This social network was designed for professionals, people who want to get the right visibility thanks to connections with other people.
LinkedIn is a pillar for those who have decided to work in order to create a reference with respect to their professional activity in a particular sector. Because thanks to this social network you can create exactly this: a sort of online resume for those looking for figures similar to yours.
But is it really just that? Can we say that LinkedIn is nothing more than a platform to create a summary page of your activities?
No, that would be a big mistake. This social network does much more, if you are looking for a way to create an online resume just create a PDF and upload it to your website. LinkedIn is a fantastic opportunity to find work online, create virtuous connections with colleagues and collaborators, find customers to be transformed into ambassadors through a complex job.
In short, there is a world to explore . Think, you can also create a blog and do content marketing in order to improve your brand awareness .
How to proceed? How can I sign up and get employment? Are there any extra tools? Here is an introductory guide to make the most of this platform so dear to those who need to find new contacts and customers.
What is LinkedIn, a definition
It is a social network dedicated to professional relationships that allows people to create profiles that summarize work experiences, studies, awards received and publications . This allows companies or potential clients to find employees, executives, executives or freelancers .
In fact, LinkedIn has a decisive functionality that has made it possible, in summary, to earn the scepter of the best professional social network : it allows you to match the needs of those looking for work on the internet with those of those in need of skills. Both to hire and for a collaboration.
Today it is one of the most widespread and used social networks, with over 706 million registered users and 50 million companies on the platform in 2020. These data, taken from the official page , tell us another detail: there are two different profiles, those for people and pages for companies. Without forgetting the thematic groups dedicated to themes and discussions.
How to register and what it is for
The process that allows you to use this social network, also available in Italian, is quite simple: you sign up using the login and create a personal profile. This function allows you to have a page dedicated to your person that you can modify with different information.
- Personal data and contacts.
- Qualifications.
- Work experience.
- Objectives achieved.
The usefulness of LinkedIn: allowing the development of virtuous relationships for professionals in a specific sector. What is this social network for? Not to keep in touch with your loved ones like Facebook promises or show pictures like on Instagram.
LinkedIn is different, it has a professional purpose , in fact the rules are different. On the boards of this social network there is not much space for memes and funny contents, those who are most successful have an institutional profile or in any case linked to professional activity.
Is LinkedIn free or do you have to pay?
There are several ways. The simplest is the one that allows you to create a free profile : you sign up and take advantage of a number of features without paying.
LinkedIn explained simple.
This solution is perfect for those who do not have great needs and want to use only the basic potential of this social network. Then there are other possibilities that are offered by the premium account. What is it about?
First you need to know that you have the possibility to choose which type of account to create . For example, you can choose a perfect solution for those who want to improve their career. In this case LinkedIn allows you to:
- Get noticed by the right people.
- Reach out to whoever is hiring.
- Compare yourself with other candidates.
- Enhance your career.
There is also the possibility of choosing a profile designed for those who want to improve their business by feeding a network through brand promotion and customer loyalty. Alternatively?
You can optimize your profile in relation to the hiring goal : find your candidates quickly, contact directly the talents you need. The paid profile is all this and more.
How LinkedIn works, the guide
When you sign up you have several nuances to take care of in order to optimize your presence on this social network. Remember the basic rule : to find a job on LinkedIn you must start from a well-kept and structured profile. Where to start? I would say from the visual aspect of your social account.
Profile and cover image
How to upload a quality photo? Choose a shot that represents you clearly, smiling but not in a way that communicates little seriousness .
How to post an effective photo on LinkedIn.
Make sure you have a square JPG, GIF or PNG photo between 200 x 200 and 500 x 500 pixels that does not exceed 4000 px and 4 MB in weight. And for the cover?
You can work with Canva which offers you models already with the ideal measures. Also remember that you have Snappr at your disposal to analyze the photo and discover any weaknesses in the profile image of a professional account .
