How To Use LinkedIn In Your Job Search

By Sky Ariella - Apr. 26, 2021

Find a Job You Really Want In

In This Article   
Skip to section

Most people know LinkedIn as the professional social networking website that helps form connections in your field. However, LinkedIn acts as a resource for job seekers and professionals in more ways than that. It can also be a great place to find open positions in your industry.

While there are many new jobs listed on LinkedIn every day, the sheer amount of them can be overwhelming. If you’re hoping to find a new job on LinkedIn, refer to the following 15 tips to improve your chances of success.

15 Tips for Finding Jobs on LinkedIn

  1. Use LinkedIn advanced search tools. There are many ways that you can use the features on LinkedIn to help you in a job search. One of the most useful things they offer when you’re actively on the hunt for a new position is their job search engine’s advanced tools.

    These allow you to narrow down your job search to find the perfect position when browsing through open roles.

    The advanced search tools on LinkedIn have many options for honing in on the position you want. Some of the filters it accounts for include:

    • The date the job was posted on LinkedIn

    • The experience level the job requested

    • The company name

    • The type of employment

    • Location or remote positions

    • The number of applicants the position has

    • The benefits the position offers

    Sifting through these preferences enables LinkedIn to form the most desirable list of potential jobs.

  2. Create a brand for yourself. Even if your occupation isn’t in advertising, you should adopt their mentality of marketing when creating your LinkedIn profile to bring in the best result of potential jobs. Your profile details on LinkedIn are the chance to create and demonstrate a brand for yourself.

    If you work as a software developer, then you should build your professional brand around the experience and technical skills that this job requires. On the other hand, if you’re an elementary school teacher, you should focus more on qualities that are impactful in this occupation.

    Adhering to a brand mindset when developing your LinkedIn profiles draws in hiring managers, just like advertising does with customers.

    While your profile should be primarily about your career, let some of your unique personality be shown through the profile. There are over four million software developers actively working in the United States, but only you have the distinct combination of qualifications and qualities that assemble your own brand.

  3. Turn on LinkedIn job alerts for your filtered searches. Once you’ve filtered through the advanced search options that LinkedIn provides, make sure to tick the box that turns on job alerts for openings that match these requests.

    When you choose this option, they send you an email with new job listings that fit what you’re looking for when they are put on LinkedIn. This gives you an excellent chance of submitting your application materials before the wave of other applicants and potentially leads to receiving an interview early on in the company’s hiring process.

  4. Emphasize your marketable skills. When reading through your LinkedIn profile, potential employers are looking for skills that match their needs in an open position.

    To ensure that these browsers know that you’re qualified to take on the job, state these marketable abilities clearly on your page. It doesn’t need to be an obvious list of all your hard and soft skills, but instead, pepper them throughout the written areas of the profile.

    Including skills that are relevant to your profession in your LinkedIn page can also act as meaningful keywords that bring more people to your page.

  5. Follow organizations you can see yourself working for. Whether you’re an active professional in your industry or a recent graduate with entry-level experience, you probably have a good idea of companies you’d absolutely love to work for.

    A great strategy to use on LinkedIn is following these organizations to stay current on their activities, status, and even open positions. It makes you aware of any important news or opportunities brewing.

    While you might not be the next in line to receive a job working for your top choice employer right now, there’s always the possibility of it further down the line in your career. Following them on LinkedIn keeps a connection between you and the company in case an opportunity later shows up.

  6. Regularly update your LinkedIn profile. When employers are combing through a job candidate’s LinkedIn profile, they’re hoping to find details that are up-to-date with their current projects, skills, and experience.

    When a LinkedIn profile only displays old information, it’s off-putting because the recruiter is left to wonder what you’ve been doing with the time in between.

    Similarly, the descriptions on your LinkedIn profile should only contain prior work history and abilities that are relevant to the job you’re trying to get. Discussing your time working in a restaurant while studying in college doesn’t do much for exposing your graphic design abilities.

    A LinkedIn profile is a small bracket of space to divulge information, so stick to the most valuable skills for your current profession.

  7. Choose a professional headshot as your profile photo. A hiring manager should be placing the majority of their focus on the words in a LinkedIn profile, but their perspective is also influenced by the profile photo they see.

    A profile photo on LinkedIn is a small detail that can completely destroy a hopeful jobseeker’s chance of landing a position. Potential employers are looking for profile photos that ooze charisma and professionalism.

