“GETTING STARTED WITH LINKEDIN IN YOUR JOB SEARCH”€¦ · “Getting Started With LinkedIn In Your Job Search” Why Get LinkedIn? LinkedIn is the top social networking website

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“GETTING STARTED

WITH LINKEDIN IN YOUR

JOB SEARCH”

COURTESY OF DISTINCTIVE CAREER SERVICES, LLC www.distinctiveweb.com (800) 644‐9694

Courtesy of Distinctive Career Services, LLC | (800) 644‐9694 | Page 1

“Getting Started With LinkedIn In Your Job Search”

Why Get LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is the top social networking website for jobseekers. As

Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, explains it, “Post a full profile and

get connected to the people you trust. Because if you’re

connected to those people and you posted a profile, then when

other people are searching for people, they might find you.”

LinkedIn has more than 467 million registered users as of January 2017. The site adds two new

members every second, and 106 million people visit the site each month. With so many

members, the rate at which your network expands on LinkedIn can be truly amazing. A hundred

strategic contacts could mean access to millions of people in a short amount of time. You’d have

to attend dozens — or hundreds — of in‐person networking events to equal the reach you can

get on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn allows you to leverage the power of your network — the people you know, and the

people those people know — to help you connect to a person who is in a position to offer you a

job.

Reid Hoffman, co‐founder of LinkedIn, put it this way: LinkedIn is about “connecting talent with

opportunity on a massive scale.”

Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are on LinkedIn. Recruiters from every discipline and

industry are on LinkedIn. More than four million companies have profile pages on LinkedIn.

But author Guy Kawasaki puts it best: “I could make the case that Facebook is for show, and

LinkedIn is for dough.”


Why LinkedIn Is Important In Your Job Search

Once upon a time, attending networking mixers, industry events, and Chamber of Commerce

meetings were the best way to make new connections and build business relationships. Now,

many of these activities have moved online within the LinkedIn community. Much like

networking in person, professionals interact on LinkedIn with the explicit intention of making

business connections.

With LinkedIn, you get all the benefits of networking in person, with less of the hassle. Instead of

going from business lunch to business lunch hoping to meet people, LinkedIn provides a platform

for you to specifically search for and research individuals who you know will directly add value to

your job search.

Employers and recruiters use LinkedIn to locate both active jobseekers and those who aren’t

necessarily looking (passive candidates). They also use LinkedIn to vet job candidates before

making an interview invitation or extending a job offer. LinkedIn also allows candidates to create

an online portfolio of their accomplishments — by facilitating embedded video, links to content

posted elsewhere on the Internet, and the ability to create highly shareable, long‐form content

in the form of LinkedIn’s “Publishing” feature.

LinkedIn allows you to identify, research, contact, follow‐up, engage, and maintain your contacts

in one place. Its ability to facilitate business networking is unmatched by any other social

network. Essentially, your LinkedIn profile is a résumé, business card, and elevator speech all

rolled up into one.

However, your LinkedIn profile is not your résumé.

LinkedIn is a personal branding page. You need both

a résumé and a LinkedIn profile, and they should be

in sync with one another, but not be exact copies.

The information on your résumé should match your

profile (in terms of positions you’ve held, your

educational credentials, etc.), but the content you

include on your LinkedIn profile will be different than

what is included on your résumé.


How To Set Up A Basic Account

Setting up a LinkedIn account is a quick and easy process. You can be listed in just five minutes.

However, speed is not the objective if you want to use LinkedIn to facilitate your job search.

Rushing could lead to a sloppy profile that doesn’t represent you well — or may even prevent

you from getting called for an interview.

Basic LinkedIn memberships are free. For most job seekers, the free option is adequate to

effectively network on the site. (If you find you need the paid functionality, you can always

upgrade your account later.)

To get started:

Go to LinkedIn.com. Fill in your first and last name, email address, and password. Then click the

“Join Now” button.


Next, you’ll see a screen to help you set your location (country and zip code — both are required

fields). Unlike other social media sites, it’s not enough to just enter your name and email address

to create a profile that you can complete later. LinkedIn requires you to input details related to

your career right away.

The next screen asks if you are a student and provides a place to enter your job title and company.

Both of these are also required fields.


When you enter the job title and company, a third field will pop up, asking you to select an

Industry. This is also a required field.

