BY Future Quest
22 Jun 2020

What is LinkedIn?

 

LinkedIn is a professional social media platform; it is similar to other social media platforms that you may be familiar with however it is unique as it focuses on jobs and careers rather than the other aspects of social media.

The main feature is that it allows you to connect with businesses and other users locally, nationally and internationally, allowing you opportunity to find jobs relevant to your interests and to start connecting with employers.

 

Why LinkedIn?

 

A professional and clear LinkedIn profile can help open doors to opportunities and networks that you may not have been aware of without the help of social media. 93% of recruiters use LinkedIn to research and recruit candidates, so it has never been more important to make sure that your online presence is positive and professional. LinkedIn has job listings allowing you to apply for jobs using your profile as an application. It also allows you to indicate that you are looking for a job, so you may be lucky and have employers contact you to invite you to interview for a job.

 

LinkedIn is great for helping you find jobs and connect with others you wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to connect with. Don’t just take our word for it. Watch the following videos to hear how LinkedIn helped Jess and Sunny find their dream jobs:

Jess

 

 

Sunny

 

 

 

Getting Started

 

Getting started on LinkedIn is simple, and follows similar steps to other social networks. It requires you to enter your personal information and also asks you to provide your education history. LinkedIn is designed to evolve as you progress through education and your career, so don’t worry if you don’t have much to fill in at this point. You can make a start and then keep adding to it as you move onto new things.

For those of you with a part time job, start by adding details about where you have worked, how long you have been there and what skills/experience that you have gained so far from your role. Adding these details as you go along will help you in the future, as you won’t have to spend a significant amount of time trying to remember and enter the information.

There are many videos available showing the steps to create a professional and effective LinkedIn profile. One that we found particularly clear to understand is

 

5 Top tips

 

1. Fill out as much of your profile as you can including a clear professional photo. The more complete your profile is the more professional it looks. This is the first step to ensuring your online presence is positive and effective.
2. Keep the information up to date. By keeping your information up-to-date it allows you to keep a track of your education and career achievements in one place. This will help you with future job applications as you won’t have to spend significant amounts of time remembering these details.
3. Connect with others. Spend time connecting with your friends, family and work colleagues from any part-time jobs. By connecting with others, it allows you to build a network of individuals who can provide endorsements (or reviews) of your skills. A network also serves another key purpose as it will allow you to be seen by potential employers in the future.
4. Keep your content professional. Employers are increasingly looking at the social media of their job applicants, and this can create issues for individuals whose social media content isn’t suitable for employers to see. There is more information about ensuring your social media is appropriate in our ‘Preparing for online interviews session’
5. Post and view relevant content. LinkedIn allows you to post content for all users to see; this allows you to show interest in the latest developments in your career or subjects of interest. Interacting with others and engaging with this content shows that you understand the topic and are passionate about it.