LinkedIn is now 13 years old and boasts of well over 300 million users. Professionals across the globe have now mastered the art of setting up profiles and building connections on this platform. However, with the ever-rising number of hiring firms and recruiters now using this platform to hunt for qualified job candidates, employers are checking LinkedIn before making the final decision. It is therefore essential that you keep reviewing your profile and make sure that it is up to date and professional.

No one can dispute the fact that LinkedIn is the fasted growing recruiting platform on the internet. If you value the power of networking and taking every opportunity of every meet and greet, then you will enjoy the ease in networking that LinkedIn offers. If you are yet to grasp what the platform is all about, this platform provides an exceptional base on which businesses and professionals can build a kind of an offline world. For the seasoned LinkedIn users as an advancement tool in their profession, the opportunities they stand to enjoy are exponential.

Why use LinkedIn to get hired?

As indicated above, recruiters are now turning to LinkedIn as a tool to hunt for new and employable talent. Employers and business owners are now versed in the benefits is working with LinkedIn to source for talented skills for a specific position. LinkedIn eliminated the intermediaries as well as the overwhelming cost of advertisements. Today, over 130,000 recruitment agencies consisting of representatives from the Fortune 500 Companies are now using LinkedIn to source for new talents and contractors.

How LinkedIn works

LinkedIn works on a simple concept whereby, by inviting your contacts to join the platform, you get access to their contact and the cycles goes on. To begin with, LinkedIn builds up membership at a surprisingly fast pace. Secondly, it creates a community of professionals who can assist each other in different ways. Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn is a professionally driven networking platform that does not allow uses to upload pics from their recent vacation. It is purely professions linking to others.

Professionals with a presence on LinkedIn and working tirelessly to boost their connections have reported on getting at least a contact every week from recruiters or employers who come across their LinkedIn profiles. The platform is proving to be a great and effective tool for professionals to advertise their skills to a broader audience and also provides rooms for networking your way into companies that you like. As you learn more about LinkedIn, you will soon realize how the platform and the connections provide a personal introduction to the right people and at opportune moment.

Using LinkedIn to get recruited

Discussed below are tips on how to improve your chances of getting recruited via LinkedIn. Note that these tips are ideal for both individual seeking professional advancement, consulting, or freelancing professionals as well as business owners planning to expand their reach:

1.

Improve on your profile- seek recommendations from your workmates, clients, former bosses and any other professional recommendation within your reach. Recommendation on your profile will set you apart from others and improve your chances getting recruited. Your profile in LinkedIn is the primary repository for all recommendations rather than always re-contacting referees every time you apply for a job. Business uses the LinkedIn profile to compile and showcase their testimonials for their respective clients. You can also refer to the potential of an employer to your profile to see recommendations.

2.

Using between 100 and 300 words, tell as captivating and compelling story on your profile that includes all specifics coupled with quantifying achievements. Include phrases and keywords that you find in job descriptions that you are interested in while also taking advantage of the search engine optimization. If you own a professional blog, link with your profile. Personalise your profile by take advantage of the customer URL.

3.

Use the Job Insider Toolbar provided by LinkedIn. When searching for employment opportunities on the leading job sites, use the Job Insider. When checking out the listings, this tool searches for any inside connection in companies of interest. With the help of your current connection, you enjoy access to inside information, advice, and even recommendations.

4.

Join groups. LinkedIn allows you to join professional, industry, corporate alumni, and alumni groups available on the platform. This is a unique and effective way for you to display your profile and increase your connections. LinkedIn also allows you to create groups and bring together other like-minded professionals.

5.

LinkedIn users have recorded extra ordinary results from asking and answering questions thanks to the Q & A tool available in the platform. Strive for credibility than self-promotion.

6.

Take time and checkout the notices on LinkedIn that come into your inbox. This notifications are essential insider intelligence that helps you to see who has connected to who and what your colleague, friends are former employers are up to. With a large enough network, you will also enjoying building connections in the right direction.

7.

Use connection-boosting platforms like www.toplinked.com. These sites are designed to help you grow your connections significantly provided that you agree to some conditions, which include never declining invitations to connect to anyone referred to you by the website. Keep in mind that more connection translates to better opportunities in terms of professional advancements and higher chances of being recruited.

8.

Know your networking statistics located under the people section on your profile. This gives you a clear overview of the industry your connections are targeted at. Once you choose a preferred industry, you will be able to view related connections and the gap between you and them. Using a common connection as your base, introduce yourself to more relevant people in a similar profession.

9.

Know your networking statistics located under the people section on your profile. This gives you a clear overview of the industry your connections are targeted at. Once you choose a preferred industry, you will be able to view related connections and the gap between you and them. Using a common connection as your base, introduce yourself to more relevant people in a similar profession.

Conclusion

Used correctly, LinkedIn can be a very powerful tool for all aspects of the recruiting process. It is important, however, that job-seekers take full advantage of all the features available and be pro-active. It is no good just sitting back and waiting to be head-hunted as the chances of that happening are extremely slim. Getting yourself active on LinkedIn is the key to getting yourself noticed. Then you will see the results that you are looking for.