Next, LinkedIn will ask you what you plan to use the service for. The description says LinkedIn will

use this information to “personalize” your experience.


You will then be asked to confirm your email address.

You should receive an email from LinkedIn with the confirmation code:


Once your LinkedIn account is confirmed, LinkedIn will offer to search the contacts linked to the

email address you provided. Any contacts connected with your web email can be imported to

your account at this point.

Recommendation: Do not use the auto import feature at this stage. Wait until you have fully set up your

account and then work on adding connections. You will want to personalize your connection requests —

and not accidentally add someone (like your boss!), so choose “Skip” and continue to the next step. You

can come back later and identify contacts you know through your email later.

If you click “Skip This Step,” you’ll get a popup warning:


Click on “Yes” and you’ll be taken to the next page.

LinkedIn is going to continue to ask you to build your connections. On this page, LinkedIn will

suggest additional connections. You can either add the connections or choose “Skip.”

Adding Your Photo

LinkedIn suggests you add a photo as the next step. LinkedIn profiles with photos attract 50‐70

percent more inquiries than profiles without photos.


When you click on “Upload photo,” you’ll be able to select a photo and then make adjustments

to it. You can use the onscreen tools to reposition the photo and make it larger or smaller (to

emphasize your head and shoulders, for example, while cropping out the rest of your body). You

can drag to center it (using your mouse) and zoom in. Make sure the photo looks the way you

want before clicking “Apply.”

You can also review the privacy settings for your photo. In the bottom right‐hand corner, LinkedIn

allows you to select the visibility of your photo.


Once you’ve uploaded the photo (and made adjustments to it) and selected your privacy settings,

click the blue “Apply” button.

On the next page, you’ll be able to preview how your profile photo will look:

If it looks the way you want, click the blue “Continue” button.

On the next page, LinkedIn will ask you to indicate interest in topics you’d like to follow.


You can select or de‐select topics and follow the “channels” you’re interested in — or simply

choose “Skip.”

Next, you’ll be prompted to get the LinkedIn app. You can download the app on your Android or

iPhone or tablet.

If you don’t want to download the app, you can click on the LinkedIn logo in the upper left‐hand

corner to be taken to your LinkedIn home page.


Optimizing Your Profile

At this point, you’ve only begun to establish yourself on LinkedIn. Essentially, all you’ve created

is a LinkedIn web page with your name, email address, and current job title/company.

A well‐written and complete LinkedIn profile is essential to maximizing LinkedIn’s application to

your job search efforts. Profiles on LinkedIn are structured like a traditional résumé. LinkedIn

uses the words you use to describe your work experience and education as keywords. So by

applying the correct terms in your profile, you can increase your positioning in the search results.

Search results in LinkedIn are also based on your connections. So while it is important to make a

lot of connections, you don’t want to spam people. (Don’t connect with people just for the sake

of having a lot of connections. That’s like giving your business card to everyone at a party.) But

do connect with people you know.

Now it’s time to start populating (filling in) your profile.

Look at other LinkedIn profiles for folks who have your same job title. See what they’re including

in their profile that is getting them ranked highly using LinkedIn’s search algorithm.


How can you find the profiles of individuals on LinkedIn who do what you do? Use a Google search

as a fast way to retrieve similar profiles.

1. Go to Google.com

2. Type in this search string: “Site:LinkedIn.com” “your job title.”

3. Replace the phrase “your job title” with your job title or keywords or terms related to

your job or industry.

Initially you can focus on the top 10 search results (some of them will be job postings; some will

be individual profiles; others will lead you to a category of professionals). Visit each of the top‐


listed profiles and take note of how they are representing themselves — in particular, the

headline they use to describe themselves, the keywords they include, and their Featured Skills &

Endorsements.

Like on other social media sites, LinkedIn uses search to help connect you with people you

know — or people you should know. For this reason, optimizing your profile (so it ranks well in

search results) ensures that your profile will be found.

Also, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel — a well‐written professional résumé will give you

most of the content you need to create a compelling LinkedIn profile.

Why Completing Your LinkedIn Profile Is Important

According to LinkedIn, users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive

opportunities through LinkedIn.

