LinkedIn is the world's most popular business and recruiting social media platform. LinkedIn Statistics stated that it currently has more than 722 million app users, with 310 million monthly active users. About 55 job applications are posted every single second. In addition, a study by We Are Social indicates that although there are only 3.2 million Thai users, they tend to be higher quality, more white-collar workers than other platforms.
So, how can LinkedIn be of use for any of us? Read on, job seekers and fresh grads, because we are here to share techniques and tips for communicating effectively and finding your dream jobs on LinkedIn.
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a social media platform that focuses on business use rather than personal entertainment. It looks more or less like Facebook with more suits and ties and job offers that serve the labour market more. You can create an account and enter some basic information for employers to see who you are and what positions you might fit. Aside from that, just like other social media, you can like posts, comment, and add people to your 'connections'.
A great percentage of users are high-level. You could meet executives, managers or HR, giving you the opportunity to connect with them easily.
Features
- Profile
Your profile page displays your name, photo, location, work history, education, and other crucial information to show how great you are for the industry. A custom resume or CV can be created and displayed here so that companies HR can see them. And if you can grab their attention, recruiters might be calling you in for an interview.
- Search bar
The search bar lets you search for people, companies, posts, open jobs, educational institutions, events, and services. You can configure various settings to find what you need more quickly.
- Home
This is the home page where you will first encounter after logging in to the application. It shows posts from people you have on Connections or pages you have followed.
- My Network
You can find a list of people you've added to Connections on this page. There are also other options like Pages, people you're following, people you may know, and alumni of various institutions.
- Jobs
There are job postings every day, and LinkedIn will suggest jobs that fit your career information entered. You can specify the location and job description to find the ones that suit you best.
- Messaging
You can send private messages to other users in your Connections. You can also send file attachments, photos, and more.
- Notifications
LinkedIn has a notification system that lets you know when you receive a message like other social media. It alerts you when you receive competence certification, invitations to events, jobs that might suit you, and more.
Other exciting features include the Interest feature that allows you to keep track of specific interests on LinkedIn. Such as Pages, SlideShare groups for slideshows, Lynda for educational purposes, and the Pending Invitations feature that allows you to choose whether or not you want to connect with the experts who invited you.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- It helps you get into the internal network of interesting people where you can learn great deals from them.
- It allows you to directly contact executive-level people or managers once you have them in your Connections.
- There may be exciting job postings that come right to you without searching for, and it increases your chances of getting a job more efficiently.
- It can be used as an online resume. It can come in handy in situations where you can't put that information on paper. Recruits can read it all on LinkedIn instead.
Cons
- Every time you look at other people's profiles, LinkedIn will notify the person they are being viewed and sometimes know who is viewing them.
- Most of the jobs posted on LinkedIn are either English-language or international (which might be a plus for some).
How does LinkedIn help me get a job?
From what we said about the direct contact with high levels, you can potentially present yourself straight to the CEO if your experience and ability seem fit.
LinkedIn is a platform focusing on business and job-seeking. That is why many HR personnel from various companies come in here to look for talented prospects. From big enterprises to start-ups and SMEs, there are HR people from all parts of the industry.
This shows that you do not always need to be flying job application aggressive everywhere. You can upload a resume or CV to your profile, and if someone is interested in your talents, they will contact you personally.
Top 5 fastest-growing jobs in 2021
LinkedIn has released some impressive findings of the top 5 jobs the market is in demand in January 2021 as the Covid-19 pandemic has shifted the whole business and employment trends. Please note that this is global data that we can use to analyze the holistic employment trends. Let's see what lines of work take the top spots.
1. Professionals on the frontlines of e-commerce
In the past year, retailers and logistics companies saw a 73% increase in workforce hires compared to the previous year to maintain the best delivery of products to consumers' hands. There are more than 400,000 positions open today.
Top Job Titles: Driver, Supply Chain Associate, Package Handler, Personal Shopper
Skills: Time Management, Customer Service, Leadership
2. Loan and mortgage experts
2020 was a year of historically low interest rates, and a series of Paycheck Protection Program made companies hunt for good hand loan experts. Hiring for these jobs grew almost 59% from 2019. About 1 in 4 job postings in this field mention remote work options, so it would fit great for people looking to work from home.
Top Job Titles: Underwriter, Mortgage Loan Officer, Escrow Officer, Loan Closer
Skills: Risk Management, Customer Service, Credit Analysis
3. Health care supporting staff
The Covid-19 outbreak has made the world busy finding a way out of this pandemic, resulting in the exponentially spiked needs for doctors, nurses and other health professionals. There was a report of a sudden and persistent increase of more than 34%.
Top Job Titles: Health Care Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Dental Assistant, Home Health Aide
Skills: Patient Education, Data Entry, Physician Relations
4. Business development and sales professionals
Due to the epidemic, many businesses have to adapt to survive the economic uncertainty. Although some positions may be out of jobs, the line of sales professionals is still essential to many companies, increasing the employment rate by 45% between 2020 and 2019.
Top Job Titles: Sales Consultant, Sales Operations Assistant, Inbound Sales Specialist, Strategic Advisor
Skills: Customer Retention, Sales Process, Team Building
5. Experts in workplace diversity
The incident of a black man being over persecuted by the police led to protests throughout the US. Companies worldwide had to look for diversity experts to keep the organization equitable and up to this ideology. The number of jobs has increased by 90% since 2019.
Top Job Titles: Sales Consultant, Sales Operations Assistant, Inbound Sales Specialist, Strategic Advisor
Skills: Community Outreach, Teaching, Organizational Development
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn has introduced series of courses for enhancing skills at work for a nominal fee. The good thing is it offers a 1-month trial period for you to try it out. There are many courses to study in many business fields with new classes released all the time. It keeps us learning new things all the time. You can check out LinkedIn Learning for courses to enhance your management skills, planning, programming skills, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to focus on first?
Just get out there and be on the platform. It isn't a place where you can just do one thing to make it work, but you need to take a broader approach to it. You need to address more than just the process, your personal, company profile and platform in order for it to work for you.
Is it worth paying for LinkedIn?
You can pay for additional features if you reach the point where you have fully exploited the free functionality, or if you need some additional search criteria such as fortune, employee count, or average five profile views a day.
Should I put up a profile picture?
Yes. You are 21 times more likely to be viewed if you have a photograph on your profile, according to LinkedIn themselves. You are not the only one to think less of someone when you view their profile, as a survey shows that most people do not trust someone they cannot see.
Is there a difference between editing my profile and public profile?
When people use the search feature to look for you, your public profile will show up as well as on other third party applications and platforms. This depends on your privacy settings. You have the option to turn on or off sections of your public profile.
Is it safe to put my contact information online?
Unless you have a criminal record, celebrity status or a job that requires a high level of security clearance, I would most likely say yes. Nowadays there are many ways for people to find out your address and phone number, including online directories.
How often should I update my LinkedIn profile?
If your connections notice a sudden increase in activity, they can conclude that you are looking for a new opportunity. Check in every three months to make sure that your profile remains up to date even when you are not actively looking for work. Up to 50% of profiles are incomplete, so make sure yours is in the top half.
Need help doing LinkedIn Marketing for your company?
If you want to create a page for your brand and market it on LinkedIn, our team at Sphere Agency will help you with LinkedIn marketing all the way through to help your brand achieve its objectives. Want to know how our LinkedIn Marketing services can add value to your brand? Let's talk.
