In April of 2017, we saw social network giant, Linkedin cross the 500 million subscribers mark. As of today, their website is available in almost 200 countries and employs over 10 000 employees. It has become one of the most common go-to resources for job hunting for both individuals and companies. It is easy to see why LinkedIn has become so popular, with its ability to increase connectivity between companies and individuals. Primarily, the network is seen as a tool to connect and for individuals to get noticed. But that is not all it can do for your career. Take a look at these interesting ways you can use LinkedIn to improve your career game.
Network
LinkedIn offers you the opportunity to connect with people all over the world in many different industries. With each connection you add, your network expands. Think about it. Each of those persons will have their own connections, besides you. Therefore you are then indirectly connected to their network as well. Wondering how this helps your career? Well, think of yourself as a brand. Having business contacts is certainly a plus.
Through your connections, you are able to see professional events or see jobs as they are posted.Based on your profile on search results, recruiters and companies alike can see your skills and match their positions. One of the most connected job functions on the network is Human Resources with an average of 415 connections. Simply put, LinkedIn is like a massive ad for your talent. Explore its features and get to creating that perfect LinkedIn profile.
Stay Ahead of the Game
Another great benefit of LinkedIn is that you can use it to spot upcoming trends in your industry. Thanks to LinkedIn Pulse, users can now access up to date articles on changes in their job environment. With this information, comes the power to prepare yourself for those changes. When you attend your job interviews armed with innovative and current ideas, you will instantly become a much more desirable asset to the company. Continuous investment in yourself and your skills can be one of the greatest things you do in your career.
Another thing you are able to do is follow opinions and experts in your industry on hot topics. By tapping into this resources, you can stay up to date with current developments in your relevant industry. Companies like employees that are aware and that take initiative.
Manage Your Brand
By this, we mean your professional brand. First impressions count for a lot when recruiters are looking at you. Your presence and profile projected is normally the first thing an employer will see when they look at your job application. Gone are the days where employer referrals and qualifications are the main criteria. These days, more recruiters are using social media in some aspect of their recruiting process including researching job applicants. According to a SHRM study in 2016, 84 percent of organizations were utilizing social media in their recruitment process.
Just like a business with options for customer reviews, LinkedIn allows professional colleagues to leave recommendations on your skills. Each good recommendations builds your credibility and puts you on the path to being seen as a respected professional in your industry. This will no doubt, be a major selling point for recruiters. Even if you are not actively looking for a job, you would be surprised at the recruiters reaching out to you if your profile is what they are looking for. LinkedIn keeps you open to opportunities.
Take a look at the Future
Spending your entire career until retirement with one single employer is majorly unheard of. As of 2016, their median employment length with their current employer in the United States was 4.2 years. So, unless you have job security for life, it pays to always be informed about your worth to other companies. Although it is not guaranteed you will land that job at your dream company, you can get a glimpse of where you would be positioned if recruited.
It is easy to look at employees of your dream company and see the kind of career progression available and the culture of the organization. From there, do you think it is a good fit? You can get a glimpse of your future and the potential that exists. From this, you can decide whether it is the right time to pursue this or if it is worthwhile.
Regardless what phase of your career you currently are, you can harness the power of LinkedIn to get your career moving forward. You may be looking for employment or starting your own small business, or even happily employed. One thing is certain, LinkedIn is deeply integral to the career progression now.
With such a large network of people and possibilities, there are so many ways the network can fast track your career. These four are just the tip of the iceberg. Always remember to not just read the benefits but apply them too.