LinkedIn considers your profile “complete” if you include:

• Your industry and location

• An up‐to‐date current position (including description)

• Two past positions

• Your education

• Your Skills (minimum of three)

• A profile photo

• At least 50 connections

Editing/Enhancing Your Profile

Before populating your profile with information, you should adjust your privacy settings. On the

main menu, click on your photo, and when the drop‐down menu appears, click “Privacy &

Settings.”


On the “Privacy & Settings” page, click on the “Privacy” link in the middle of the page. This will

access the privacy settings on your account.

Once on the Privacy page, review all settings, but pay particular attention to “Sharing Profile

Edits.” Click on the “Change” link next to that item.


You can choose whether your network is notified about your profile changes. If the setting is on,

your connections will receive notifications when you add information to your profile or change

the content. As you build your LinkedIn profile, this can trigger many notifications. And if you’re

conducting a stealth job search, it can draw unwanted attention to your LinkedIn profile. As a

general rule, you will want to turn off notifications when updating your profile. Slide the setting

to “No.”

Later on, you can turn these notifications back on and adjust your privacy settings. But for now,

just make sure this is changed to “No.”

Then, continue to populate your profile.


If you did not add a photo earlier, you should add one now. Adding a photo makes you 36 times

more likely to receive a message on LinkedIn. Profiles without photos are not as effective as those

with photos. Business headshots are best. Be selective about the photo you use. Pick one that is

professional in nature, not personal. Lighting, attire, and overall composition are all elements to

consider when making your choice.

To change your profile photo, click on the “Me” in the navigation menu at the top of the page

and click on “View Profile.” Then click on the blue pencil under “Profile photo.”

With LinkedIn’s visually‐centered format, it is important to use a large size, high‐quality photo.

The recommended size is 400 pixels by 400 pixels. You can use a .JPG, .GIF, or .PNG format, and

the file size limit is 4 MB.

LinkedIn now also offers the opportunity to add a background image to your profile. The

recommended dimensions for the background image are 1536 by 768 pixels. The image can be a

.JPG, .GIF, or .PNG format with an 8 MB size limit.

To add a background image, click on “Update Background Photo” on your profile page and you

can browse to upload an image.


You can drag the photo to reposition it:

Once it has been positioned where you want it, click the blue “Save” button.


Creating Your Summary

After the headline, the most‐often read section of your profile is the Summary.

The Summary section plays a large role in LinkedIn, so take some time to decide what you will

write. LinkedIn allows you up to 2,000 characters in your Summary. Use them wisely — and use

them all!

One popular format for Summary is the “Who/What/Goals” structure. Using this format, you

outline Who you are, What you have to offer or add (what is unique about you or your

experience), and what are your Goals for being on LinkedIn — or your career.

To create your Summary, go to “Me” in the main menu and click on “View Profile,” then click on

the blue arrow next to your photo.

Only the first two lines of the Summary show in the new LinkedIn profile, so create something

compelling.


One thing that has changed in the most recent update to LinkedIn is there is much less emphasis

on building out your profile. But it is still important.

First, add to your Work Experience.

LinkedIn profiles are 12 times more likely to be viewed if they list at least one previous role.

For existing Work Experience listed on your profile, click on the blue pencil to edit it.

You can also add new sections. On your profile page, on the right‐hand side is a listing of the

sections you can add to your profile. Click on the plus sign to add a new position.


Note: You cannot move work experience around, so start with your current/most recent position,

moving backwards to your older experience.

When providing a description of your work history, remember that LinkedIn is not your résumé.

However, describing your job experience is one of those areas that you can copy‐and‐paste from

your résumé, if you wish.

Keep in mind that you will be able to go back and edit the information you provide; or, if you wish

to fill in the details later, you can put in the bare minimum now.

At the bottom of the “Add Experience” box, you can also double‐check your privacy settings.


The ability to showcase work on your profile is important. In 2013, LinkedIn removed third‐party

applications (like SlideShare), replacing these apps with the ability to link to information that is

stored elsewhere on the Internet, as long as there is a URL for the data.

There are two ways to add these links: One is by associating them with specific sections (i.e.,

“Work Experience” or “Education”); the other is to include them separately as “Projects.”

To include them within a specific section, finish adding the Experience or Education. At the

bottom of the box to add a role or school is a link to add media. LinkedIn supports more than 400

content providers, including video, images, and rich media (YouTube, Instagram, and SlideShare).

