While I start nearly every job-seeker client I have with a resume, the next thing on the agenda is always LinkedIn. Why? Because the site is so incredibly powerful! Sure, a resume is a vital component in your job-search toolbox (and the basis for building your LinkedIn profile), but when you really leverage LinkedIn in your job search, you’ll see your results magnify exponentially. And I’m not just talking about your profile. While that’s the start of your LinkedIn success, you cannot just build a profile and hope employers and recruiters will come. You must be out there doing the work and making the connections to see true success.
What LinkedIn Provides
LinkedIn is many things, but at its core, it can be whittled down to four biggies:
- A powerful search engine
- A marketing website
- A social networking site
- An educational platform
Let’s look at each of these components in a bit more detail, shall we?
1. A powerful search engine
When you leverage LinkedIn in your job search, you can start to look up almost everything you need. That includes key decision-makers at companies that interest you, people who have the position you want to learn more about, companies you’re targeting, articles with helpful information, alumni from your alma mater(s), and of course, jobs. Plus, nearly every page on LinkedIn is indexed on Google, making it eminently more searchable.
2. A marketing website
Everyone is marketing something on LinkedIn, and you’ll see their efforts in your newsfeed. From products and services to their skills as a potential employee, the site is full of opportunities to get the word out. For most people, that starts on your LinkedIn profile.
Did you know that you can transform your profile into a portfolio? By adding examples of work, volunteerism, publications, patents, organizations, and testimonials, you create a profile that engages readers and makes them want to contact you. Even without all the extra bells and whistles, you can start with a background image, strong headline, and impactful about section—all of which most job seekers often miss the mark on.
3. A social networking site
Sure, you may not like social media, but I’m sorry to tell you that LinkedIn is, indeed, a member of that social media community. As such, you must be involved in the conversation to truly leverage LinkedIn in your job search. This means sharing a variety of posts that will be meaningful to your target market, writing original articles, contributing to collaborative articles, and liking, commenting on, and sharing posts from your network. If people don’t see and hear from you regularly, they won’t be inclined to help you.
4. An educational platform
Many people go to LinkedIn to seek out information. If you’re contributing to the conversation with meaningful information, you may be elevated to thought leader status. Also, beyond what members contribute, there’s also LinkedIn Learning, which enables premium members to dive deep and expand their knowledge into myriad topics. This is an excellent resource when you are in between positions, allowing you to level-up your talents and know-how.
Now that you understand what LinkedIn is, let’s discuss how you can use the platform to go from just showing up to creating real traction. Here are 10 powerful LinkedIn strategies that will help you transform a ho-hum job search into a powerful success story.
1. Engage with Companies and Decision Makers—Even If They’re Not Hiring
While you can’t always know when you’ll be in a job search, it’s just good practice to always be in conversation with key decision makers and target companies. I like to think of LinkedIn as a networking event: When you go to one, you don’t start looking for people to hire you outright; you build relationships. That’s what you need to do on LinkedIn.
Look for people who are working in companies you want to work in with titles you want or people in positions that might supervise yours. Reach out and start conversations. Build something meaningful.
Follow those target companies and comment on their posts. Say something insightful. Get seen.
Goal: Aim to add 1–5 new connections each week.
2. Leverage Your Network to Get Warm Introductions
One of the best ways to get connected to new people and build your network is by asking for an introduction. When looking for recruiters, hiring managers, or people who work in a company that intrigues you, see first if you have shared connections. Send that person an InMail and ask if they will introduce you. Better yet, include a short message for them to forward to that person, taking the pressure off them to think of something to say.
Warm introductions are always going to be more effective than cold outreach, so when you can, tap into your existing network.
3. Post Regularly
Given that LinkedIn is, indeed, a social network, you must participate in the conversation. Imagine that you attended a networking event and just sat in the corner, waiting for people to talk to you. You might be waiting for a while! Instead of just researching and applying (or even lurking), be the person who starts the conversation.
Curious what to talk about? If you are a current job seeker, here’s my suggestion of three topics to discuss:
Topic #1: Your job search
This one only works if you are currently unemployed. Don’t start spouting about how you’re looking for a new job when you already have one—or you won’t have that one much longer. However, if you are between roles, talk about what you’re looking for and give updates about your search. Stay positive, don’t name names, and be consistent. When your network sees that you’re looking and, more importantly, what you’re looking for, as well as where you want to work, they’ll be excited to follow your journey and provide support.
Topic #2: Showcase your expertise
LinkedIn is prime real estate for talking about your “SMEness”—the fact that you’re a subject-matter expert. Pick your category and share original thoughts, ask questions, create polls, write articles, and discuss other articles you’ve read.
