How to Get a Job on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has almost 800 million users making it the largest professional network in the world. If used right, it can be a useful tool for career growth and advancement.

Making the most of LinkedIn means seeking out opportunities available on the platform and establishing yourself as the ideal candidate. It requires focus and persistence. Don’t get too disappointed if you’re not landing six-figure deals immediately after setting up your LinkedIn profile.

Instead, follow these pointers to boost your chances of getting hired on LinkedIn.

1. Create a Stand-out Profile

Creating a stand-out profile on LinkedIn is the first and most important step of your LinkedIn journey. Anyone interested in hiring you will likely take a keen look at your LinkedIn profile before making any decisions.

Whether its a new profile or one you’ve had for ages, cleaning up your profile will definitely boost your chances of getting hired. Use a recent, professional picture for your profile. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a corporate photo, but it needs to be clear and of decent quality.

To make it easier for people to access and share your profile, you can also set up a personalized URL for your profile. This is essentially creating an easy-to-follow link to your profile for instance linkedin.com/myname as opposed to the auto-generated profile URL with numbers and different characters. To create a custom URL, click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage > Click View profile > Click Edit Public profile and URL > Click the Edit Icon > Type the last part of your new custom URL in the text box and save.

Add Skills to Your Profile. Using jobs that you’re interested in for reference, make sure to add your skills to your LinkedIn profile. This will enable LinkedIn to match you with relevant opportunities. Add skills by Clicking the Me icon at the top of the homepage > Click View Profile > Click Add Section > Click Skills from the dropdown and click Skills again > Add Skills in the pop-up window and save.

Fill out the summary section and add keywords to your headline. Many ignore the summary section, but it can be a great way to effectively position yourself for your dream role. Briefly highlight specific achievements that paint a picture of who you are as a professional. And while the headline section is meant for your job title, using relevant keywords helps enhance visibility as you show up in more searches. For example, if you work in digital media, you can use terms related to content creation.

Add work experience and featured content. Under the work experience section, it is important to have the work you are most proud of and, preferably, examples of your most recent work. You can also add key projects through articles, links and media in the Featured Content section on your profile. To add Featured Content, click ‘My profile’ > Go To ‘Add profile section’ > Click on ‘Featured’.

Turn On ‘Open to New Job Opportunities’. Switching this feature on lets recruiters know you are available when appropriate roles emerge. Click on the ‘Me’ tab > Click on ‘Add profile section’ > Click ‘Looking for a New Job’ underneath the ‘Intro‘ tab and add desired job titles and preferences such as whether you are open to remote work.

You can choose who on LinkedIn sees that you’re open to new opportunities. You can select ‘Just recruiters’ (where others in your firm won’t be able to see that you’re open to new roles) or you can select ‘All LinkedIn members’, which adds a green ‘Open for work’ badge to your profile picture.

2. Networking on LinkedIn

Few digital tools are as great for professional networking as LinkedIn. Don’t be afraid to connect with other people in your industry including people and companies you admire. You can connect with relevant trade publications, firms, leaders and opinion-shapers and share their work or react to their content with comments and thoughts of your own.

It is also great for connecting with friends, colleagues and classmates you know in real life. This can aid your professional growth as having a large network makes it easier to connect with even more people, due to the increased likelihood of mutual connections.

Post articles and content. Data shows that long-form articles and posts are among key drivers of engagement on LinkedIn. If you want to organically connect with other people who care about the same things you do, take time to craft articles on relevant topics and post them to your LinkedIn feed. Keep an eye on the shares and comments and engage where appropriate. Short-form articles, graphics and other original content can also help build your network in addition to giving recruiters a sense of who you are and what you believe in.

Give and get endorsements. You can click the plus button under skills on someone else’s profile to endorse them and, in many cases, they will do the same. Don’t get spammy with this feature, however. You can ask people who know you personally to vouch for your skills with endorsements on LinkedIn.

3. Get Hired on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has a range of features that can get you that job. Once you’ve tidied up your profile and built some virtual connections, it’s time to get hired.

Take a skills assessment. LinkedIn nowadays offers an online test to verify your skills. If you pass, you will get a ‘Verified Skills’ badge on your profile. While taking a skills assessment isn’t necessary, data from LinkedIn shows that recruiters are 30 times more likely to hire those with ‘Verified Skills’ badges than those without.

Click on the Jobs tab on the top of the page to view available roles. Based on your skills and keywords in your profile, LinkedIn will suggest roles for you. Filter the roles by location and use the search function to find exactly what you are looking for. Make sure your resume is up to date, and use both your LinkedIn profile and resume when applying for positions.

Jobs are posted every day, so make sure to regularly check for positions and apply to those which interest you.

The Easy Apply option allows you to complete the application process without exiting LinkedIn. If you see the Apply button instead of the Easy Apply/Apply Now, you’ll be redirected to the company’s website or job board to continue the application process.