Beware of above the fold
This is one of the most important sections. People need to have the information right away to understand who you are, what you do and what your specializations are. So, after choosing a good personal image, be sure to introduce yourself with your real name and with a crystal clear description of your job, of what you do every day. Here is an example.
A simple and effective above the fold.
Do not use a thousand words to describe what you do or even invented words: clarity helps you both to be discovered by people and to operate in such a way as to be found during internal searches.
Professional skills and studies
Obviously it is better to be precise and structured in these cases. The rules of the resume apply, just add what the head hunter needs.
Without describing every single step of your life. Put the most useful experiences on LinkedIn , the time to grab attention is reduced.
How to create an effective LinkedIn profile.
But above all, add the contents. Make sure that your online resume is full of elements that really describe what you do LinkedIn allows you to insert videos, photos and links useful for the purpose . That is to make your profile suitable for those looking for certain human resources.
Leverage pages and communities
There is not only your personal profile, in a basic LinkedIn guide it is also right to consider the presence of these decisive resources: company pages. You can create them to represent a company, a company, an organization. They are similar to Facebook Fan Pages from a conceptual point of view and have different tools than the profile. Just like communities, i.e. discussion groups that you can create and manage.
Very useful if you want to find work on this social network or create a network of contacts to strengthen your brand: groups on LinkedIn must be approached proactively, not simply to launch links and spam. By the way, if you are looking for a job, you should keep reading.
How to find a job with LinkedIn
Much depends on a subtle difference: do you have a free or paid account? In the latter case, there are a number of extra tools that can help you find a job or the best clients for your job .
It is good to know that most of the tools that can help you find a job on LinkedIn are always available and depend only on your employment. Let’s start with these? Here’s what you need to develop to get started.
Free account
Everyone, even those who sign up for LinkedIn with a free profile, can take advantage of internal search to find companies that hire.
The difference is that paid accounts have more tools to have defined, precise results. But this is the basis.
Look for a job on LinkedIn.
What are the tips for refining results, eliminating background noise, and getting better results from LinkedIn search ? First, remember that you can use double quotes if you are looking for a two-word query, such as “web copywriter “. The same goes for other search operators that are also valid on other search engines:
- AND to include one or more terms.
- NOT to exclude words.
Then remember that you can create an alert that will notify you whenever there is something new with respect to a particular search. Also, if you go to the All jobs filters section you can decide exactly what to show.
Search filters on LinkedIn.
This is a fundamental aspect that allows you to never lose sight of new opportunities. Which can also come thanks to your proactive work with content marketing. It is no coincidence that one of the best weapons to find work on LinkedIn is the one offered by Pulse.
LinkedIn Pulse is a decisive tool for intercepting new job opportunities. In this case, however, we work on inbound marketing . That is to say the ability to be found by the people who need you, without invading the sphere of contacts but becoming a resource. This is because with LinkedIn Pulse you create a kind of blog.
Premium account
It goes without saying that those who pay the subscription for the advanced profile have dozens of more tools to use to find work online thanks to LinkedIn.
For example, it can identify who has seen the profile and discover potential customers who have landed on the account in the last 90 days . What is it for?
Simple, if he has a fan who constantly goes to his personal page, he can try to contact him. Maybe thanks to InMail which gives you the possibility to contact people on LinkedIn even without being in contact.
Some alternatives to LinkedIn
In Italy it is practically impossible to find something equally valid. In the past they required solutions that could offer job opportunities but now if you want to take advantage of a professional social network you only have LinkedIn in front of you. Something is on Opportunity or Xing , and then what?
Certainly very vertical communities for certain themes like Behance for visual design and AngelList for startups work. But LinkedIn is definitely your best bet for finding jobs online today.
Do you use this social network for work?
I do. I use it to promote my online content and reach people interested in my business for my clients. I also take advantage of the ranking that LinkedIn manages to obtain on the name and surname to occupy a place in the SERP and do brand protection . In your capital opinion is this enough? Do you use LinkedIn differently?
