Top 9 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Find Your Dream Job

Top 9 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Find Your Dream Job Top 9 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Find Your Dream Job Social media has grown to now play a big part in looking for a job and finding the best opportunities for career advancement. Without doubt, the most important site for this purpose is LinkedIn, often affectionately described as ‘Facebook for business’. This is no surprise as there can be up to 6.5 million jobs advertised on LinkedIn at any given time.With 94% of recruiters actively using LinkedIn to vet potential job candidates, it is no wonder that anyone who is serious about finding a job or changing their career path needs to make sure their profile is up to scratch. Building your profile on LinkedIn and making contacts can be an ideal way to find the best route to your dream job. But what are the tips to make the most of the site? We have listed some helpful tips for you: Have a winning profileWhile your profile on Facebook or Twitter are important to tell the world who you are, your profile on LinkedIn is essential if you want to attract potential new employers. You need to have a winning profile that tells potential employers all the relevant information they need and you must make it a priority to keep it updated, especially when completing training courses or gaining new qualifications or work experience. Adding previous experience and qualifications can make you up to 12 times more likely to attract an employer to your profile, or to help gain their attention when you approach them about possible employment.Include the right skillsWhile you might have an excellent handicap at golf or be a brilliant karaoke singer, these skills aren’t the ones you want to highlight on your LinkedIn profile â€" leave that stuff for your Facebook account. If you plan to stay in the industry you are already working in, then list the skills you have that are relevant to it. If you want to move to another sector, then look at adverts and job description for these positions. Find the skills you have that closely match what these employers are looking for in a candid ate and make sure these are placed prominently on your profile.Don’t make it blandBoring is as boring does! That said, don’t fall into the trap of making your profile too wild and out-there or too generic and similar to others in the same field. You want your personality to come through so make sure you allow for that when constructing the key elements of your profile. Those golf scores or singing skills can feature in the mix, just not at the top of the list. You can also arrange your profile to a style of layout that you like, highlighting your best features or experience.Be easy to findLetting an employer come and find you is never a bad idea â€" it means you have caught their attention without saying a word. Therefore, key to achieving this is to make sure you are easy to find on LinkedIn so that potential employers or recruiters can easily spot you. One simple way to do this is to ensure your profile contains the right keyword for the industry and job you do, or the job you want to do. Try to look at how you would find someone on the site if you were a prospective employer looking for a new employee, then apply that logic to your own profile so that people can find you.Follow and make connectionsFollowing companies that you would love to work for or who operate in your desired industry will give you great insight into that area as well as meaning you can catch onto vacancies quickly. Over 3 million companies have profiles in LinkedIn and they update them regularly so it can be a great source of information for you, especially when looking to change your career path. You might even be able to make connections with people inside the company that you would like to work for, though be very wary of just sending requests randomly.Be a detectiveFollowing these companies allows you to become a bit of a detective as well, should you get the chance to interview for a position with any of them. Look at the company but also the relevant people within it, view the ir profile and see if you can spot common ground, shared experience or interests or even just the latest news about the company. Don’t come across like a stalker, but doing some light research never hurts.Build your networkBuilding a network on LinkedIn is essential to your success so make use of friends, family and work colleagues to help do this. Also make use of the LinkedIn dedicated Connected app that helps you find people to connect with, maintain your connections and build relationships that may help you win that dream job sometime in the future. Try the Job Seeker facilityShowing you are a motivated, determined and a considered job seeker can really help to put you on the candidate list for some employers. LinkedIn offer a service called Job Seeker that comes with a free 30-day trial and then is £12.95 a month afterwards. It adds a badge to your profile that shows you are looking for a job as well as giving you some extra information about who is viewing your profile. It sets you apart from others on the hunt for their dream job and shows you are willing to spend time and money to find the right vacancy.Publish on the siteEvery bit of experience we get in our career teaches us something and everything we do creates knowledge that we can pass on to others, so boost your profile by sharing your knowledge through LinkedIn. Publish articles on the website, build up your credibility on your best topics and impress potential employers in yet another way. previous article Crafty and Casual â€" A Smart Resume Template for Free next article The Working Woman â€" Resume Template Freebie for Ladies you might also likeThe Best Way to Explain Your Sabbatical To a New Employer