More than 57 million businesses have LinkedIn profiles. This means, the hiring managers and recruiters from 57 million businesses have profiles and could potentially find yours.
That is if you have one.
Clients ask us every single day, “Do I need a LinkedIn profile?” The answer is yes, yes you do. You need one now. If you want to use LinkedIn to find jobs or if you want the 90% of recruiters and hiring managers who source candidates using LinkedIn to find you, this article is for you!
Why Do I Need a LinkedIn Profile?
Millions of people are using LinkedIn to find a job and just as many people are using LinkedIn to network, showcase their expertise, and build solid relationships that will make an impact later in their careers. Out of the site’s 885 million users, more than 310 million of them are active each month.
LinkedIn is a highly popular and active social media site. Professionals across all industries find value in having a profile, whether they’re looking for a job or are happy where they are. The potential of LinkedIn is immeasurable when you really think about it. It only takes a few minutes to create a profile and a few more to fill it out, so why wouldn’t you want one?
Advantages of Having a Profile When Job Searching on LinkedIn
So, what are the benefits of having a profile? We mentioned a few above but we’ll go into more detail here. Read more:
It’s More Personal
One advantage of having a profile during your LinkedIn job search is that you can be more personable on the profile. When writing a resume, there are very strict industry guidelines that must be followed. These rules leave little room for imagination or personality.
However, you can let your personality shine on LinkedIn. In the summary (a/k/a About section), you can discuss the “why” behind what you do. You can even show off the causes most important to you in the affiliations and organizations section. There are also many opportunities to brag about awards, honors, or publications that your resume may not have room for.
Search Optimization
You likely have heard about applicant tracking systems and the importance of optimizing your resume. But did you know it’s just as crucial you optimize your LinkedIn profile? The entire site works a lot like Google, so recruiters and hiring managers can find you easily with a few keywords. We’ll talk about ranking in recruiter searches in a little bit.
Networking
Having a strong network is an invaluable asset to have in your career. LinkedIn allows you to connect with previous colleagues or schoolmates that could help you get a sweet deal today. You never know when your network could come in handy, so you must always work on it. Other benefits of networking include:
- Improve communication (and therefore interviewing) skills
- Broaden your scope and perspective
- Increase future opportunities
- Forge lasting relationships and partnerships
- Build your confidence
Networking may seem scary at first, but it gets easier as you go. Having a great LinkedIn profile makes it go much more smoothly.
You Can Showcase Industry Expertise
When someone visits your LinkedIn profile, they can quickly and easily see what you are an expert in. There are very few industries where this is not an advantage. You can easily position yourself as an expert or thought leader, making your job search much easier in the long run. In fact, you may catch the eye of some recruiters and speed up the process quite a bit.
Research Potential Employers and Hiring Managers
After you use LinkedIn to apply for jobs and win a coveted interview, you can use LinkedIn to research the company and the people. This is especially important when you want to try to find out more about the person who will be interviewing you.
How Recruiters and Hiring Managers Use LinkedIn
Not surprisingly, recruiters and hiring managers both leverage LinkedIn a little differently. For one, hiring managers – you know, the people who will be interviewing you – will look at your profile to get an idea of whether you fit within the culture of their company. Recruiters use LinkedIn to find you.
Recruiters
That’s right. You’re looking for a job and recruiters are searching for people like you to fill those jobs. In fact, they pay for this privilege.
When you develop and optimize your LinkedIn profile, you make it easier for recruiters to find you. Your summary is a great opportunity to showcase your expertise and give the reader something memorable that makes you stand out among your competitors. Remember to use as many relevant keywords as you can, but use them in a way that makes sense. You don’t want to be accused of keyword stuffing. LinkedIn will rank you in recruiter searches based on keyword density, among other things.
Most companies expect you to have a LinkedIn profile and some even demand it. Go ahead and create an impactful profile so that you don’t have to throw something together at the last minute.
Hiring Managers
Hiring managers use social media, especially LinkedIn, to learn more about candidates. When applying for a professional role, a lack of a LinkedIn profile could be what prevents you from moving forward.
Hiring managers look at LinkedIn to understand your career path and industry expertise. It is an excellent way to showcase your accomplishments so hiring managers can’t wait to meet you. You can also set yourself apart from other candidates by posting relevant content within industry-specific groups. It’ll help potential bosses think of you as an expert.
Prepare Your Career Documents Before Applying to LinkedIn Jobs
Now you get why we say, “Yes” when someone asks, “Do I need a LinkedIn profile?” We’ll go as far as to say it is just as important as your resume. This is especially true for job seekers applying to LinkedIn jobs. Before starting your LinkedIn job search, you must ensure your documents and profile are as professional and up-to-date as possible!
