Using LinkedIn for Your Job Search

If you are new to LinkedIn, and you know that you should use this tool to search for a job, but you don’t know where to start, take advantage of these tips to make the most of this online professional networking site.

Fill out your profile completely and view it as your online resume. Recruiters will be searching for keywords to identify top candidates, so make sure that your profile, just like your resume, has keywords specific to your field on it. If you don’t use keywords, your profile may not show up when a recruiter does a search.

Get recommendations from bosses and colleagues. The fact that people are willing to publicly endorse you carries weight. Make sure that you have strong recommendations on your profile. One way to get recommendations is to give them. Offer to write recommendations for colleagues; they are likely to reciprocate.

Raise your profile on LinkedIn by asking and answering questions in your field of expertise on the Answers section of the website. Good, thoughtful questions as well as answers will get you noticed. You can also earn expertise on Answers by having your answer rated as the best answer out of everyone who responded to a question. When you earn expertise, that shows up on your profile and makes a good impression on a recruiter.

Join groups on LinkedIn and make sure that you participate. Again, this raises your profile.

Use LinkedIn to expand your network. You can search for alumni of the college or university you attended and send these people invitations to connect with you. Also, you can invite people to connect with you that you have met on LinkedIn through Answers or through a profession-specific group.

The people you know are connected to people that you don't know. Continue to build your network online beyond your immediate circle. You can connect to people who are second and third level contacts through introductions on LinkedIn, and you can join groups that are related to your area of expertise.

Ask for introductions to people who are in companies that you are targeting. You can easily do a search to find out who works at the companies you are interested in who might be a second or third level contact. Ask your first level contacts for introductions to others who can help you with your job search.

Search for jobs on LinkedIn's site. You will get job listings that are not only posted on LinkedIn, but also on simplyhired.com. This feature allows you to see who in your network works for that particular company. This is a really useful tool to network your way into a company that has an opening in your field.

Avoid misspellings on your profile and any answers/questions that you post. Misspellings make you look unprofessional.

Don't use a picture on your profile that sends an unflattering message. Your picture does not necessarily have to be a studio portrait, but it does need to portray you in a professional light since this is a professional social networking site.