"How important is LinkedIn for my job search?” We have heard this question from many moms who aren’t familiar with LinkedIn, or who simply aren’t eager to spend time or energy on another social media platform.  But LinkedIn isn’t just another social media site – it is an incredibly powerful tool, and could very well be the key to your next career step. So this week, we are diving into LinkedIn -  sharing why it’s important and a few steps to get you started if you’re new to the platform, or haven’t used it in a while. 

First, let’s talk about how LinkedIn can benefit your job search.  Here are our favorite ways to utilize this powerful tool to land your next job. 

Build your Online Professional Presence – LinkedIn is an online platform where you can create a profile that’s geared towards your professional life.  It’s a great place to expand on your resume – use the About section to share what you bring to the table in your own words, expand on your experiences and skills, and surface recommendations from people who know your work – all without the restrictions of a resume’s page limit.  

Get Included in Recruiter Sourcing – Recruiters are constantly trying to find the best candidates for their open roles and most recruiters use LinkedIn to look for people who are a strong fit – this is called “sourcing”.  That means that even if you haven’t applied for a job through the traditional application process, a recruiter may find you on LinkedIn with keyword searches and reach out to you to see if you’re interested in an open position. 

Grow your Network – The stronger your network, the more beneficial it is to your job search.  LinkedIn is a great way to keep in contact with your connections, and connect with new contacts.  When you connect with someone on LinkedIn, you’ll be able to see their updates and job changes and can also use LinkedIn as a professional address book to reach out to your connections in the future as you’re actively job searching. 

Do your (Company) Research – If you’re researching which companies are the best fit for you and your career interests, LinkedIn is a great place to start.  You can filter by various criteria and learn about new companies that weren’t on your radar.  LinkedIn allows you to follow companies and receive notifications when they post updates or new jobs.  And, LinkedIn company pages are a great way to learn about a company’s culture to see if they are a fit for your next step. 

Search for Jobs – LinkedIn has a robust job search database.  You can search for jobs and also set up alerts so that you’re notified when new jobs are posted that meet your search criteria.  It’s a great way to save time and stay updated on the latest open jobs that are a fit for your skills and interests. 

Learn new skills with LinkedIn Learning – If you’d like to develop new skills or brush up on professional skills that you haven’t used for a while, LinkedIn has a professional development/training platform called LinkedIn Learning where you can access various trainings and courses.  This is an incredible resource and offers a wide variety of trainings and certifications for minimal time and financial investment. 

Now if you haven’t used LinkedIn before (or haven’t used it in a while), you may be wondering where to start when developing your profile.  Here are some things to prioritize as you’re getting started. 

1. Create an account and provide some basic information to get started – you may also want to consider including some type of contact information in case a recruiter wants to get in touch. 
2. Add a professional headshot to your profile – you don’t need to have this professionally taken, just a friendly picture with a neutral background and a professional shirt that you’d wear to an interview works well. 
3. Highlight some of your experience and if you have a resume, you can copy and paste the information from your resume into the sections of your LinkedIn profile where they fit best. You can (and probably should) elaborate on this information later but copying and pasting from your resume is a great place to start. 
4. Write a dynamic header to help you stand out.  This is the section right below your name and photo on your profile and it is what people see first when viewing your profile. It’s also one of the main places that keyword searches pull from so be sure to incorporate some of your skills and areas of expertise in your header. 
5. Add skills to your profile so that recruiters and other professionals can quickly identify the things that you do well.  Connections can also start endorsing you for these skills, which acts as a mini recommendation from your peers. 

We are hoping that these tips are helpful as you begin developing your LinkedIn profile.  Remember, you don’t have to complete all of these profile steps in one session.  Get started when you have a few free minutes and then come back to it when you can.   

We’re confident LinkedIn will become one of your favorite job searching resources – just take it one step at a time. 

Want more actionable tips to support your job search? Sign up for our newsletter below.  And as always, we are here to help – if you have a question, submit it through the Career Concierge form below and we will follow up with you directly!