Content can include documents, links, videos, images, audio files, animations, PowerPoint


presentations, ebooks, and more. Linked content must be hosted online (requires a URL). Or you

can upload files directly (limited to 100 MB each) in a variety of supported file formats.

Or, you can add “Projects.” Click on the box on the right‐hand side of

the Profile page and click the “+” to add a Project.

This will open up a Project box:


The advantage of the Project data field is that you can provide much more detail about a specific

initiative, including tagging others who worked on the project with you.

Note: You are no longer able to re‐order projects within the section.


Continue to add sections. For example, click “Education” to list your schooling. Your profile can

receive 11 times more profile views by adding a school.

Click the “+” sign next to “Education” and a box will open to add details about your Education.


Note: Remember, you can no longer move sections around, so add your current/most recent

position first and work backwards. Do not include high school in your list of schools.

One of the best things you can do to help your profile be found is to identify and list “Skills” on

your profile. Along with the use of LinkedIn’s Endorsements feature (which allows people to

“validate” the Skills you have), Skills listings create keywords for searches within LinkedIn. If

someone searches for particular Skills, and you have them listed on your profile, you’re more

likely to be found.

LinkedIn says members with Skills on their profile get four times as many profile views.

You can list up to 50 Skills on your profile. Generally, the more Skills you list (as long as they are

relevant), the better.

Click on “Skills” under “Add new profile section” to add Skills. Then click on the “+” sign.

As you type in words, LinkedIn will suggest relevant terms. This is a great way to include more

keywords in your profile.


Remember, double‐check to make sure the box at the bottom is set to “No” so your network is

not notified as you add new Skills.

You can also re‐order the Skills by going to the “Featured Skills & Endorsements” section of your

profile. Click on the blue pencil in the upper right‐hand corner and then click and drag on the Skill

you want to move. (Click on the lines under “Reorder.”)


Creating Your Headline

Your LinkedIn Headline is the most important part of your profile. How you describe yourself to

prospective employers and networking contacts is vitally important.

When a search is conducted on LinkedIn, a search box returns a listing displaying only photos,

names, and Headlines. This is why it’s important to have a good Headline. A Headline filled with

the right keywords is an effective positioning tool.

To edit your Headline, click on “Me” in the menu bar, choose “View Profile” and then click on the

blue pencil in the right‐hand corner.


It will open a pop‐up box that you can use to edit your Headline.


The information you put in the “Headline” field displays as the primary tagline at the top of your

profile and is what appears primarily with internal and Internet searches. The default for your

headline is your current job title (at) your current employer. However, you should change this to

showcase your value to a prospective employer.

LinkedIn also allows you to add additional information by adding other sections. Other optional

sections you can include on your profile include:

• Volunteer Experience

• Publications

• Certifications

• Courses

• Projects

• Honors & Awards

• Patents

• Test Scores

• Languages


Power User Tip: Be Unique

According to LinkedIn’s annual analysis of profiles, these are the 10 “most overused” words and phrases on the

site. Avoid using them in your Headline and Summary:

• Specialized

• Leadership

• Passionate

• Strategic

• Experienced

• Focused

• Expert

• Certified

• Creative

• Excellent

— Source: LinkedIn Blog, Jan. 25, 2017

Controlling Your Privacy Settings on LinkedIn

Certain parts of your LinkedIn profile can be restricted from public view. When you are in active

job search mode, you want your privacy settings to be as open as possible, to encourage more

profile views and connections. LinkedIn profiles are indexed by Google, so having an open profile

can get you additional visibility through Google. A public profile on LinkedIn ensures your

professional skills are presented to everyone who wants to know more about you.

Note: For maximum exposure as an unemployed job seeker, make your public profile visible to

everyone. When your job search is complete, you can then adjust your privacy settings and

decide if there is information you want to control more closely.


However, if you are currently employed, you will want to consider your privacy settings more

closely. Under your photo in the menu bar, click on the “Privacy & Settings” link.

You will be taken to the “Privacy & Settings page,” where you will be able to modify your privacy

controls. Click on “Privacy.” If you didn’t adjust your privacy settings earlier, now is the time.


Note: When you are editing your profile, it’s a good idea to turn off “Sharing Profile Edits” —

otherwise, your connections will receive notifications of the changes you’ve made. Turn the

setting off before making changes, and then turn it back on once you’ve finished.

