Why You Should Have a LinkedIn Profile
Since its creation in the year 2003, LinkedIn has become the world’s largest professional networking website. It currently hosts more than 700 million users across 200 countries. LinkedIn helps you create and manage your online professional brand with an unlimited supply of network and connections, and job opportunities. LinkedIn is known to accelerate the career development of individuals.
Who Uses LinkedIn?
Recruitment officers and job seekers use LinkedIn to source candidates and job opportunities. Just how as job seeker uses LinkedIn to research their potential employer, recruiters also learn about a candidate through the same platform. This is why the presence on LinkedIn is valuable for both employers and employees.
Is LinkedIn Profile Necessary?
The simple answer is yes! An updated LinkedIn profile lets your network know of your achievements and work. Recruiters and hiring managers check prospective candidates on LinkedIn, and not having a presence on the site will cost the seeker heavily. LinkedIn is also useful to learn about recruiters and interviewers before submitting the application or attending interviews. It is always better to be on this platform and keep it updated with major professional achievements. To stay engaged on the website, join groups and communities. These exist for all categories, geographic locations, niche-specific groups etc.
LinkedIn offers many benefits for its users. So, if you are not on the platform yet, you should create a profile today. If you face difficulty making your account attractive to recruiters, find LinkedIn resume creator and use their expertise to create a profile to land your dream job. There are so many ways LinkedIn can help you with your job search. Read ahead for a snapshot of some of the amazing features of the platform.
It’s Free to Use
Of the entire job searching platforms available on the internet, there may not be as diverse and relevant as LinkedIn. It doesn’t cost you a penny to create the account or apply for jobs and browse through the content. A premium version has additional benefits for those who pay for it, but the basic version has plenty of features to use for free.
Get Exposed to Recruiters
As many as 93% of recruiters use LinkedIn regularly to hire candidates. This platform allows the user to create a personal brand online and makes you visible to key decision-makers and recruiters. This means that when someone searches for you on the internet, your profile appears in results. This is why it is important to treat LinkedIn similarly to your CV and ensure that your profile sells you in the best way possible.
Showcase Your Knowledge, Credibility and Expertise
A LinkedIn profile makes the recruiter trust you as they can see your recommendations and connection. It is evidence of where and how you can add value to their organization. It will also help you demonstrate your skills in your area of interest. For instance, if you are a video editor, you can directly appeal to possible recruiters through samples of your work posted on your profile. Or you can simply find articles relevant to your work and post them on your profile with your opinion.
A Great Research Tool
As mentioned earlier, LinkedIn is a great tool for researching companies, recruiters and key decision-makers. You learn a lot about a company’s culture, mission and hiring and pay standards. You can even follow companies and important people to learn more about the company and find out if there are any recruitment opportunities.
An Amazing Job Portal
LinkedIn is inarguably one of the world’s largest job-search platforms. Thousands of new openings are posted on the platform every day that does not appear on traditional job boards. You can directly apply for these openings as well as flag yourself as open to work. As more and more companies move away from standardized resumes and online applications, they often make LinkedIn a mandatory aspect of job applications. A well-crafted LinkedIn profile next to your CV can be very advantageous as hiring managers not only have access to your resume, they can see your LinkedIn profile as well.
Networking
LinkedIn, after all, is a social networking site. It is an easy and modern way to maintain a Rolodex of connections that may help you further your career. Adding people, you meet as professional connections will help you gain access to many companies and be referred there. You never know who might end up working at your dream company. With a quick message, you can reconnect and pursue a new lead that could eventually land you a better job.
While creating a LinkedIn profile is highly recommended, if used inefficiently, it can lead you to waste your time and efforts. Make sure to use it strictly as a professional capacity building tool and not as a social media website.