Get the Most From Your LinkedIn Profile

By: Bradley Taylor
Guest Post!

LinkedIn has evolved into the largest social media platform for business professionals in the world; boasting approximately 187,000,000 members who operate across 200 territories. The vast nature of this business social networking site means that users are able to communicate with like-minded individuals in their chosen field of industry. From multinational corporations seeking to recruit new candidates to ambitious professionals looking to acquire new business partners, LinkedIn offers a wealth of benefits for both employers and employees.

Post Opportunities 
One of the main benefits of LinkedIn is the fact that employers are permitted to post employment programs online to which prospective candidates can apply. For instance, automotive manufacturers Skoda frequently advertise job opportunities and training programs via LinkedIn.  Consequently, users can discover lucrative employment opportunities via LinkedIn and communicate with current Skoda employees and business partners; thereby improving their chances of securing a career in the automotive industry. What’s more, LinkedIn benefits Skoda because it permits them to learn more about their employees before offering them a job interview. Skoda can employ a diverse range of multinational employees who will improve the overall quality of their range of products.Join and Participate in LinkedIn Groups
Many companies utilize LinkedIn in this manner in order to communicate with their potential employees and business partners. Therefore, as a prospective employee there is several measures which you may wish to implement which will improve your professional status on LinkedIn. A simple yet highly effective method for interacting with businesses via LinkedIn is joining as many “Groups” as possible. These forums permit users to discuss topics related to their particular field of industry with likeminded professionals. LinkedIn members should endeavor to join as many groups as possible which bear relevance to their particular career prospects. By participating within these group discussions and offering industry relevant expertise you can capture the attention of potential employers and business partners.

The Chief Operating Officer at Frederick County Public Schools illustrated how their organization uses LinkedIn groups as a recruiting source for their human resources division. She conveys how “when our human resources division underwent a major reorganization, we used LinkedIn to advertise selected positions requiring in-depth industry knowledge.  Because we have received overwhelming feedback that job applicants find out about openings via online sites, we will now be connecting our new online application system to a FCPS LinkedIn resource”. Consequently by demonstrating  your in-depth industry expertise on LinkedIn via group discussions, you can increase your chances of securing a profitable career.

See who is looking at you
Furthermore, there are additional LinkedIn tools which you can utilize to your professional advantage. The resource “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” permits users to access information regarding the types of people who have viewed their profile. Using this resource enables you to customize your profile so that it directly appeals to particular employers and business partners. By doing so, you can substantially improve your chances of interacting with these professionals and potentially securing a job offer.

Highlight your expertise
Fundamentally, LinkedIn offers ambitious professionals a diverse range of career opportunities whilst simultaneously securing a consistent channel of skilled employees for multinational organizations. From an employee perspective you can customize your profile to highlight your specialist expertise and job experience; thereby improving your likelihood of securing a viable avenue of employment. Moreover, from an employer’s perspective you can by engage with prospective candidates for your business and investigate their level of expertise and experience. Ultimately, LinkedIn permits both employers and employees to interact successfully with people who operate within their field of industry. By doing so, both individuals and organizations alike can consolidate their professional reputation on a global scale.