. Essentially, it gives you an edge that always has a competitive advantage.

Build Connections

LinkedIn is all about connections that form the backbone of the social media website. You accrue immense benefits when you have a large connection base. It establishes a strong network through which you can approach people and companies that you like. Moreover, the major parameter to assess your credibility and goodwill is the number of LinkedIn connections you have. The larger the connectivity base, the higher credibility attached to your name. Likewise, if you have a great many connections, your goodwill automatically increases as people spread the good word. Also, when you have a large number of LinkedIn connections, automatically there will be an increased engagement on your posts which in turn would increase the traffic on your website which eventually improves your chance of getting hired because more people check out your website. You can even buy LinkedIn connections for your profile to get the best engagement rate. The chances of users checking out your profile also increase. You must build connectivity because that helps you get recognition and visibility on your published posts as LinkedIn sends notifications to its users whenever any of their connections post their published content. The last, but not least benefit of building connections is that it improves your chances of topping the search results which will not just improve your visibility but also the chance of getting hired as more people will visit your profile. The responsibility is yours if you strive for victory. Want to stand out from the crowd or stay ahead in the competition race, ensure that you set up a remarkable profile and have a large connection base. The list mentioned above is not the rule of thumb, it’s just a guide for you to get started. 

How to Use LinkedIn Effectively During Your Job Search

LinkedIn is widely regarded as the top social networking platform for connecting recruiters to job-seekers. Even if you aren’t looking for a job, LinkedIn keeps you updated about new openings in your field. This helps you to find better jobs quickly when you decide to leave your current job. Over 20 million recruiters use LinkedIn to attract potential employees, and over 35.5 million people have gotten employed via connections here. If you are able to use LinkedIn effectively, you too can get your dream job. LinkedIn allows recruiters to learn about your past experience and skills from the first glance at your profile. This creates a first impression in their mind about you as a prospective employee. So be sure that you use the platform to its full potential. If you want to switch to a new field, you can use LinkedIn’s latest tool, Career Explorer. In this article, we will tell you about how you can use LinkedIn to gain more connections during your job search to boost the process.

1. Update Your Profile

It is important that you keep your profile updated with your latest jobs and skills. Add your contact details such as your e-mail ID to your profile so that recruiters can easily get in touch with you. Your profile picture and headline is the first thing anyone sees on your profile. Use a professional picture as your profile picture, and update your headline to highlight your position and current job. Be sure to add all the skills that you have. The more skills you have on your profile, the more visibility it gets. You can also post visual content here about awards or certificates you may have won. This is especially important for content creators as you can also post your best works here which will impress recruiters.

2. Build Connections

By having more first degree connections, you can increase your profile’s exposure on this platform rapidly. You can connect with more people by importing your contact list from your e-mailing platforms. You may even find out that someone you know is a part of the organization where you want to work. In such a case, you can ask them about job openings or request them to introduce you to the recruiters. Putting in a word with someone who works in the organization can do wonders for your chances to get employed there.

3. Research Companies

Prepare a list of the companies that you would like to work in and find them on LinkedIn. This is quite easy to do, you just need to type in the name of the company in the search bar. Once you have found the company’s profile, follow it. This will keep you updated about job openings in the company and you will be able to view these updates in your news feed.

4. Announce Your Availability

Recruiters need to know that you are available to work. You can make this known by adding it to your headline. For example, “Archaeologist ready to find treasures for you” can catch a recruiter’s attention. So be creative with your headline. Avoid simply saying that you are looking for a job as that may seem a bit desperate and it doesn’t work well with employers. You can also directly contact companies that are looking to hire so that you have a higher chance of making it, rather than wait for them to notice you after you apply through LinkedIn. 

5. Get Active

Post content you create, comment on other people’s posts, get involved in conversations on LinkedIn. This is the best way to gain a presence on this platform and get noticed by recruiters and employers.  You can also use the Advanced Search feature to find professional groups in your neighbourhood. By interacting with such groups, you can grow your network exponentially. The bigger your network is, the more exposure you gain and the more people will find you on LinkedIn. It’s best if you use this platform to network with people after working hours. Since most people are busy during working hours and will not be active on LinkedIn, you can get a higher response rate if you are active after working hours. Apply these tips to your LinkedIn profile and get your dream job! As a professional, it is important that you keep yourself updated about jobs in your industry so that you don’t have to search for them after you have left your current job. If you are on the lookout for jobs, you must update your other social media profiles as well. Recruiters will often check out these profiles as a sort of a background check. So make sure that you do not have anything inappropriate on your other profiles.
Syed Zain Nasir

I am Syed Zain Nasir, the founder of <a href=https://www.TheEngineeringProjects.com/>The Engineering Projects</a> (TEP). I am a programmer since 2009 before that I just search things, make small projects and now I am sharing my knowledge through this platform.I also work as a freelancer and did many projects related to programming and electrical circuitry. <a href=https://plus.google.com/+SyedZainNasir/>My Google Profile+</a>

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Syed Zain Nasir