We turned the activity broadcasts off earlier in this guide, so they should still be off for you when

you check this setting. To double check that, click on the “Sharing Profile Edits” link and make

sure the setting is “No.”

LinkedIn Privacy Settings

LinkedIn allows you to customize how your profile is viewed by specific audiences, and how

search engines (like Google, Yahoo, and Bing) will show your profile.

Find these privacy settings by clicking on “Me” below your photo in the main menu bar. Select

“Privacy & Settings” from the drop‐down menu and click the blue “Privacy” tab. Then select click

on “Change” next to the “Edit Your Public Profile” link.


It will open up a new tab that will allow you to customize your public profile (what is visible to

everyone when people search for you on search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.).

When you’re finished editing your public profile, set up your customized LinkedIn URL.


Customizing Your LinkedIn URL

By default, LinkedIn assigns you a URL with random numbers and letters. For branding purposes,

you will want to customize the link. Customize your URL on the “Edit Your Public Profile” page,

at the top right of the page, above where it says “Customize Your Public Profile.”

Click the blue pencil under the “Your Public Profile URL.”

You should always create a unique URL. An easy‐to‐read website address increases the chance

of people being able to remember and find you on LinkedIn. You can also promote your custom

signature link on your blog, Facebook page, and through email signatures.

All LinkedIn website addresses begin with http://www.linkedin.com/in


You can use between 5‐30 letters or numbers to build your custom URL. (You cannot use spaces,

symbols, or special characters in your profile URL.) It may seem obvious, but make sure you

include your name in your profile URL. If you have a common name, you may not be able to use

just your name, so consider including a keyword related to your job or industry — for example,

“BobSmithAccounting.”

Making Connections: Adding Contacts

Now that your profile is complete, it’s time to add contacts. Looking for people one by one wastes

valuable time that could be spent on other job search tasks. You could use LinkedIn’s search box

to locate possible connections, but LinkedIn provides several ways to streamline this process.

To import contacts, choose the “My Network” menu from the navigation bar.

LinkedIn will prompt you to enter your email address and import contacts.


You will have the opportunity to approve and decline the additions of emails as LinkedIn searches

the designated online email box.

Note: Importing information does not automatically connect you with people. After importing,

you will still need to send an invite to join your network on LinkedIn. If the contact accepts the

invitation, then you’ll be connected.

LinkedIn will also suggest possible connections with a “People You May Know” box on the “My

Network” page.

When building your presence on LinkedIn, you need to start somewhere. By making connections

on LinkedIn with people you already know — either in real life, or through email correspondence

— you can build your network, which will help you realize your job search objectives.

What To Do With Your LinkedIn Profile

Once you’ve built your LinkedIn profile, you may be wondering, “Now what?” (There’s an

excellent book that answers that question: “I’m On LinkedIn, Now What?” by Jason Alba that you

should check out.)

Status updates and announcements from your personal network are posted to your home page.

At a glance, your home page will keep you on top of what’s going on with your connections. To

make the most of your interactions on LinkedIn, this is an area to check on regularly. LinkedIn will


also draw in information that it thinks you may be interested in — this can include news and job

postings.

Strategic Tip: Liking and commenting on status updates can be a discreet way to gain the

attention of people in your network who may be hard to connect with otherwise.

To broadcast your own updates, click on the “Share an article, photo, or update” box on your

home page. The drop‐down list will allow you to select who you share the update with: “Public,”

“Public + Twitter,” or “Connections” only.

What kind of information should you post in your updates?

• You can share current and upcoming trends in your industry;

• Insights from projects you’re working on;

• Events and seminars you’ve attended;

• Training courses you’re taking;


• Link to articles/blogs within the industry;

• Links to articles and blog posts you’ve written elsewhere;

• Inspirational quotes

The content that you share doesn’t necessarily have to be yours 100 percent of the time. It’s a

great idea to share links to content from others in your industry, along with your thoughts on

how this work will affect your industry.

You can post several updates each day or one every few days. At a minimum, you should post a

new update at least once a week.

Building Your Connections

After opening an account, creating a profile, and importing personal contacts, you’re ready to

build a larger network. LinkedIn works for you based on the people who you already know. People

you know — and who acknowledge knowing you — are bridges to new connections.

LinkedIn employs a tier‐based system for organizing your relationships with other LinkedIn

members. A person’s position in relation to your personal network dictates the actions you’ll

have to take to add them to your network.