    Luckily, this photo doesn’t have to be taken professionally, and with the help of a friend, you should be able to get the perfect shot. The photo you use should be in traditional headshot format from the neck up with a blank background. While your clothing will be mostly out of view, it’s still best to wear business casual attire.

    Try to avoid stiffness in your photo. Since the goal is for your profile photo to draw people in, there’s no need to be overly serious. Give a warm smile in the image to demonstrate a friendly demeanor that shows who you are. Following these guidelines should result in a LinkedIn profile picture that’s ready for upload.

  8. Write an eye-catching headline. When a possible employer stumbles across your LinkedIn profile, they’ll immediately meet with your page’s headline. A LinkedIn headline is a brief title that alludes to your professional accolades.

    Ideally, the headline draws someone into searching further on your profile for more information and reaches out to build a connection.

    A LinkedIn headline is the catchier version of a boring and common job title. Rather than simply stating your job title and current company, your headline acts as an advertisement for the rest of your page. A good headline could be the factor that leads your next employer to find you.

  9. Use the LinkedIn profile summary to your advantage. Once a recruiter decides to click on your profile, they’ll start off reading your profile summary before deciding to investigate your qualifications further.

    In a few sentences, the profile summary explains a person’s professional details. In addition to outlining career history at a glance, a good LinkedIn profile summary also demonstrates someone’s passion for their field.

    Use the profile summary portion as an advantage to charm a profile visitor into building a professional connection.

  10. Scatter keywords throughout your profile. Every person who visits your LinkedIn profile is someone that could lead to another potential job. That makes those clicks fairly valuable to an eager jobseeker.

    Keywords enable your LinkedIn profile to appear in more searches, which increases the number of people reading your impressive qualifications.

    The keywords you choose to highlight in your profile should be reflective of your skills, experience, and field. Finding the perfect set of keywords can be a little difficult, but there are plenty of websites to assist you in this task.

    Some websites to help you find keywords include:

  11. Take a few skills assessment tests. Another helpful feature that LinkedIn offers is its skills assessment tests. These are short quizzes that evaluate a person’s abilities in a given area for potential employers to see as proof of their industry knowledge in their score.

    Having your skills endorsed by LinkedIn testing adds a layer of validity to your profile.

    There are many different kinds of business, technical, and design skill assessments available on LinkedIn currently, and they can always add more in the future. Some of the topics addressed by these tests include:

    • C++

    • JavaScript

    • Google Ads

    • QuickBooks

    • Adobe Illustrator

    • Keynote

  12. Make connections with recruiters. LinkedIn helps to build meaningful professional connections that further your career. Many people using LinkedIn are prone to only add people they know in their life or career already, but you should extend your connections to recruiters out there as well.

    Recruiters have the inside scoop on opportunities that are available in your field, and you could be one of the first people to hear about it when you’re connected with them on LinkedIn. Building a long-term relationship with various recruiters on LinkedIn could end up with them sending job openings your way before looking for alternative applicants.

  13. Participate in LinkedIn professional groups. Yet again, another beneficial aspect of the LinkedIn interface is their professional groups. The professional groups on LinkedIn cater to the skills and interests of your career.

    Some examples of the professional groups on LinkedIn include:

    Joining a few professional groups that are relevant to your career and skills brings you in contact with an established network of people who work in the same field.

    After being added to a group, get involved. Introduce yourself to other group members and regularly contribute to discussions. This gets your name and your profile out to individuals in the industry with access to job opportunities.

  14. Don’t be afraid to add and chat with people in your field. Everyone using LinkedIn is hoping to network and grow their professional connections. This is important to keep in mind when you’re browsing through profiles of impressive professionals in your field and feeling bashful about adding them.

    Don’t hesitate to add and message people in your field on LinkedIn. You never know where these connections might go. A LinkedIn connection you made on a whim could provide your next great job.

  15. Include your LinkedIn profile on your resume. Once you’ve completed a LinkedIn profile in its entirety and have begun networking on the website, don’t let all that hard work go to waste. Include the details of your LinkedIn profile on your resume as an encouragement to visit your page.

    A LinkedIn profile is a significant aspect of your professional package when applying for open positions. It gives a hiring manager more information to work with and shows a peek at your personality.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Sky Ariella

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

Related posts

Topics: Apply For Jobs, Glossary, Guides