Top LinkedIn Tips for Job Seekers

Are you making the most of social media’s critical job tool?

Find A Job by James A. Martin on

2/24/14

10. Look professional. Don’t post a photo of yourself with your child or wearing sunglasses on a beach, says Parham. A professional headshot is ideal, or at least a photo that shows you in a professional context.

**11. Join lots of relevant groups. **There are countless topic-specific LinkedIn groups. When you join one, you can interact with others outside your professional network, exchanging ideas, tips and even job leads.

12. Focus your group efforts. LinkedIn lets you join up to 50 groups. It’s fine to do that, says Serdula. But there’s only so much time in the day. Prioritize your focus on one or two relevant groups and stay highly engaged with them.

See also: Top 10 Mistakes on LinkedIn

13. Pay it forward. Think about how you can help others in your LinkedIn network, says Hester. Offer tips and job leads, help them make connections to others. With luck, they’ll reciprocate.

14. Use LinkedIn to research and connect to companies. If you’re going for a specific job, research the company on LinkedIn, advises Serdula. See who works there and if any of your contacts are connected to the company employees on LinkedIn. If so, ask your contact to introduce you to his or her connection at the company where you want to work. “It’s a great way to get ahead of the crowd,” she adds. Also, use LinkedIn’s follow feature to read status updates from companies you’re targeting.

15. Upgrade to a paid account, if only during your job search. Though the free version of LinkedIn is “just good enough,” Serdula advocates upgrading. You’ll be able to message people on LinkedIn you don’t know (through InMail), and a Premium membership badge is displayed on your LinkedIn profile. “It indicates you’re a serious user, and others may feel more compelled to reach out and communicate,” she says. A Premium membership costs $40 per month if paid annually or $50 monthly.

See also: The Fatal Mistake Job Hunters Make

16. Consider starting with LinkedIn’s little-known ‘Personal Plus’ account. For $8 monthly (for an annual membership), LinkedIn Personal Plus gives you features not available in a free account, like access to OpenLink, which lets anyone on LinkedIn message you for free; and complete visibility of who is viewing your profile. “That way, you can see if someone who has interviewed you for a job has looked at your LinkedIn profile,” says Serdula. She says Personal Plus is a “fantastic product” for “getting your feet wet with LinkedIn.”

17. Periodically check out your contacts’ profiles. You might have missed the LinkedIn email in your box announcing that a contact of yours has a new job—at a company where you want to work and had no previous contacts. For this and other reasons, it pays to read your friends’ LinkedIn profiles on occasion to see what they’re up to, says Hester.

**18. Be authentic. **If you were laid off from your last job, you don’t have to say so on LinkedIn. Nor should you hide the fact you’re no longer there, says Hester. Being dodgy or deceitful will only catch up to you in the end. “Social media is about transparency,” he adds. “Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Be honest and authentic in your communications.”

LinkedIn for Jobs and Beyond

LinkedIn is the de facto standard for professional profiles, and a strong LinkedIn presence is essential for any job seeker. But LinkedIn isn’t only useful for finding jobs. Many potential partners, employers, clients and colleagues will research you on LinkedIn. Your profile will likely be the first impression you make on them – which is why it’s important to continually build and update your profile throughout your career.

James A. Martin is an SEO and social media consultant based in San Francisco. Follow him on LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.

Photo Credit: Bloomberg/Getty

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