LinkedIn’s hierarchy of connections is primarily structured in three levels. Your direct contacts

are marked as “1st level” and the contacts of your first level contacts (the people they know) are

designated as “2nd level. Third‐degree connections are connected to your 2nd degree connections.

If their full first and last names are displayed, you can send them an invitation by clicking

“Connect.” If only the first letter of their last name is displayed, you will have to use an InMail.

Those who are not 1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree connections are considered “out of network” for you

and you must use an InMail to contact them.

Also, all of the contacts of your 1st level connections are visible to you on LinkedIn if your

connection has allowed it. LinkedIn even reveals the number of shared connections you have

with a person, and the identity of the shared connections.


Finding People to Connect With

Next to the navigation toolbar in the upper left‐hand corner is a search box. Click on the

magnifying glass in that box.

Clicking on the magnifying glass will open a new page where you can search for “People, Jobs,

Companies, Posts, and More.”

Search is one of the biggest changes LinkedIn has made in its most recent update. LinkedIn has

severely restricted the search capabilities available to Free account members.

You can search by your connections, location, current company, past company, industry, profile

language, nonprofit interests, and schools. However, if you want to search by job function, years

of experience, and other criteria, you must upgrade to a LinkedIn Premium membership.

Power User Tip: Use LinkedIn to research your current colleagues. You can use it to learn more

about your fellow employees.


Conducting Company Searches

You can also research companies on LinkedIn. Use the same search box to locate a company.

By clicking on a company name, you can view all of their details.

The company’s “Home” page will give you an overview of the company’s profile, including:

• Company profile and contact information

• How many of the company’s employees are on LinkedIn

• A link to use LinkedIn search to see how you’re connected to employees at the company

• Jobs they have posted


For example, this is the Company page for 1‐800‐PublicRelations:

Click on the “See all ‘x’ employees” link to view profiles of the company’s employees on LinkedIn.

This can help you identify who you know who works at the company you’re researching.


You can also use the “Follow Company” feature to track prospective employers. (Click on the

“Follow” button.) When you follow a company, you’ll get notices of major changes and

notifications when the company loses, gains, or promotes staff (which can be useful to see which

companies have a lot of turnover).

Using InMails and Invites

As you come across profiles on LinkedIn, you’ll see several methods for adding the person to your

network. Regardless if you’re directly on a profile page or reviewing a listing of profiles from a

search, these are two options usually offered to initiate contact:

• Send InMail

• Add to your network (“Connect”)

When you are already connected to the person, you will have different options than when they

are not currently part of your network. When someone is already a connection, you will see a

“Message” button.


Using InMails To Connect

On the other hand, InMails are a paid feature of LinkedIn that enable you to send emails directly

to a person’s LinkedIn mailbox, regardless of whether or not they’re in your network. Only paid

LinkedIn accounts receive InMail credits. Depending on your paid account level, you’ll receive a

credit for a certain number of InMails. If you send an InMail but don’t get a response from a

recipient after seven days, your account is credited for the InMail.

Although InMails require payment — and you’re running a risk by contacting someone who

doesn’t know you personally — they can be an effective way to connect with someone who you

don’t know directly. Using InMails to meet a fellow LinkedIn member shows you’re serious about

your job search and willing to invest to make the right connections.

Making Inroads with Invites

Technically, you can send a LinkedIn “Connect” invite at any time. However, it’s advised to use

discretion with this method. Recipients can respond by stating they don’t know you, preventing

you from ever sending another invitation. If you receive too many “I don’t know this person”

responses, LinkedIn may restrict you from sending connection invitations altogether.

Always click the “Add a Note” button when inviting someone to connect.

When you click “Add a Note,” you’ll have up to 300 characters to customize the connection

request. (For example, “I enjoyed meeting you at the workshop yesterday. I’d like to connect with

you on LinkedIn to keep in touch.”)


Making Connections Through LinkedIn Groups

Joining a LinkedIn Group allows you the opportunity to strengthen connections with like‐minded

individuals in an exclusive forum. The Groups function provides a private space to interact with

LinkedIn members who share common skills, experiences, industry affiliations, and goals. You

can easily find Groups within your industry to join, as well as local Groups. Being a member of

the same Group also allows you to connect with someone without using an InMail message.