Topic #3: Highlight your personality
If you were at a networking event or in the office, you wouldn’t only talk about business; you’d talk about your interests, weekend plans, and the like. Do that on LinkedIn too. My thing is hiking, and every time I talk to people in real life or on Zoom, they almost never comment on the educational posts I share on LinkedIn. You know what they do talk about? My latest hike.
When you share a bit about yourself, you create commonalities and get people to know and like you. Then you share that you’re an expert on a topic, which they believe because they already like you. That all leads to them wanting to help you when you mention your job search because, after all, they already know, like, and trust you—and we all want to work with people we know, like, and trust.
Goal: Post once daily. Yes, even on weekends.
4. Comment on Your Newsfeed
Did you know that LinkedIn actually wants you to comment on your newsfeed? That’s because it expands conversations. When you comment, it helps the original post get more traction because it shows up in the newsfeeds of your first-level connections. Whether you choose a two-word comment or go into detail is up to you, but you’ll better leverage LinkedIn when you engage in others’ conversations, in addition to starting your own.
Goal: Comment once daily.
5. Add to Collaborative Articles
Most LinkedIn users haven’t even heard of collaborative articles, much less added to them. This is another step LinkedIn encourages you to do, mostly because it adds more content to the site. But here’s the thing: When you share your two cents on a collaborative article, it goes to the newsfeeds of your connections and to the LinkedIn community in its entirety.
If you’re not familiar with collaborative articles, they abound across hundreds of topics. They are started by AI and expanded on my members’ contributions. You can choose your subject matter and share your thoughts and suggestions. Believe me when I tell you these will help you be seen by a whole new audience.
Goal: Contribute once weekly.
6. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel with Your Profile
There are some people on LinkedIn who have amazing, even enviable, profiles. Instead of racking your brain to come up with something clever and engaging, follow the industry leaders who have demonstrated their ability to leverage LinkedIn. Look for people who have the job you aspire to have and start mirroring their profiles. Look at their skills, certifications, groups, and experience. How are they listing things? Are there aspects you can copy or a path you can follow? If they’re successful, odds are they’re doing something right, and you can benefit by following their lead.
7. Join Groups That Support Your Goals
Perhaps one of the most underutilized aspects of LinkedIn is groups. Groups are a wealth of great information. Just point your cursor to the search bar, type in your job title, industry, or even “job search” (also try neighboring industries and titles!). Then navigate to groups and start looking for those you can join. If you want to, you can join up to 100 groups, and once you’ve chosen them, they’ll live under the business tab.
In groups, you can:
- Look for jobs that may be posted.
- Seek out movers and shakers with whom to connect.
- Post about your expertise to your target audience!
Goal: Visit and contribute 1–3 times weekly
8. Watch for Job Changes
LinkedIn makes it pretty easy for members to keep track of the professional comings and goings of their network. And that means it’s simple for you to known when connections move to new roles. When a hiring manager switches companies, this is a great time to reconnect and send congratulations. If they’re starting a new position, the likelihood is that they could be building a new team, providing you an opportunity to jump in line.
9. Connect with Alumni
Whether you graduated last year or in the 20th century, reaching out to your alumni network is an excellent way to leverage LinkedIn in your job search. Use the search bar to look for people who attended the same school, especially if they work at a company you’re targeting. Send an InMail noting your shared alma mater and see if you can schedule a time to chat or even get a referral into the company in question.
10. Request Informational Interviews
Looking to change industries? An informational interview is one of the most powerful ways to do that, and you can leverage LinkedIn to find the right professionals. The key to success here is to position your request as a way to learn about the other person. Suggest a phone call or Zoom meeting to ask them about their position and career path. Be sure to have a short timeframe of 30 minutes or less to not infringe on their schedule and be prepared. At the end of the meeting, you can position yourself as a potential problem solver and suggest following up with your resume and staying in touch about future opportunities.
Consistency Is Key to Leverage LinkedIn and Create Success
Any one of these tips can make a difference in your job search, but when you take action on all of them, you’re nearly guaranteed to create major results. However, this isn’t a one-and-done solution; you must be consistent. LinkedIn is a goldmine for job seekers—when you commit the time necessary. You don’t need to put in hours daily, though. Instead, schedule yourself for 10–15 minutes, up to 30 minutes, a day. Every day. When you invest the time, you’ll soon start to see the tides turn. Remember: This is a different job market, and you need to be a different kind of job seeker to create success.
If you need support on how to make a true difference in your job search, I can help. Learn more about packages here.