You can find LinkedIn Groups here: http://www.linkedin.com/groups


Because there are so many Groups, LinkedIn also offers a feature to help you identify Groups to

join. Click on the “Discover Groups” button on the right side of that page.

Once you find a Group that you would like to join, click on the name of the Group. That will take

you to the Group’s page. Click on the “Ask to Join” button to be added to a Group.

If you are joining a Group to develop relationships with influencers, participate in the Group to

gain visibility before you invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn. Ask questions, give advice,

and be helpful to others, as this will help you become known to these folks. You can also have

Group notifications emailed to you.

As mentioned previously, one neat thing about LinkedIn

Groups is you can message other group members without

being connected.

Normally, you would have to use an InMail message to send

a message to a 2nd degree connection; however, because

you are both members of the same Group, you can send a

LinkedIn message directly.


Checklist for Maximizing Your Use of Groups

• Research featured Groups in your niche or areas of interest you might like to join;

• Join Groups based on keywords, categories, languages, or other Groups within your profile;

• Review Groups you’re currently a member of, if any;

• Create a Group of your own to attract followers.

Finding Jobs on LinkedIn

One of the most obvious applications for using LinkedIn in your job search is using the “Jobs”

button in the menu bar to identify opportunities.

At the top of the Jobs page, you’ll see a search box you can use to identify positions by job title,

keywords, or by company.


LinkedIn will also identify likely matches based on information you’ve supplied in your profile, as

well as your connections.

You can click the “Update Preferences” link to modify the search criteria:


At the bottom of that preferences page is a setting to let recruiters know you’re open to contact.

(If you are conducting a stealth job search, leave this “Off.”)

If you turn the setting “On,” recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiter will be more likely to notice your

LinkedIn profile.

Also on that page, you can choose to share your profile with people and companies that have

posted openings. Some job postings will allow you to apply directly using LinkedIn — if you are

using this LinkedIn feature, be sure you have this setting set to “On.”


If you are interested in a position on the “Jobs You May Be Interested In” page, click on the job

title and you will see the full job posting.

Note that most job postings require a paid account (using InMails) to send a message to the hiring

contact.

If you’re not ready to apply yet, you can click the “Save” button and save the job posting to view

later (these will appear at the top of your “Jobs” page).

Some job postings will allow you to apply through LinkedIn and others will give you a link to

“Apply on Company Website.”


If you have listed colleges or universities in your LinkedIn profile, LinkedIn will also tell you how

many people from your school already work at the company. (Great for networking your way to

the hiring manager!)

In addition to the jobs LinkedIn identifies, you can also search for jobs using keywords:

If the job posting has the “LinkedIn Apply” button (highlighted above), you can apply directly

using LinkedIn. Click on that button and you’ll open a new box:

The LinkedIn Apply function also allows you to

upload a résumé in either Word or PDF format.

You can also set up a job alert. On the right side of

the “Jobs” page, you’ll see a section called “Saved

Job Searches.” Click on the blue link, “Create

Search Alert.”


It will open a new box and you can choose how often to receive alerts and how you want to

receive the notifications. Click “Save” when finished.

Helping Prospective Employers Connect With You

The final change you should make as a jobseeker is to include your contact information on your

profile. NOTE: It is against LinkedIn’s Terms of Service (TOS) to include contact information in

your Headline. However, you can include your preferred contact information in your Summary.

(Recommended: Include it at the end of the Summary.)

Remember, people who aren’t connected to you can’t email you, so including your contact

information in the Summary can help your job search by giving them a way to reach you outside

of LinkedIn.


If you are already connected with someone as a 1st degree connection, they can view the primary

email address associated with your account.

Next Steps

Remember, LinkedIn is a social site — the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

Get in the habit of using LinkedIn to research opportunities and make connections with

individuals who can help you with your job search. When you have a job interview lined up,

search for the interviewer on LinkedIn. See who you know in common, and research the

interviewer’s background. Review the company profile as well, and see if you have any

connections with current employees.

Stay up‐to‐date with the latest happenings on LinkedIn too. Follow the LinkedIn blog at:

http://blog.linkedin.com/.

Good luck with your job search!

Documents

“GETTING STARTED WITH LINKEDIN IN YOUR JOB SEARCH”€¦ · “Getting Started With LinkedIn In Your Job Search” Why Get LinkedIn? LinkedIn is the top social networking website